Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1932-08-25
CHAPTER l


pretended to be asleep-a subterfuge
quite In keeping with-a certain salient
characteristic of his which. quite early
In his career, had earned for him
the not inappropriate sobriqnet OF
CROOKED BILL" Not that the old ras-
cal was crooked In the commonly ac-
copied sense of that term as employed
in the quaint patois of our times TN
deed he was a most honorable mani
but because he was possessed OF an
uncommon degree of craft, OF auda'
cious and generally amusing slyness,
In business and out OF it--a sort OF
super-prudence born of uncanny In.
nate ability 10 read human nature.
Such men are rarely deficient in
sense of hunor, and Crooked Bill had
found life more abundantly provoca-
tive of laughter than of signs. He
was popularity believed to have more
money than some folks have hay he
had no wife to bother his life and he
padded his own canoe; also. he en-
joyed excellent health.
It pleased William B. Latham this
late afternoon to pretend to be asleep
In order that he might, from under
the drawn-down rim Of his hat. watch
his late wife's niece engaged in
pastiue~ peculiarly dear to that most
attractive young woman. to wit. snar-
Ing and breaking the heart OF a youth
whose manifest decencies appeared.
to Crooked Fill. sufficient justification
for receiving from the young lady In
question what her uncle and guardian
described as "A whole lot of letting
alonef'
With the ordinary run of young
gentlemen who laid their vealy hearts
at the feet Of Miss Roberta Antrim,
Crooked Bill had little sympathy and
less patience. The majority of them
were he-nirts. amusing themselves with
Roberta as outrageously as she
amused herself with them. or else
frankly attracted to her as moth Is
attracted to candle flame Up to
lIE HI6SSltt ffohE vi iA8btttu 2 l0JNiAS
had committed suicide. although not
less than four had vowed SO to do.
Crooked Bill had more than n sus-
picion, too, that, In addition TO Ro-
berta's undoubted charms. the fact
that she was his heir was not neg
ugible attraction to her continuous
and shifting encourage.
In the case of the young gentleman
who sat with Roberta on the stone
bench under the elm, Crooked Bill
could find no extennating circum-
stances to adduce as to why Roberta
should not be convicted OF inflictlng
cruel and unusual punishment. Glenn
Hackett, to begin with. was of good
family where brains and money, In
evidence for three generations had
always been used wisely. He was
rather tall, loose olnted and angular.
with plain honest face like kind
horse. He was thirty years DID,
lawyer and a good one. which Is to
say that Crooked Bill gladly paid him
large annual retainer. The old
mans highest compliment for Glenn
Hackett was that he had horse sense,
and was the only man he knew who
appeared to be as common and com
Portable as an old shoe and yet
wasn't
Crooked Bill Wished he might have
been privileged to hear what Glenn
Hackett and Roberta were saying.
However, he was fairly accurate
reader OF gesture. facial expression
and mods, so he was assured that
Hackett was proposing marriage to
his niece.
"Itll be like her to refuse him." he
decided, "and him the only real man
I've ever seen on the premises. And
for once In his life he's doing all the
talking while Roberta does the listen.
Ing. | know that meek sad resigned
bend OF her head while she tugs at
her handkerchief and tries to appear
surprised. She must have admiration
from men or life Is a deusion and
snarel And now she's picked on a
victim that's bound to back fire on her,
or I'm no Judge of men. Hello, he's
talking too much !! Hes getting on.
pressve. She's finding the going not
to her liking-ah, | thought sol"
Crooked Bill drew his hat hrim
down over his nose. opened his mouth
little and commenced To breathe in
long even respirations. He heard the
rapid patter Of Robertas little feet
as she passed him and entered the
house. In about five minutes he heard
the firm, leisurely tread OF Glenn
IIaclett following, and was aware.
presently, that the young man had sat
down In chair beside him. So he
pretended to sleep on for five minutes,
then he stirred uneaslly, gritted his
teeth, sighed, opened his eyes, and
yawned pleasurably.
"Well, now that you haven. had
your forty winks,' Iiackett observed
quietly, whats your opinion as tc
what my next move should be? I've
just Tilted Roberta !"
Crooked Bill sat up with the abrupt
ness of Jack-in-the-box, which, in al
fairness, he resembled not little