Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1923-09-21
CHAPTER XVIII
The Sheriff of EI Gallon.


About the middle Of the forenoon
Of that day Madeline reached the
ranch. Her guests had all arrived
there late the night before, and want
ed only her presence and the assur-
ance Of her well-being to consider the
last Of the camping trip rare adven-
ture. They reported an arduous ride
down the mountain, with only one in
cident to lend excitement. On the
descent they had fallen in with Sher-
iff Have and several of his deputies,
who were considerably under the in
fluence Of drink and very greatly en-
ragged by the escape Of the Mexican
girl Bonita. Have had used insult
ing language to the ladies and, ac-
cording to Ambrose, would have in
convenienced the party on some pre-
text or other If he had not been
sharply silenced by the cowboys.
Madeline's guests were two days in
recovering from the hard ride. On
the third day they leisurely began to
prepare for departure. This period
was doubly trying for Madeline. Her
sister and friends were kindly and
earnestly persistent in their entreaties
that she go back East with them. She
desired to go. 1t was not going that
mattered; 1t was how and when and
under what circumstances she was to
return that reused in her disturbing
emotion. Before she went East she
wanted to have fixed in mind her fu-
ture relation to the ranch and the
West. When the crucial hour arrived
she found that the West had not
claimed her yet. These old friends
had warmed cold ties.
1t turned out, however, that there
need be no hurry about making the
decision. Madeline would have well
coined any excuse to procrastinate
but, as 1t happened, letter from AL
fred made her departure out Of the
question for the present. He wrote
hat his trip to California had been
very profitable, that he had PROPOSE
tion for Madeline from large cattle
company, and, particularly, that he
wanted to marry Florence soon after
his arrival home and would bring a
minister from Douglas for that pur-
pose.
Madeline went so far, however, as
to promise Helen and her friends that
she would go East soon, at the very
latest by Thanksgiving. With that
promise they were reluctantly content
to say goodby to the ranch and to her.
Helen's eyes had sweet, grave,
yet mocking light as she said: MAI
esty, bring Stewart with you when you
come. He'll be the rage"
Madeline treated the remark with
the same merry lightness with which
it was received by the others; but
after the train had pulled out and she
was on her way home she remembered
Helen's words and looks with some
thing almost amounting to a shock.
Any mention Of Stewart, any thought
of him, displeased her.
"What did Helen meanw mused
Madeline. And she pondered. That
mocking light in Helen's eyes had
been simply an ironical CLINT, Gym
ical CLEAN from that worldly expert
ence so suspicious and tolerant in its
wisdom. The sweet gravity of Helen's
look had been a deeper and more sub
tie thing. Madeline wanted to under
stand 1T, to divine in 1t new rela-
tion between Helen and herself, some
thing fine and sisterly that might lead
to love. The thought, however, re-
volving around strange suggestion
Of Stewart, was poisoned at its incep-
tion, and she dismissed 1t.
Upon the drive In to the ranch, as
she was passing the lower lake, she
saw Stewart walking listlessly along
the shore. When he became aware
Of the approach Of the car he sudden
ly awakened from his aimless saunter-
ing and disappeared quickly in the
shade of the shrubbery. This was not
by any means the first time Madeline
had seen him avoid a possible meeting
with her. Somehow the act had
panied her, though affording her a
relief. She did not want to meet him
face to face.
1t was annoying for her to guess
that Stillwel had something to say in
Stewards defense. The old cattleman
was evidently distressed. Several
times he had tried to open converse
tion with Madeline relating to Stew
art; she had evaded him until the last
tune when his persistence had brought