Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1923-02-23

you want to be reinStated In my gal
lery of angels, just find me a pipe an
tobacco"
1--WE hung onto my pipe" said Jim,
thOughtfully. II reckon | had 1t emp
ty in my mouth for seven years or so,
wasn't it, Laddy? A long timel / can
see the red lava an the red haze, an
me red twilight creepin' up. 1t was
hot an some lonely. Then the wind,
and always that awful silence! An
always Yaqui watchin' the west, an
Laddy with his checkers, an Mer-
cedes burnin' up, wastln' away to
nothin' but eyesl It's all there-Tll
never get rid"
"Chop that kind of talk" interrupt
ed Bedding, bluntly. Tell us where
Yaqui took you-what happened to
Rojas-why you seemed lost for so
long"
81 reckon Laddy can tel! all that
best; but when it come to Rojas' fin
ish I'll tell what 1 seen, an SOIL Dick
an Thorne. Laddy missed Rojas' fin
ish. Bar none, that was the"
"Tm a sick man, but l can talk" put
in Laid, AN shore l don't want the
whole story exaggerated nom by jim"
Ladd filled the pipe Nell brought,
puffed e%cstatically at 1t, and settled
himself upon the bench for a long
talk. He talked for two hours
talked till his voice weakened to a
husky whisper. At the conclusion of
his story there was an impressive ST.
lence. Then Elsie Gale stood up, and
with her hand on Dicks shoulder, her
eyes bright and warm as sunlight, she
showed the rangers what a woman
thought of them and of the Yaqui.
Nell chung to Dick, weeping silently.
Mrs. Gale was overcome, and Mr.. Gale,
very white and quiet, helped her up to
her room.
Early In the afternoon of the next
day Bedding encountered Dick at the
water barrel.
"Belding, this is river water, and
muddy at that" said Dick. Lord
knows I'm not kicking. But I've
dreamed some Of our cool running
spring, and l want a drink from it."
"Never again, son. The springs
gone, faded, sunk. dry as dust"
DRY" Gale slowly Strengthened.
"We've had rains. The rivers full.
The spring out to be overlooking.
What's wrong? Why is it dryT"
"Dick, seeing you're interested, I
may as well tell you that a big charge
of nitroglycerin choked my spring"
"Nitroglycerin ?" echoed Gale. Then
he gave a quick start. my minds
been on home, Nell, my family. But
all the same l felt something was
wrong here with the ranch, with you,
with Nell. Bedding, that ditch
there is dry. The roses are dead. The
little green in that grass has come
with the rains. What's happened?
The ranch's run down. Now 1 look
around l see a change"
"Some change, yes" replied Bedding,
bitterly. Listen, SON."
Briefly. but not the less forcibly
for that, Bedding related his story
of the operations of the Chases.
With deep voice that had many a
break and tremor he told Gale how
Nell had been bounded by Radford
Chase, how her mother had been
driven by Ben Chase-the whole sad
story.
$50 that's the troubled Poor little
grill" murmured Gale, >brokenly. 81
felt something was wrong. Nell wasn't
natural, like her old self"
at was hard on Nell" said Bedding,
simply. "But it'll be better now you're
here. Dick, 1 ] know the girl. She'll re-
fuse to marry you and you'll have a
hard job to break her down. as hard
as the one you just rode in off of. I
think l know you, too, or l wouldn't
be saying"
For Gods sake, you don't believe
what Chase said?" queried Gale, in
it's a lie. 1 know it's a lie. And I've
got to tell Nell this minute. Come on
in with me. I want you, Bedding. Oh,
why didn't you tell me sooner?'
Bedding felt himself dragged by an
iron arm into the sitting room, out into
liC PdtlOJ III QNlOoo lDdlL u liz ANCil
sat in her door. At sight of them she
gave a little cry, dropped for an in
slant, then raised a pale, still face,
with eyes beginning to darken.
Dearest, l know now why you are
not wearing my mothers ring" said
Gale, steadily and low-voiced.
"Dick, 1 am not worthy" she re-
piled, and held out a trembling hand
with the ring lying in the palm.
Swift as light Gale caught her hand
and slipped the ring back upon the
third finger.
"Nelll Look at me. 1t is your en-
gagement ring. Listen. I don't
believe this-this thing that's been tor
turing you. I know it's a lie. 1 am
absolutely sure your mother viii prove
Il a lie. She must have suffered once
perhaps there was a sad error-but the
fhipn won fao- &c nOf frTln Rnt hear