The Kevin review., 1924-10-23
CHAPTER II-Continued

II remember nearing ABOUT LUX
Sanford's girl" he said simply. "Thi
Is her, all right"
"Old Man" Carson-so calle'
through lack of courtesy and becaus
of the sprinbiing of gray through hi
black hair, man of perhaps forty
five-fiIled an upthinkably disrepu
table pipe with his own conception o
"real tobacco" and chuckled so tina
the second match was required before
he was ready to say his say.
you just listen to me, you boys 7
he said. "None of you fellers ever
saw old Luke Sanford"
"Pd beer working here close to two
weeks VIXEN he got killed." Bud SAID
as Carson's twinkling eyes went from
face to face. Il got my job straight
from him, not Trevors."
"Thats so,' said Carson. "Well
Bud knows the sort Luke Sanford was
He was dead and buried when l come
to the Blue Lake, but I'd saw him
twice and I'd heard of him more times
than that. Quier man that tended to
his own business and didn't say so all
fired much less he was stirred up.
And them" He whistled his mean
ing. "a fighter. All he ever got he
fought for. All he ever held on to he
fought for. He bucked Western Lum-
Der for a dozen years, first and last.
And, by cripes, he nailed their id
hides on bis stable-door, too!
4 "Wzil I heard tell about this same
Luke Sanford ten years ago and
more about him and his little girl
Froia what folks said / guess there
never was a man wanted a boy-baby
worse'n Luke Sanford before Judith
come And / guess there never was a
man put more stock In MS own flesh
and blood than Luke did in her as
soon as he got used to her being
she. / don't know just exactly how
old she was ten years ago, women
folks oeing so d-n' tricky in the looks
of their ages, but I'd say she was
eight or nine or ten or eleven years
old. Anyhow, Luke had took her in
band already. Why, that girls rid
real borses since she was the size of
pair of boots. Luke took her
everywhere he went, up in the noun
tains, over the Big ridge, down valley
ways, into town when he went off on
his yearly. And they say Luke wasn't
no poky rider, either. You've rode his
string, Bud? What are those for
horses, huh?"
I'm a little particular when 1t
comes to a saddle-horse, Bud adj
mitted. "But | never asked any bet
ter than old Sanford's string"
"You hear him !" said Carson. "Well,
that Judy girl has rid horses like them
for dozen years. l guess" and he
spoke with slow thoughtfulness, ''that
she's a real chip off'n the old block
It's my guess number two that she
amt snsr shooting off her face pro-
when she says there's
crooked in the deal Trevors
has been handing her. And, third bet,
there's most likely going to be seven
kinds of HI popping around this end |
Of the woods for SPELL"
"What are you doing about it. Car
SOM" asked the man whose unusually |
yacuous expression gave him the name
If Poker Face. "Stick on the job or
Iuit?"
"Me?" Carson sought a match, and
when he had found it, held it long in
lis grimy fingers, staring at it
me stay an let a she
,irl boss me? Well, it amt the play a
nan might look to me to make, an |
lint saying it's the trick I'd do every
lay In the week. But here there's
;ome things to set a man scratching
lis head: she's winner, all right, an
IN the first man to up an say so.
She's got the sand an she's got the
avyy. Take 'em together an they
make what you call gumptiOn. |
night go trailing my luck some other
there, if | did the first fool thing that
opped into my nut But playing fair,
m going to stick an do my d-nedest
D see Luke Sanford's girl put up her
crap. Yes, SIR
'sWhat did she want to fire Trevors
)r?" asked Benny, the cook.
Carson, looking at him contemptu-
usly. spoke in contemptuous answer
bout the stem of his pipe. ANY man
n the job can answer you that,
ookie. It's been open an shut the {
st month Trevors is either crazy or {
.ooked. | said, didn't l, Western
umber's itching TO get its devil-fish s
rs wropped aroun' Blue Lake timber? {
hey've busted more than one rancher |
, In the mountains. Trevors Is In {
ith EN- Asy man on the ranch that '