The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1923-02-15
would find her report of the greatest

would find her report OF the greatest
interest.
She logged slowly along In the west
ern fashion-which means something
quite different from army fashion or
sportsman fashion. Western riders do
no.. post. Riding Is o exercise to
them; 1t Is rest. They hang limp in
the saddle. and all jar is taken UP, as
If by a spring, somewhere in the region
clan can correctly designate. They
never sit firm, these western riders,
and as a rule :seir riding is not a par
ticularly graceful rnirs - watch. But
they do not care greatly about grace
as long as they may encompass their
fifty miles a day and still be fresh
enough for "A country dance at night.
There are many other differences in
western and eastern riding, one of
them being the way in which the
horse is mounted. Another difference
is the riding habit. Linda had no trim
riding trousers, with tall, glossy boots,
red coat and stock. 1t was rather
doubtful whether she knew such things
existed. She did, however, wear a
trim riding skirt of khaki and a middle
blouse washed spotlessly clean by her
own hands; and no one would have
missed the other things. Ii is an in.
disputnble fact that she made a rather
alluring picture-eyes bright and hair
dark and strong arms bare to the ell
bow-as she came riding down the
pine-needle trail.
She came to the opening of the dim
mer trail and turned down IL. She
entered a still glen. and the color In
her cheeks and the soft brown of her
arms blended well with the new tlnts
of the autumn leaves. Then she turned
up a long ridge.
The trail led through an old burn
n bleak, eerie place where the fire had
swept down the forest, leaving only
strange, black palings here and there
and she stopped In the middle of Il
to look down. The mountain world
was laid out below her as clearly a.
in a relief map. Her eyes lighted as
Its beauty and it's f-earsomeness went
home to her, and her keen eyes slowly
swept over the surrounding hill tops
Then for a long moment she sat very
still in the saddle.
A thousand feet distant, on the same
ridge on which she rode, she caught
sight of another horse. 1t held hel
gaze, and In an instant she discerned
the rather startling fact that II was
saddled, bridled, and apparently TIED
to a tree. Momentarily she thought
that its rider was probably n of the
Turner'S who was at present at work
on the old Folger farm yet she knew
at once the titled lands We're still too
far distant for that. She studied close
ly the maze Of light and shadow of tho
underbrush and in a moment more dis
tinguished the figure of the horseman
1t was one OF the Turners-but h
was not working in the fields. He was
standing near the animals head, bacl
to her, and his rife lay in his arms
And then Linda understood.
He was simply guarding the trai
down TO Martins store. Except for thu
fact that she had turned on the maiI
trail by no possibility could she hav,
seen him and escaped whatever fat
he had for her.
She held hard on her faculties ant
tried to puzzle II out. She understood
now why the Turner's had not as We
made an attack upon them at theil
home. Ii wasn't the Turner way t.
wage open warfare. They were tn
wolves that struck from ambush. tn,
rattlesnakes that lunged with poisone'
fangs from beneath the rocks. Their,
was some security for her In the Folge
home. but none whatever here. There
she had a strong man to fight for her
a loaded rife. and un'ler ordinary con
ditions the Turner's could not hope Il
batter down the oaken door and over
whelm them without at least some los
of life. For all they knew, Bruce hat
a large stock Of rifles and ammunition