White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-08-11


"I'll go with you If I'm footloose,"
he promised, rather evasively.
She laughed. II believe you're
afraid to 60"
"Thas no josh, Miss Julia. Ladies
scare me-"
"Some ladies'" she corrected. II no
tice don't scare you any,"
Snatches of thought began to race
In the girls brain. Usually when q
man was afraid Of a woman, unless he
was her husband and had given Of
Tense to her, 1t was because he was
attracted to her. She had observed
painful shyness on the part of the
youths about her as a symptom Of
suppressed emotion. 1t was an uncon-
scious warning they flung out to Julia
to trim the sails Of her manner to
them. This Texan would not exhibit
any awkward bashfulness. He was
too sef-contained, too much master
of every nerve and muscle. None the
less he might, within, be as much dis
turbed as they were. Why shouldn't
he be in love with Ann Clifford? She
guessed his age about forty, and in a
man that is still young.
He had walked dangerous trails, had
done dreadful things if rumors were
true. But she knew instinctively that
there still burned in him that dy-
manic spark Of self-respect which justi-
fed him to himself. He had his stand
ards, and he played the game by them.
She had no more doubt of this than
she had that such a man as Gitner
had no standards.
Ann Clifford needed some one to take
life had laid upon them. Stone was
such man, strong, quiet, self-reliant.
He was dangerous to his. foes. but it
came to Julia with a flash of clairvoy-
ance that the very qualities that had
made his name notorious would be
sure protection to a woman like Ann.
Stone rode up to the Office Of Hank
LIE Page sheriff, swung from the sad
die, and dropped the bride reins.
LIE Page looked up from the ledger
in which he was laboriously entering
some items Of expense. "'Lo, Dave.
How's everything?"
Fine an dandy"
The Texan found chair, cigarette,
and a match.
For five minutes there was silence
except for the scratching of the
sheriff's pen and the gruntings with
which he accompanied the manual la
Dor Of bookkeeping. Then, with sigh
Of relief, the official closed the heavy
volume.
"Anything new, Dave?" he asked, re-
taxing.
mot a thing with me. Hear you've
hit new trail in the McArdle case"
Looks thataway. Some Of you Cir
Gle Cross boys tipped me off that the
Clifford girl was seen maxim getaway
from the place where Tom was shot.
went out to see her about it. She
acted mighty funny"
"How?"
ooh, kinda defiant. The iii sister
broke down an cried. 1 couldn't get
thing outa her, either"
$50 you reckon Miss Ann did it,"
"Wouldn't it look that way? Tom
McArdle had made his brags about the
other sister. That was known. She'd
warned him off the place, Ann had.
Say they meet by chance an quarrel.
She's got temper. Well, say it ripped
loose an she shot him"
Looks reasonable. Only trouble Is,
1t amt true"
"Think she didn't do it?"
And again Stone gave the answer he
had given Phil. II amt thinkin'.
know"
The sheriff lost his manner of casual
ease.
did you say you knew? How do
you known
"Saw him do it,
"Who?"
I'm allowin' to tell you who-pres
emily"
"Hmp!" The sheriff looked at him,
not without resentment. you've wait
| ed three months to tell me. Reckon
l can wait another five minutes"
Sure. Fact is, didn't aim to tell
you a-tall. But when found out there
was talk about Miss Ann-why, tha's
| different. Might as well begin at the
start 1 usta hang around the sheep
ranch some my own self. Knew old
Clifford when he lived at Santone so
| drifted in oncet in while to advise
Miss Ann. l got kinda suspicious of
McArdle. He was one of these black
mustached lady-killers, good lookin'
an glib with his tongue. Nora was a
mighty nice lii lady an could see she
had took a great fancy to him. What
| was worried about was that she'd
marry him, but that wasn't what hap
pened. If I'd known what l knew
later, that McArdle had wife living
at Prescott, we'll I'd sure have sat In
an took hand"
lie Page nodded. The Texan looked
away dreamily and blew smoke