Adventure Magazine, Mid-September 1917 — page 16: what you’re looking at

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

14 “T have it!’ she exclaimed. ‘‘I’ll go up- stairs and get Junior. He’s asleep, but it won’t hurt him to be waked up for once. I’ll take him out on the porch where Tom and dad are, and I’ll give him to his grand- daddy to hold. Somehow, whenever he’s holding that blessed child, dad is more amenable to reason. When I judge the moment to be propitious I’ll begin to play ‘Johnnie Cope’ on my guitar. Then you come over and tell Tom and dad about the nesters. Don’t say much. Merely men- tion the T. B. end of it, and the women, and say you thought they ought to have a few days before moving on. You leave the rest to me.” Chuck, crossing to the bunk-house, slap- ped his thighs in exultation. ‘“‘Now that’s my idea of a reg’lar woman,” he whispered ecstatically. ‘Yessir, they don’t make ’em any better’n Mis’ Kate.” 7 IT SEEMED to Chuck that he 44 waited an unconscionable time be- ~~ fore the signaling guitar began to tink-tink-tinkle the old Scotch air. Chuck pinched out his cigaret, hitched up his chaps, and walked across to the ranch- house. Dimly, on the broad porch, he could discern three figures sitting. On the lap of one of them was a white bundle. Chuck halted beside the steps. “T rode Soogan like yuh told me,”’ he said, addressing Tom Loudon, ‘‘and I found the nesters all right.” He paused. “Well?” Thus Loudon, with a rising in- flection. ‘“‘Didja tell ’em to git?’ demanded Mr. Saltoun, sensing that all was not as it should be. “No, I didn’t,’ replied the puncher. “One of ’em’s os “What?” barked Mr. Saltoun. “Yuh mean to stand there, Chuck Morgan, an’ tell me yuh didn’t run them nesters off?” “Wait till I get through,’ Chuck said coldly—the hair at the back of his neck was beginning to stiffen. “One of them nesters is a lunger an’ they’s three women in the family.” “T don’t care—’”’ yapped the angry Mr. Saltoun. “Yes, you .do, dad,” interrupted his daughter’s voice. ‘“‘Yes, you do. You know you do. A man with tuberculosis and three women in the family! And you’d Adventure run them off! Why, you know perfectly well you wouldn’t.” Her husband, Tom Loudon, kept a dis- creet silence. This was none of his battle, and besides, he knew his wife. “You know yoreself, Kate,” defended Mr. Saltoun, ‘“‘that nesters are bad medi- cine. Their cows’ll eat my grass, drink my water, an’ they’ll brand my calves. I know ’em, an’ I won’t have ’em on my range.” “Tt’s a free range.”’ ‘“‘She shore is—to me an’ my friends. Not to nesters.”’ “‘Nevertheless, one little family of nesters isn’t going toruin you. They a “If one comes they'll all come. Let this outfit roost in peace, an’ inside o’ five years they’ll be a hundred of ’em. No, sir, I say they ain’t goin’ to be no nesters at the Bar-S. Free range or no free range, out they go. I'll ride over there myself tomorrow.” Chuck immediately opened his mouth to demand his time and say in a few well- chosen words precisely what he thought of his employer and what he, Chuck Morgan, would do in case said employer ever at- tempted to evict the Dales. But Chuck had barely uttered the first word when Mrs. Kate, with great presence of mind, kicked over her chair with a crash, and sprang nimbly toward the steps, crying: “My ring! My engagement ring! It slipped off my finger and rolled over the edge of the porch near you, Chuck!” Chuck bewilderedly stooped to hunt. Loudon arose to his feet, but already Kate was off the porch and on her knees at the puncher’s side, making a great pretense at searching in the grass. “How didja come to drop it? Lordy, yore engagement ring! Cost three hundred dollars! What’sa matter with you, Kate?” Words tumbled out of Mr. Saltoun’s mouth so swiftly that they almost fell over each other. “If some people would only keep their mouths shut,” Kate observed distinctly and kicked Chuck as hard as she could on the ankle, “I might find it. Talking too much and when it’s far from necessary—”’ here she kicked the puncher again—‘“‘always makes trouble. Oh, here it is! I found it! T’ll bet it’ll keep its mouth shut now—I mean it’ll stay on my finger all right after this.” “‘Ain’t yuh feelin’ well, Kate?” her hus- band asked in some alarm, for Kate’s ac- tions and words had struck him as odd. COMGIOO ©