, 1923-03-21

About the middle of the forenoon
on the following day the rangers hob
bled out of the kitchen to the porch.
I'm u sick man, l tell you," Ladd
was complaining, IAN l gotta be fed.
Soup! Beef teal That amt SO much
as wind to me. / want about a barrel
of bread an butter, an a whole plat
ter of mashed potatoes with gravy an
green stuff-all kinds of green stuff
an a whole big apple pie. Give me
everythin' an anythin' to eat but meat.
Shore l never, never want to taste
meat again, an sight of a piece of
sheep meat would jest about finish
me. j.. Jim, you used to be a
human bein' that stood up for Charlie
Ladd."
lady. Pm lined up beside you with
both guns" replied Jim, plalntiveIy.
Hungry? Say, the smell of break
fast in that kitchen made my mouth
water so l nea choked to death. I
reckon we're gettin' most onhuman
treatment"
"But I'm a sick man." protested
Laid, IAN I'm agoin' to fell oyer In
a minute If somebody don't feed me.
Nell, you used to be fond Of me-"
"Oh, Laddy, I am yet" replied Nell.
ashore. / don't believe 1t. Any girl
with a tender heart just couldn't let a
man starve under her eyes. .
Look at Dick, there. I'll bet he's had
something to eat, mebbe potatoes an
gravy. an pie an"
daddy, Dick has had no more than
I gave you-indeed. not nearly so
much"
"ShOre he's had a lot of kisses then,
for he hasn't hollered. onct about this
treatment"
perhaps he has" said Nell, with q
blush; 'and If you think that-they
would help you to be reasonable 1
might-Ill-"
"Well, powerful fond as l am of you,
just now kisses'l have to run second
to bread an butter"
"Oh. Laddy, what a gallant speech =
laughed Nell. "Fm sorry, but I've
dads orders"
"Laddy," interrupted Bedding, you've
got to be broke In gradually to eating.
Now you know that. You'd be the Sc
verest kind of a boss If you had some
starved beggars on your hands,"
But I'm sick-I'm dyin'," howled
Ladd.
You were never sick in your life,
and If all the bullet holes l see In you
couldn't kill you, why, you never will
de-"
Can I smoker" queried Laid, with
sudden animation. MY Gawd, l used
to smoke. Shore I've forgot. Nell, if
you want to be reinstated in my gal
lery of angels, just find me a pipe an
tobacco"
I've %hung-onto my pipe" said Jim,
t~houghtfully. Il reckon | had 1t emp
ty in my mouth for seven years or so,
wasn't 1t. Laddy? A long time! / can
see the red lava an the red haze, an
the 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. wastin' away to
nothin' but eyesl It's all there-I1l
never get rid"
"Chop that kind of talk" interrupt
ed Bedding, bluntly. '"Teil us where
Yaqui took you-what happened to
Rojas-why you seemed lost for SO
long"
II reckon Laddy can tell all that
best; but when 1t come to Rojas' fin
ish I'll tell what I seen, an SOIL Dick
an Thorne. Laddy missed Rojas' fin
ish. Bar none, that was the"
I'm a sick man. but l can talk put
In Ladd. IAN shore I don't want the
whole story exaggerated none by JIM"
Ladd filled the pipe Nell brought,
pulled ecstatically at 1t, and settled
himself upon the bench for n 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 IN Dicks shoulder, her
eyes bright and warm as sunlight. h
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 nt the
water barrel.
"Belding, this Is river water md
muddy at that" said Dick. Lord
knows I'm not kicking. But I've
dreamed some of our cool running
spring. and ! 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 cur to be overlooking.
WHAT'S wrong? why, Is It dry?'
"Dlck, seeing you're Interested, I
may as well tell you that a big charge
80 ItaI.v.Af -