Catoctin clarion., 1923-05-10

room where the embers of a fire
glOwed There was no other light II
the big room, but there was su1Iicen
to show the great form of Mormon
slowed away in chair, asleep an,
snoring.
Sam struck match and lit lamp
lie struck Mormon nightly betweeI
his shoulders.
"Gawd! gasped the heavyweight
partner. 81 been asleep. But there,
a kittle of hot water, Sandy. Wheres
the-what in time are you totin'? A
gel or boy?"
"This is Miss Molly Casey" said
Sandy gravely, setting down the girl.
Miss Casey. this is Mr. Peters. Nor
mon, Miss Molly is goin' to tie up to
the Three Star for bit"
Mormon, little sheepish at the sud
denly developing age Of the girl as she
shook hands with him, recovered him
self and beamed at her. "Yo're sure
welcome" he said. "Boss hired you?
Cowgirl or cook?"
Sandy noticed the girls lip quiver
and he slipped an arm about her
shoulders. He was not woman-shy
with this girl who needed help, an !!
who seemed boy.
Don't you take no notice of him
an his kiddin'," he said. 'We'll make
him rustic some grub fo' all of us an
then veal IL turn in. I'll show you
yOre room. Up the stairs an the last
door on the right. Here's some
matches. There's lamp on the bu-
reau up there. Give you call when
suppers ready"
He led her to the door and gave her
friendly little shove, guessing that
! she wanted to be alone.
'The kids lost her father, lost most
everything 'cept her dawg," he said
to Mormon. Thought we might adopt
her, sort Of then l thought mebbe
we'd hire her-fOr mascot"
Lost her daddy? An me hornn'
in an tryin' to kid her. l amt got
the sense of drowned gopher, some
times" said Mormon contritely.
! "She's game, plumb through, amt
she, Sam? Stands right up to trouble?"
"Gou bet. Mormon, open up can
; of greengages, will ye? I reckon she's
got sweet tooth, same as me-"
Molly Casey was not through stand
ing up to trouble. They cOaXed her
to eat and she managed to make a
meal that satisfied them. Then she
got up to go to her room, with Grit
nuZZling close to her, her fingers in
his ruff, twisting nervously at the
strands of hair.
"Do you reckon" she asked the
three partners, that Dad knows he
fooled me when he told me to jump?
If I'd known he c'udn't git clear I'd
have stuck-same as he would If l
was caught. Do you reckon he knows
that-nOw"
"Pd be surprised if he didn't" said
Sandy gravely. you did what he
wanted, anyway"
She looked at them grayely and
went out.
"Botherin' about playn' square in
jumpin'," said Sandy. THAT gel Is
square on all twelve edges"
How'd you come to know SO much
about gels?' asked Mormon.
"Me? l don't know the first thing
about EN-" protested Sandy.
"No more'n any man." put in Sam.
"'Cept it's Mormon. He's sure had
the experience"
Experience" said Mormon, with a
yawn, may teach a man sOmethin'
about mules but not wimmen. No,
sir, that feller in the po'try who says,
L learned about wimmen from 'er,'
was braggin'. Now, this gel Of Ca
sey's pears like what her dad 'ud
call a good prospect, but you can't
tell. FOOLS gold is bright enough, but
you can't change it to the real stuff
no matter how you polish it."
Mormon, you warn't calculated to
handle wimmen. This III gel Is game
as they make 'em, an l reckon she's
right sweet If she on'y gifts a chance.
Leastwise, 1 see several signs of pay
dirt this afternoon an evenin' as 1
reckon Sandy done the same. She's
been trailin' her dad all over HI an
creation, talkin' like him, swearin'
like him, actin like him. Never see
nothin' different. All she needs is a
chance"
p "What's the idee in pickin' on me?'
asked Mormon aggrievedly. "She's as
welcome as grass in spring. They
amt no one got a bigger heart than
me fo kids"
mo one got bigger heart, mebbe,"
said Sam caustically. Nor none a
smaller brain. All engine an no gaso-
line in the tank !"
"She's an orphan" went on Sandy.
"She amt got a cent that know
of. The claims her old dad mentioned
amt no good because, in the first
place, they'd have to be worked If
they was; second place, they're over
to Dynamite an the sharps say Dyna-
mites a flivver All she has in sight
Is the dawg. Some dawg! Comes in
from the desert an takes us out to her
an Pat Casey-hirn dyin'. Eff it hadn't
been fo' the dawg, she'd have stayed
there, to my notion. Got some sort of
idee she'd deserted ship cf she hadn't
stuck till it was too late fo' her to
crawl out of that slit in the mesa.
She's fifteen an she's got sense. I
figger we better turn in right now an
hold a pow-wow with the gel ter
morrer."
Second the notion" said Sam.
"Third It," said Mormon.
And the Three Musketeers of the