Evening star., 1940-05-03
CHAPTER III.

Mosely is going to blow up his irriea-
ton dam. Jelks takes Anne on trip
to see Sentinel subscribers.
CHAPTER II.
Phil Lamprey opened the corral
gate and the teams watered.
"We're going to have a picnic
dinner on lineup" Anne said
Come along and eat with U.S."
Though young Lamprey declined,
there was no heart in his refusal.
He was easily persuaded to poln
them. While Jelks hitched the
horses again he roped and saddled'
Before they reached the little open
park which Rufus had selected for a
camp ground Phil cantered up and
Joined them.
Anne said, as she stepped out OF
the blackboard, I'm ravenous."
I'm gonna cure that" Jelks
promised. He put out an arm to
hold her back from the sack OF pro-
visions. You don't have to do a
thing, lady. This is to be camp
dinner. I cook, and Phil flunkies for
me. You 60 gather flowers"
Phil unhitched and staked the
horses. The blackhaired man
gathered dry wood and lit a fire.
Anne strolled up the creek. When
she returned twenty minutes later,
Rufe was busy with the coffee and
the flapjacks.
Come and get it, Miss Anne" he
called presently.
Perhaps it was because the long
drive in the sun and the wind had
sharpened Anne's appetite that the
food tasted so good. She thought
she had never enjoyed meal more,
and she said so more than once.
Rufus Talks Well.
Though she did not talk much
herself, she drew out the men to
keep up a lively conversation, most
of it contributed by Rufe. He told
or roundups, of night herding under
the stars, of camping in cold drlzzN
ing rain on wet and soggy ground.
Jelks had the gift of making his
story vivid, and ranch dances,
battles with rustlers, herds cross
ing bank full rivers, rose to life at
the call of her imagination. Sill
colts name came into one of his
stories.
"Yes, ma am. At Las Vegas. We
was all high as kite. I was with
the Flying V outfit then. We
drifted into Mexican bale and the
boys began dancing with the senorl-
tas. That didn't go over so good
There was a rider called Flea Bite
One young greaser told him hands
off his girl. Flea Bite gave him in
formation where to head in at, and
the Mexican went foF~his knife. We
had cached our guns at tina Eldorado
saloon. reckon that was lucky. 1t
wasn't any private fight. Everybody
was In it. We weren't doing SO
well, on account of the senors
knives. Then Red stopped it."
"How?" asked Anne.
"He just happened past the place
while the rumpus was going on
There was big tank, of water on
the roof of the hall to be used in
case of fire. The hose was to come
down through a skylght. Well, Red
grabbed an ak from a wagon, shin
ned up the stairway, busted big
hole in the skylight and another
In the tank. and watched Niagara
pour down on the war. Gentlemen
hush! Muy pronto we postponed
hostilities. That water came down
like the cataract at Lodore I read
about in McGuffey's reader. There
was regular stampede to adjorun
Not any too soon either. The Fly
ingg v boys had been cut up lot.
Red is a hum-dinger," Phil said
II never saw the beat of him"
"Sure is" Rufe agreed. Il don't
care who calls himself MAJ ajordomo
Where Red is is the head of the
table"
See Overstreet Ranch.
Phil rode back to the ranch after
dinner. The blackboard climbed tc
q bench and crossed it.
From the bench they. dropped
down through a narrow canyon, sc
sharp that at times there was hardly
room on the floor for a tilted rocky
road. Below the mouth of the gorge
they could see lineup Greek. sill
yer ribbon winding up through
rough broken country to its head.
waters. .Rufe. pointed out ranch
steading set in pocket of the hills
The Bar Overstreet RANCH" he
told her. About half a mile as the
crow flies, but We'll travel five miles
before we get there"
Il understand Betty is worth
travelling five miles to see," Anne
commented slanting smile at him
"A lot of the boys feel that way
The Bar o ranch was set in thu
prettiest little park Anne had yet
seen since her arrival in the West
1t was watered by a small stream
and along it's borders were fields o.
alfalfa and native hay. Nearer K
the house was an orchard Of apple
peach, and cherry trees.
Young Bill Overstreet, still lanl
and weedy but on his way to be a.
big as his father, came UP to ths
blackboard to greet them. Rufe in
troduced the boy to Miss Eliot.
Bill blushed. He was at an agl
when young ladies embarrassed him
But he led the way into the house
which was built partly of logs anc
partly of lumber.
Jess Wanted to Play.
From a back room came the sount
OF a giggle. A high girlish voice wa,
lifted in scolding laughter. Nov
vo,I hehave lass T,amnrev or TT