The Ely miner., 1943-03-18

fore she added, Maybe it's funny,
but I don't seem to care any more.
After what has just happened-those
two dear old men"
Darn your hide, Doc Joel It was
hard for Bill Cole Cody to keep
from violating Gals confidence, just
as it had been mans job for Cal
to keep from blurting out something
else he knew, something he felt
bound to keep to himself.
Little by little, out of these drift
ing silences, they fell to talking
briefly and sketchily about each 9TH
er, about themselves.
They laughed little together, and
came closer each other than ever
before, when they started to speak
at the same instant and with the
same thought:
why, your father and mine, too,
must have been great friendsl'
Cody made himself another ciga-
rette and, instead of smoking it or
even remembering that he had
made it to smoke, sat rolling and
rolling it with his lean, strong fin
gers. He said without looking up,
81 could almost be glad-in a way,
I would be glad if it wasn't that
Rance Waldron might come to profit
by it-that those two wills are, any,
how for the present and maybe for
good, out of the picture All we've
done, maybe all we'd ever do, is
fight like cat and dog over the
darned place! Maybe now-wel,
maybe we can get along without
ightingI It might be fun for a
change, Ann Lee?"
I'm beast most of the time,
I'm afraid" she said contritely.
''And I try so hard not to bel Hon.
estly, Bill Cole Cody, I try terribly
hard. And-and I really didn't go
to shoot you'll" Her eyes dilated; she
leaned close and clutched his arm
tightly.
He put his hand on hers; she per-
mitted the contact for a long mo-
ment, then gently slid her fingers
out from under his and, palm up
ward, let them curl again on her
lap.
"I guess I shouldn't have spanked
you-so hard, anyhow"
''I deserved every bit of it-and
harder!" But he saw that the hot
color in her cheeks now was not al
together the affair of the fire.
"And I guess I oughtn't to have
kissed you on the stage-the way I
did"
Let's not quarrel any more, ev-
er," she said hurriedly. She lifted
her eyes to his. eve have been
friends, in way, haven't we? We
do like each other, even after all
that's happened; know we do"
He said soberly, You're being
mighty sweet, Ann Lee. I never
knew girl like you'll
81 love freplacesl One like this !;
look how the Goals are forming now!
Do you like to find pictures in them?
Of course, everybody does The fire.
place is one of the things that makes
me love this room" She stirred
slightly and sighed; she moved her
arms, crossing them, her hands on
her shoulders, giving herself little
hug; she said, Dear old Early Bill,
he did try, didn't he? Tried so hard
to have him his fun and at the
same time to do something splen-
did for you and me, for his old
friends son and daughter. Well,
I've a tiny fireplace all my own at
home, and when go back to teach
ing"
Ann! What are you talking
about? You haven't forgotten, have
you, the money he left for us in the
bank, fifty-fifty? We know that Buck
tooth Jenkins got that ten thousand
into the pot; you heard the Judge
say there was a whole lot morei
And you talking about teaching!"
Honestly, cross my heart and
hope to die" she exclaimed, ST had
forgotten all about that part of itI
Why, there are thousands and thou
sands there, all yours and mine!"
Aunt Jenifer cleared her throat
considerably in the far, dim end
of the long room.
Mind if I come in, you two?"
she asked. and came straight ahead.
I'm close to getting the jin-jams,
all alone in my room. And I got
to thinking about a pot of coffee and
you two fighting again?"
Cody gave her his chair, squatted
on the corner of the hearth and
started a fresh cigarette. Ann Lee
began to laugh.
And thus began on the King Cole
Ranch a short period of time into
which entered many a pleasant mo-
ment, with moments of quiet peace,
moments of spontaneous happiness,
fitting all too swiftly because al
ways the shadow came back, mo-
ments when Ann Lee surprised a
look in Bill Cole Cody's which he
did not know was there, which no
other girl had ever put there; and
times when he, trying to read what
| lay in her mind, what she felt deep
down in her heart even, dreamed
his dreams.
They rode together hours on end,
memorizing the lovely details of the
vast King Cole Ranch. Once Ann
Lee, as they came to the crest of a
rise of land from which they could
look for miles across a glory of
undulating panorama, exclaimed
breathlessly, 'Oh, Colei If this real
ly could be ours!" And he repeated
within himself. not looking at her
but into the furthest blue distance,
his jaw hard and his eyes narrowed,
"Oursi"
And his thoughts switched swiftly,
4Lar, a.,