Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1946-07-05

ledSe was on a level with his eyes.
There was no curtain, and he had
a clear view of the low-ceiled room.
A trained nurse stood at table be-
side the bed, dropping some medi-
cine slowly into glass, and the
lamplight was focused on her white
uniform; but beyond her, in the
Swallowed four-poster, lay the inval-
id. He had raised himself on his
elbow and was talking to her, a
slight flush deepening the color Of
his handsome face. The man at
the window caught the sharp clean
outline of his profile, the fevered
brilliance of his dark eyes, the hol-
lows in his cheeks. There was
look of mental conflict, of unrest.
cts bitten in," the outsider
thought, with kind of bitter salts
faction; latter all, it's bitten in!"
Then something, the daredevil in
him, made him lean forward and
speak slowly, distinctly, loudly, one
word:
"Sherwin!''
Stenhart heard it. He sprang up
in bed with a cry, his hands shak-
ing at his throat, his eyes staring at
the darkness Of the window. His
tormentor, seeing it, laughed grim
ly, but he saw the nurse turn and
come toward him. She must not
find him there Softly, swiftly, he
dropped back into the night and
made his way to the front door.
"MacDowell has just 'phoned from
the garage how kind you were when
he sprained his arm, and I want to
thank you. We, my brother and I,
both think lot of old Maci"
The girl had risen from her seat
at Jim's old desk as she spoke, and
she faced him. He saw the fine
curve Of her chin and throat, and
the black-lashed blue eyes. She was
an outstanding girl; she could run
the ranch alone in Jim's absence.
The men all looked up to her, held
her in high esteem.
The newcomer did not speak and
she went on quickly: MAC says
you'd like something to do about the
ranch and we need men, anyway.
"What-" she smiled frankly
"please tell me what you can do
best?"
The man Redeemed. OF course he
had to expect something like this,
but he was not one to whom false
hood came easily, and to lie to fine,
frank girl like this! But, after all,
it wasn't altogether lie!
my last job was bookkeeping"
he said, and then, as he saw the
swift change in her expression, he
added: mot just the thing for a
ranch, I'm afraid, but if I can turn
my hand to something out-of-doors,
I'd like it."
you're from the East?" her blue
eyes considered him gravely, imper-
sonally, and then she smiled. "I'm
not sure but that you're a godsend!
I've been trying to straighten up
Jim's accounts and it's perfectly
hopeless, he's SO splashy with ink
and so bad at figures! I'd be glad if
you'd try your hand at these tomor-
row." AS she spoke she swept a
bunch of dog-eared old books with
her fingers.
He came nearer and began to turn
them over, snatching at this strange
opportunity to get into the house, the
house where Stenhart wasl He ran
his index finger along under the
name-written in Jim Keller's big
sprawling handwriting.
Gel Rancho de las Palomas'-
you cling to the Spanish down here,
eh?"
She laughed. "'Las Palomas'
sounds so much better than just
plain English. Besides, there used
to be many doves here-there are
still. Can you untangle those fig
ures, do you think?"
Surely 1 can--they're quite SIM
ple."
Simple? was all snarled upl"
she laughed softly again. "Then
you'll do this until Jim comes?
L" she hesitated, blushing unac-
countably; 81 can't make any
terms-of course you understand
that? My brothers. the boss, but
if you can wait
ooh, that's all right, you'll be
feeding and lodging me, you see!"
For the first time, he laughed and
N~E@