The Coolidge examiner., 1933-02-10
CHAPTER VIl-Continued

IL
Roberta did not answer. She was
thinking of a remark that Crooked
Bill had once made in her pres
ence. when children and dogs
love a man a woman is usually safe
with him." She wondered now if
Glenn Hackett loved children and
dogs and decided presently that he
would love his own children, if and
when he had them, but that he
would not be interested in dogs or
human beings beneath him in the
social scale.
"He is a strange man, Mrs. Can
by" she said at last. 81 have never
met his kind before How long have
you known him, Mrs. Ganhy?"
"Since three days after he killed
your uncle. | am a trained nurse
and | came down here to tend his
wounds, although he would have re-
covered without my aid. for he is as
healthy as a horse. Later he asked
me to be his hOusekeeper, but since
he does not appear to regard me as
a servant, | imagine | am sort of
paid hostess | think he had hope
that you might visit the ranch some
day, and of course you would never
have been invited unless he had a
duenna here. lie is very punctili-
Gus In matters Of social propriety."
"And Robbie?"
"When he discovered | had a
little crippled son he sent his gen
eral manager to FL Paso to bring
the boy here He knew I'd want him
with me, of course"
II understand. Innocence and
helplessness. OF course his heart
went out to Robbie"
Further condolences were inter
rupted by the return of the host
He called something in Spanish 10
the singer and she came and hand
ed him her guitar, received the
ed covered with embarrassment.
"Now, then" quoth Don Jaime,
well have a little old Anglo Saxon
mlnstrelsy from the boss himself" !"
lie smote the strings with a firm,
assured hand and In a perfectly
thunderous basso began. THE Yel-
low Rose OF Texas" To his great
delight Roberta joined in the song.
He cooked one lazy eye at her in
quiringly; at a half-rest in the mu-
sic he demanded:
"How Gomez"
"Uncle Bill" she replied, and he
nodded comprehension. Yes, of
course Uncle Bill would know that
one. But Don Jaime played now
while Roberta sang.
The song ended and Don Jaime
looked up, a fleeting CLEAN of sad
ness, of resignation in the lazy eyes
For a moment | had forgotten
had killed your Uncle Tomw he
murmured.
"Oh. please. Mr.. Higuenes-"
"Oh, please, jaime" he corrected.
IL had forgotten, too, Jaime"
"Now that you have made up
your mind not to dislike me or the
task of trying to like me, have a
confession to make"
"I'll try to bear up under It,"
"A few days after | shot it out
with your uncle. his man, Bill
Dingle and five others came over
here with the intention of doing me
great bodily harm-lynching me to
one of the crosspieces in that
heavy trellis in the grape arbor
yonder, as matter of fact. | cap
tured Dingle and his idiots and con
fined them in my private bastile
here for thirty days. Before turn
ing them loose | had my foreman
fog them all"
"Oh. Jaime"
"That's the sort of bad egg | am,
senorita. That's why | was wear
ing two guns today. BY the way,
can you sing Gounod's Ave Ma
riaT"
"Why, yesl" she answered a little
breathlessly.
"Oh, grand, wonderful! Let's go
inside and practice it with a piano
accompaniment. | want you to sing
II at mass tomorrow for my people.
You will. of course | know you
will. Poor devils. They'll love it
so! But first send your kilograms.
The office in Los Algodones will
soon be closing"