Evening star., 1925-10-25

liams garage just before sundoWn.
That's it on my left hind wheel. Per
haps the bill, dated yesterday and re-
ceipted. would convince you I'm no
desperate"
Lets see it"
X X !; X
ROB found the paper in his wallet.
He was carefully preserving all
such to later compute the cost of his
outing. Smoothing it out, he handed it
across. Her face took on color. And
whar was you night befo' last?"
"Holbrook," he answered. And the
night before that / put up at the Har.
vey Hotel at Albuquerque. I've got
that bill also
How'd you happen to be one lone
man drivin' through the same stretch
o country in the same kind O. car as
that Eastern feller who looted old
GriggS?"
Il didn't know I was. It's a stock
car-this coupe. There's a thousand
| like it. Are you after a bandit
, alone?"
Il was"
Where did this looting occur?"
Down to Kelson, on the new State
road to Prescott, about Z o'clock last
night. But it wasn't discovered till
after the feller left this mawnin'"
How far's this kelson?''
"Ninety-eight mile-by the road
But the way l took across Pisgah
! Canyon shortened ii to 81"
LAS a matter of mileage, could |
have been down around kelson and in
Williams, too?'
No, reckon you couldn't, stranger"
Were you responsible for making
me detour, back there on the trail?"
She nodded.
Il kind o. figgered you'd come this
way. And when Mister Griggs offered
a thousand dollars TO recoverin' his
! money, and the Kelson sheriff SAYS
get the bandit dead or alive. l reck-
oned I'd work my hunch. I brought
some red chalk fo' the sign, and,
stoppin' at the deserted shack in the
canyon fo' a board, l found the dunn
my-the posse used it last April to
trick the Dyker boys the same way
Then when l saw you turn from the
trail | threw the sign away and fol
| lowed you myself"
''Will your horse come back"
Reckon he won't-not without q
bride. He'll lope home to Kelson.'
She looked around in flaming morti
tication. And now I've smashed youl
engine so you can't get out o. here
NOui ana II ) SIX miles DdCK 10 lne
trail, with night comm on. Oh, oh
| OH
Bob sank on the sand. Seems funny
to be sitting here talking TO a lady
with the same name as the one
thought of asking to marry me. You
live in kelson. wherever 1t is?"
Il run a ranch n little way outside
with three or 70 cow-hands. | took
| over the place when my uncle died.
live thar with Hester, She's my
cousin-and crippled. Are you really
an Fastener? You really come from
Vermont"
"A little one-horse town called
Paris, away up in the heart of the
mountains. Hobart's my name-Bot
Hobart. | own a pulleyfactory and
| machine shop up there. But l had tc
break away this Summer and see a bit
of America before | settled down-or
go crazy. Same old program from
Monday morning till Saturday night
l thought I'd see something of the
world when the war broke out. But ]
caught the flu down to Camp Devens
BY the time I'd recovered the show
was over
It's the first time you've ever been
down here?'
It's the only time I've been west
of Chicago in my life"
Her gaze dwelt on him closer-his
splendid physique, his wavy brown
hair. the strength of his features. the
kindly humor in his eyes, the wist
fulness about his mouth. Her color
rose. You're goin' to be married, you
said?"
He laughed raggedly. 1T has jus,
occurred to me that I couldn't con
! ceive my Mary Wright starting of
single-handed to bag a lone bandit
Shed faint at the very thought of it,
'Faintin' down here'd be laughed
at" She glanced quickly up at the
sun. Say, it's goin' to be dark pretty
quick; did you know it? And I've got
you in an awful fix-if you're really
not the purson l thought YOU"
We'll. I give you my word Of honor
I'm not"
Il don't know what I can ever do tC
square myself"
How far is it to the nearest tele
phone?"
You'd have to go to Valentine. |
guess. 1t isn't much further to Kel
SON"
You mean I'm 81 miles from any
garage"
"Oh. I'm so sorry" And the girI
with the sun-flooded hair wilted over
with her face in her hands. Then she
Strengthened suddenly. Mister Ho
bart, will you let me search your
caro-
For what"
IF I don't find none of the things