Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1934-09-27
CHAPTER VI

oAt1 "a ~
Germ for her safety. He could no,
Judge well of her horsemanship, be
cause of the ~side-saddle she rode,
Bluntly he disapproved of the atrocious
thing and said 1t was worse than the
pancake her brother rode. But she
rode after the hounds just the same,
aud held her W until she was
thrown.
II she had fallen upon rocks or
even hard ground she would have been
seriously injured, II not killed out
right. But when the horse stumbled
she hurtled over his head and hit In
the sand. Jim was Off almost the in
slant she struck. and he yelled for the
cowboy.
Water. Barnes" he called. m the
cowboy dashed up.
There amt none close" replied
Barnes.
I'm albright, spoke up Miss Her.
rick. weakly. Il came-a cropper-
didn't II"
She sat, evidently not hurt, though
she clung to Jim's arm. With his
scarf he wiped the sand from her face,
aware that his hand was not steady.
Her hair had come partly loose to fall
In a golden mass on her shoulder.
she r~edrranged 1t and put on her hat,
deity despite gloyed fingers.
Help me up. please" she said.
Jim placed a strong arm under hers
and lifted her to her feet. Then some
thing cold and tight within let go and
his reaction was to take refuge In an
ger: Miss Herrick. | told you that
saddle was no good. It's a wonder you
We're not killed.
Oh. don't e~xaggerate. I've come
many troopers cross-country riding nj
home"
Barnes. back me up In this ap-
pealed Jim to the cowboy.
Miss. he's tellin' you true" said
Barnes, earnestly. You was ridin.
fast. II this hyar had been stony
ground, like 1t Is lots of places, you'd
never knoWed what hit YOU
I believe did strike pretty hard"
she admitted. r~uefully.
you want a cow-saddle with 4
double cinch, and oyeralls," concluded
Jim.
"Orerallsl" she exclaimed, and she |
blushed rosy red. You mean like
these blue trousers Barnes has on7"
Yes. Then you ian ride. This Is
the West. Miss Herrick- you like to
run a horse. Its dangerous. I shall
have to speak to your brother"
Don't. I've never ridden astride.
but Iii do 1t, since You are so very
fearful about it.
That experience left Jim shaky,
probably a good deal shaker than 1t
had left Miss Herrick. But 1t was not
fear for her. Jim reveled la the tor
turing sensation engendered BY con
tact with this beautiful girl. He
shook like a leaf at the staggering
realization that when she lay on the
gfound with her arms spread wide.
hair gold against the sand. he
longed to snatch her to his breast. A
natural impulse, under the circum-
stances, but for him-idiotici
Miss Herrick took to the Western
saddle like a duck to water. She
could ride. Moreover, that spirit of
which she had limited certainly over
took her. More than once she ran on
alone, riding like the wind; and upon
one OF these occasions 1t took the cow
till dark to find her. That with
Hank Hays and Heeseman there to see
her gallop away ~unescortedi Herrick
did not seem to mind.
As far as Jim Wall was concerned.
however, these rides with her CEN
him upon the love which had
to onsum him /; and the several
took alone were more torturInr
because they aroused fear OF Hank
II could not be ascertained i
whether or not Hays followed her. but
the day came that Jim discov-
cred Hays had been riding the trails !
.'requented by Miss Herrick, 1t seemed
ime to act :
This placed Jim In a worse quan- /
larry. To act, for a man of his train |
nj at such a time and place. was to 1
10 only one thing. But how could he /
iii his leader upon mere suspicion OF c
mister intent to kidnap the girl II 1
a predicament for a man who had \
ways played fair. alike to honest i
and crooked ally. :
Jim paced under his dark sheltering !,
rees, In the dead OF night, when he :
hould have been sleeping. DAYS had !,
assed without his once seeking to !.
void disaster and he had not sought ).
ecause he knew 1t was OF no use. To :
'ish TO be with his blond girl seemed /,
'reslstlble- More than once he had !
aught himself In the spell Of a daring :
npulse-to tell Miss Herrick that he :
wed her. The Idea was sheer mad. I
ess. Yet the thought persisted. and !,
hen he tried to shake 1t the result
AZ II grew stronger In i haunting !.
laddenlng way. !"
TO BE CONTINUED.