Adventure Magazine, Mid-September 1917 — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

Longhorns have not de job, den day can not lose eet.” ‘“‘Aw, say ‘Mees’ Kate.” Mrs. Loudon, the wife of the Bar-S man- ager, Kate Saltoun that was! Why had he not thought of her at first? Obviously, she was the very person. For she could wind her father round her finger as easily as she could her husband. “It shore takes you to think o’ things,” said Chuck. “But how’m I goin’ to get hold of her, an’ Old Salt not know it? He’s always projeckin’ round, the old coot.”’ *“‘Mees Kate she ees een de keetchen not long wile ago,’’ Laguerre remarked help- fully. ‘I see her w’en I come back from de leetle corral. She dere yet mebbeso.”’ Chuck Morgan departed in haste. On the porch of the ranch-house were the fire- fly tips of two cigarets. “Tom an’ Old Salt swappin’ lies,’’? mut- tered Chuck, and oozed round the house to where the lamplight shone through the win- dows of the kitchen. Reconnoitering, he first made sure that Mrs. Kate was the sole occupant of the room, then he boldly stepped into the open doorway and removed his hat. “‘Good evening, Chuck, ” said Mrs. Kate, lifting sloe-black eyes from her task of dip- ping doughnuts. “I suppose you smelt ’em too. Tom and dad’ve been in here half-a- dozen times to-night. Help yourself. If they’re not sweet enough sift more sugar over ’em.”’ *‘Evenin’, M-m—Mis’ Kate,” stuttered Chuck, beginning to gently perspire. ‘“‘Cuc- cuc-cuc-can y-y-yuh "s He stopped in a panic. Mrs. Kate stared at him in amazement. ‘Are you sick?” she demanded, carefully depositing the last brown and snapping doughnut on the greased paper. ‘‘No-o, ma ‘am,’ > was the emphatic reply, “ea ‘‘Then what have you been doing? First you try to crow like a rooster. Then you say ‘I’ over and over. You aren’t usually so backward. It must be something pretty bad. Have you been ina fight? Out with it.’ ‘“Yuh—yuh see, ma’am,” began Chuck, in his desperation almost biting pieces from the edge of his hat, “it’s them nesters on Soogan Creek, an’ e The black eyes of the lady turned a trifle hard. After all, she was a cattleman’s 13 daughter, and cattle-folk are a clannish, stubborn breed. “IT know,” she said, nodding her dark head. ‘Tom told me. Did you tell them to leave?”’ "No, ma’am, I didn’t.” “You didn’t!” “*T couldn’t.” ‘You couldn’t. Whycouldn’t you? Did they hold a gun on you, or something?” “T didn’t see ary a gun, but they ain’t like therunofnesters. They’re poor, an’—”’ ‘“‘They’re all poor,” interrupted Mrs. Kate, ‘“‘and they’re all shiftless and utterly no-account. They’ll rustle our cows and brand our calves at every opportunity, and they’ll make opportunities. I know them. You can’t tell me anything about nesters. As to these nesters being different from- other nesters, it’s impossible. They’re all alike. And I’m surprised at you, a cow- man, coming round and standing up for such people.” ““Ma’am,”’ Chuck cut in quietly, “fone 0’ these nesters is ailin’, an’ they’s two girls in the family an’—an’ = ““One of ’em’s ailing,” repeated Kate, her eyes promptly softening. “Is she very ill?” ‘‘She ain’t a she, ma’am. He’s a he, an’ he ain’t right down sick. Only his daugh- ter says he’s got somethin’ the matter with his lungs.” ‘“‘T. B., Isuppose. Came out here on ac- count of the altitude. Did you say there were two girls in the familyP”’ “Two girls an’ a ma.” “Two daughters. Well, I begin to see quite a few things. Are they pretty girls?” “One of ’em is. Her name’s Jane, an’ she’s shore a whizzer. I’m tellin’ yuh, she’s got the prettiest, shiniest hair! An’ she don’t talk likeIdo. She talks grammar like you do, ma’am. The whole family talk that way. I'll bet yuh’d enjoy talkin’ to ’em a lot.” Mrs. Kate frankly laughed. ‘They must be an unusual family,” she said, after a space. ‘‘At any rate, if the father has incipient tuberculosis and there are two daughters, one of them with the prettiest, shiniest hair, running them out is not to be thought of. I’ll speak to dad. But then dad’ll know you’ve been talking to me and he may give you your time.” “TI don’t care about that. I’d rather lose my job than have them nesters move.’ Kate reflected, her head on one side. COmicloo C©