Carbon County news., 1944-12-14
CHAPTER VI

you were certainly gong TO TIC
that horse to a finish-and +
wouldn't believe me-"
1.-THE Henleys have to be show
Mary"
"Wen, between us, Don Leonardo
we'll show him. He has bet m
three thousand dollars to thousan
you will not make time-whateve
that means"
! "It means I have to stay wit
Mad Halter long enough to scratc
him with my taped spurs twice
the shoulders and twice in tn
fianks; that I must ride with on
hand free and held high, with tn
other hand holding rope halter
shank. If I claw leather'-that is
grasp the pommel to keep from be
ing thrown-or if lose a stirrup,
will be disqualified. If and when
complete my contract the presiding
judge will fire pistol and aftel
that, if Mad Halter throws me, i
doesn't count"
''Well, our bet takes in more ter
ritory," his father explained. "Sht
bets that you will not only make
time but you'll ride him until he
quits and you leave him without
the help of a pickup man."
The girl drew from her purse &
tiny carved ivory elephant. "Ele.
plants are good luck, Don Leonardo.
1 had this one with me this morn
ing and what happened? Why, l met
you. So have this in your pocket
when you ride tomorrow. By the
way, Mr.. Henley, Senior, how much
shaking up will your innards stand?"
81 don't know"
I'm going to find out"
He knew then that she would mar
ry his son if she could-marry him
for the sake of new thrill; marry
him because she had built him up
into romantic figure-and stick un-
til she discovered he wasn't.
She raised her glass and bent
little toward him across the table.
''To victory" she toasted. ITO vic
tory after a fight worth while!"
Ham Henley dropped the ladies
off at their hotel and said to his son:
''How about spendin' the night at
my house,"
mot tonight, sir, thank you," Len
replied coldly, and his father did not
press the issue. Mrs. Maxwell, glad
to escape to the peace and privacy
Of her suite, bade the young folks
good night and Len led Mary into
parlor off the lobby. What hap
pened?" he asked. ''You and Ham,
lton were throwing off sparks"
II speak Spanish better than you
or your father do-also French and
italian. I've spent much of my life
abroad and was educated in Switzer-
and. The Latin languages were a
lobby of mine"
''The old man is like that" he
laid sadly. "He didn't know it was
mpolite to address me in Spanish
vhen he knew Margaret didn't I'm
lerstand that language and believed |
hat you, being an fastener, didn't |
ither. He had something to say
nd he said it. He's a direct ac-
ionist."
"a rugged individualist, perhaps.
Veil, he doesn't like me and I don't
Ike him, and l hope I do not meet
i'm again"
What possessed you to make that
et?"
"a number of reasons. I wanted
} shock him, to let him know I
7as as dead game a sport as he
cad gamer, in fact"
"You shouldn't have bet him I'd
de Mad Halter until the brute was
Exhausted and then leave him with
1T the aid of the pickup men,"
'He shouldn't have accepted the
ct, my dear, because in so doing
2 proved he was willing to take
lvantage of my ignorance and de-
rous of feeding his silly and in
edible dislike of me. And I want
| to let him know I considered you
fallible."
'Who started that bet talk?"
81 did. 1 told him I couldn't un-
,rstand why father would try to
in thousand dollars from a son
no couldn't afford the loss and he
piled that he felt it his fatherly
Ity to de1ate you financially, to
ach you horse sense. 1 then sug-
sted that if he were possessed of
ore of that same valuable com. ,
odity one wouldn't be so acuteIy
1are of the chill that enveloped 7
m and his son whenever they :
ct"
He blew up, of course?" :
mo, he smiled. But he smoul- (
red inside and threw up a smoke r
reen by asking me if I'd like some f
rec to one on his son. l said l j
'uld-and staked rider to the t
he OnaSa ,Syi+l vott - =,