Askov American., 1929-05-30


fled up q gulch back Of the Three
Bar, the ranger In the lead with his
pack horse. By noon they made the
first rims and followed over into q
rolling country, heavily timbered in
the main. In the early evening they
rode out on to a low divide and Blind
valley showed below them, q broad
expanse Of open grassland.
"Feed" Harris said. "Feed. Worlds
Of It"
They made camp at the mouth Of q
branching canyon, just within the TIM
Der.
Harris sensed Deane's attitude to-
ward 1t all for he knew something of
the other mans way Of life. Those
with whom Deane was thrown most
In contact were careful Of appear.
ances. It was unheard-of in his code
that a girl should jaunt for days accom-.
panied by four men. Here appear
ances seemed entirely disregarded
and no one gave the matter a thought.
The moon swung over the ridges
and shed its radiance over Blind val.
ley. Deane motioned to Billie and the
girl rose and followed him to the edge
,of the timber where they sat on .
blow-down.
billie, let me take you away from
all this" he urged. "All this hard
riding and rough mans work. Let
me give you the things that will shut
out all the hardships. What's the use
OF going on like this?"
The girl was conscious Of vague
sense Of disappointment. She reflect
ed that Deane's attitude was that
Of so many other men, his idea of
love synonymous with shelter for the
object Of it, and his main plea was
that Of providing her with shelter
against all the rough corners Of life.
Shelter! And what she wanted was
to be part Of things-to hare hand
in running her own affairs.
j Il don't want shelter!" she said.
"And l can't think of anything else
till after the Three Bar is a going
concern"
The two went back and sat with the
others round the dying fire, then all
turned in for the night, Billie In her
teepee and the men in their bed rolls
with no other overhead shelter than
the trees.
Near morning Deane was once
more awakened by clammy damp
n h hio A Gyn ri i10ln yryo0 q
falling. Slade was on his feet shov-
ing a few sticks of wood inside the
flap of Billie's teepee.
Breakfast was cooked under the
dripping trees. The outfit was packed
up and the little procession filed away
toward the next valley-and Carlos
Deane proved his real caliber to Har.
riS.
Throughout the day they rode in q
fine drizzle; in the timber the wet
branches whipped them and sprayed
water down the necks of their slick
ers; in the boggy meadows Of the bot
toms the mosquitoes hovered round
them in humming swarms. At night
they made camp and slept in damp
bed rolls with the clammy mist chill
ing them. The next day was the same.
Deane's neck was raw and chafed
from the wet neckband of his flannel
shirt and his hands and cheeks were
puffed with the bites of the buzzing
pests. But he had been cheerful
throughout and had uttered no COM
plant.
Toward evening of the second
gloomy day Harris rode up beside
him.
You'll do," he said.
"HOw's that" Deane asked.
"There's maybe one man out of
every two hundred that can go along
like this and not get to blaming every
one in sight for what's happening to
him. / don't know as I'd have blamed
you any if you'd been cussing us all
out for the past two days"
Deane laughed and shook his head.
Tive been rather enjoying it." he
said.
you're just a plain, old-fashioned
liar, Deane," Harris returned. "You
haven't been enjoying it any more
than the rest Of us-which is mighty
little; but you've got insides enough
to let on like its's considerable sport
which is a whole lot"
mo one else has done any beefing,"
Deane said. $50 why should II"
Continued Next Week)