The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1943-01-21
CHAPTER TX

You're not a very good shot, are
your" said Cole Cody, lazy and slow
spoken and impudent. Even his eye
brows Knocked Ann.
II could shoot your toenails of
and never blister your feet" she
told him.
''Then why only mess me up ike
this, making II hurt like seven kinds
of he'll and at the same time do me
no more harm than hot stove Id
dropped on your toe?"
IT'S that darned gun of Cal
houn's II does its own shooting
when it feels like it. You try 1t
sometime, smarty!"
Trying to apologize? Meaning
you didn't go to do it?" He was
still jeering at her. Maybe It was
Just as well then that Cal had re-
trieved his gun and taken it of with
him.
Mr.. Cody" said Ann, very prim
and very polite, Il am sorry, In a
way, that shot you. You see"
III way 1AdL A44(Cs "A-AS
way?" snapped young Cody.
There is such thing as being
humane, or anyhow human" said
Ann. You know very well that
you are not welcome here. What's
the use pretending? You and I don't
like each other-for my part" she
exploded, II hate the sight OF you!
Get well as soon as you can-and
go somewhere else. So, what mean
by being sorry I shot you, it's just
that if you weren't all shot up you
could be on your way right now.
He slid out of his chair, the tight
bandage about his midriff irking
him, and stood up.
I'm here tC stay" ne told her
fatty. 81 didn't come here follow
ing you, either. If I'd known you
were here, maybe I couldn't have
come at all. And, not meaning to
be tough with you, just the same I
can ask you what the devil you are
doing here anyhow? At my place.
''Your place! Why, you"
I'VE sort of find it natural to call
each other You and then gulp and
stop, don't WEI" he said.
Your place! What on earth are
you talking about? Have you gone
crazy? Oh, maybe you always were
crazy! Of course, that's It! That ex-
plains everything"
Listen, and don't be so smart.
You're kind of pretty, and maybe
it's gone to your head. Men, I
guess, seeing you at a dance, all
doIIed up, have told you lot Of
lies, and you think you're Cleopatra,
maybe, or the Queen Of Sheba.
Whoa! Didn't I say wait minute?
I'm answering questions right now;
you say what do I mean by saying
this is my place. Well, that's what
it is, or anyhow going to be. Me,
I'm old Early Bill Coles heir. This
is the King Cole Ranch, and it's
mine"
why, you-you-"
Eve told you I'm getting tired Of
our calling each other 'You-you's.'
Where's your originality"
"You-iarI You're worse than
that man Rance WaIdron. He says
it's his place too-and it's mine!
Now, Mr.. Cody, will you-Win you
tuck your shirt tail IN, and go climb
a tree?
What Mr.. Cody did was scratch
his head, thick-thatched with album
dant dark red hair, and hold his
peace a moment and do bit Of
thinking, staring at her all the while.
He told himself that this was sort
of funny layout, his running into
this obnoxious girl so consistently
for one thing, her making claim
like that for another, the letter from
old Early Bill Cole for the first Of
all in a chain of events that-No
chain at all, just crazy quilt Of a
thing
Pondering, he did tuck his shirt
tail IN. Also he produced the max
ings of cigarette and very slowly,
his mind on other matters, he build
ed his cigarette. And In due course,
lighted it. He inhaled deeply; he
sent a stream Of blush smoke cell
ingward.
Its still reasonably early in the
morning. he said after he had driv-
en- her frantic with his leisureliness.
you've got lots OF time to comb
your hair and wash your face-Go
look in a looking glass, and you'll
de bothI-and get into Bald Eagle
before noon. If the stage doesn't go
where you want it to go today, it'll
be pretty sure to go tomorrow. So
you've got time to listen while I
tell you something Mr.. Early Bill
Cole, rest his wild soul, Early Bill
being dead now, made up his mind
he wanted the right sort of man to
take care of the things he had to
leave behind him on taking the long,
one-way trip. He nominated me for
the Job. He even took time TO write
out a Will. He left every damn
thing he had to William Cole Cody.
And that's me- Do you begin to get
the general idea?"
when I was a very little girl, I"
she told him sweetly, 81 used to
say that / mated things. castor oil
was one, and there were others
But, dear me, didn't know what
was talking about. For only now,
Mr.. Cody, I do know now what the
word hate means. Need I go fur
Their? Of course not. Now, suppose
you tell me what, if anything at all,
you are driving at? Someone has
told you, no doubt, that Mr. Early
Bill Cole wiIled everything he had
to me?"
Cole Cody had way of exhaling
cigarette smoke that. she was dead
sure, could infuriate anyone on
earth. he did some exhaling. Her
nails biz into her pink palms. But,
Spartanlike, she clenched her teeth