The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-06-22
81 Hor ps~ and Brothers

DeIter rue up 10 Tue MUSE anu stay
there"
alfred, you are joking, teasing me-"
said Madeline.
Indeed not" replied Alfred. SLOW
about 1t, FLOP"
Florence replied that the cowboys
would upon the slightest provocation
treat Don Carlos with less ceremony
and gentleness than a roped steer. Old
Bill Stillwell came up to be importuned
by Alfred regarding the conduct of
cowboys on occasion, and he not only
corroborated the assertion, but added
emphasis and evidence of his own.
"An', Miss Majesty" he concluded,
81 reckon If Gene Stewart was ridin'
fer me- tibet GRIMM Greaser would
hev he'd bump in the Dust before
now"
Madeline had been wavering between
sobriety and laughter until Stillwell's
mention of his ideal of cowboy chiv-
airy decided in favor of the laughter.
81 am not convinced, but / surren-
der" she said. "You have only some
occult motive for driving me away. 1
am sure that handsome Don Carlos Is
being unjustly suspected. But as 1
have seen a little of cowboys singular
imagination and gallantry, am rather
inclined to fear their possibilities. So
good-by."
Then she rode with Florence up the
long, gray slope to the ranch-house.
That night she suffered from excessive
WEAKNESS, which she attributed more
to the strange working of her mind
than to riding and sitting her horse.
Morning, how ever, found her In no dis
position to rest. 1t was not activity
that she craved, or excitement, or
pleasure An unerring instinct. rising
clear from the thronging sensations of
the last few days. told her that she
had missed something In life. What
ever this something was, she had baf-
fling limitations Of 1t, hopes that faded
on the verge Of realizations, haunting
promises that were unfulfilled. What
ever 1t was, 1t had remained hidden
and unknown at home, and here in the
West 1t began to allure and drive her
to discovery. Therefore she could not
rest; she wanted to go and see; she
was no longer chasing phantoms: 1t
was a hunt for treasure that held
aloof, as intangible as the substance of
dreams.
Upon the morning after the end Of
the roundup, when she went out on
the porch, her brother and Stillwell
appeared to be arguing about the iden-
tity of horse.
oval, I reckon it's my old ROAM"
said Stillwell, shading his eyes with
his hand.
"Bill, if that isn't Stewards horse
my eyes are going back on me-" replied
AL. 'It's not the color or shape-the
distance is too far to judge by that.
It's the motion-the swing"
"Al, mebbe you're right. But they
amt no rider up on tibet boss. Flo,
fetch my glass;"
Florence went into the house, while
Madeline tried to discover the object
of attention. Presently far up the gray
hollow along foOthill she saw dust,
and then the dark, moving figure Of a
horse. She was watching when Flor
ence returned with the glass. Bill
took a long look, adjusted the glasses
carefully, and tried again.
"Wal. I hate to admit my eyes are
gettin' pore. But I guess I'll hev to-.
Thet's Gene Stewards boss, saddled,
| an comm at fast clip without a
| rider. It's amazin' strange, an some
In keepin' with other things concernin'
Gene"
"Give me the glass;" said AL. Eyes,
I was right. Bill, the horse Is not
frightened. He's coming steadily; he's
got something on his mind"
The wide hollow sloping up into the
foothills lay open to unobstructed
view, and less than half mile distant
Madeline saw the riderless horse COM
ing along the white trail at rapid
canter. A shrill, piercing whistle pealed
| in.
oval, he's seen US, thet's sure" said
BILL.
The horse neared the corrals, disap-
peared into lane, and then, breaking
his gait again, Numbered into the In
closure and pounded to a halt some
| twenty yards from where Stillwell
waited for him.
One look at him at close range In
the clear light of day was enough for
Madeline to award him a blue ribbon
over all horses, even the prize-winner,
White Stockings. The cowboys great
steed was no 1.-THE. slender-bodied mus.
stang. He was charger, almost ire
mendous Of build, with black coat
family notified In gray, and 1t shone
i like polished glass in the sun. Evil
IDENTIFY he had been carefully dressed
down for this occasion, for there was
no dust on him, nor kink in his beau
tiful name, nor mark on his glossy
hide.
Come hyar, you son-of-a-gun," said
Stillwell.
The horse dropped his head, snorted
and came obediently up. He was mel.
ther shy nor wild. Unlocking the stir
rups from the pommel, Stillwell lei
them fall and began to search the sad.
die for something which he evidently
| expected to find. Presently from some
where among the trappings he pro
duced a folded bit of paper, and after
scrutinizing 1t handed 1t to AL.
Addressed to you; an I'll bet you
two bits know what's In It," he said
/ Alfred unfolded the letter, read 1t
and then looked at Stillwell.
"Bill, you're pretty good guesser,
Genes made for the border. He sent
the horse by somebody, no names men.
toned, and wants my sister to have
him II she will accept"
j ANY mention of Danny MainsY'
1 ackod fha rancher