The Argosy, Vol. 75, No. 4 — page 75: what you’re looking at

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

MESQUITE RANCH. He hurried toward her. She thrust the picture out before her and stood blushing and fidgeting under his gaze. “ Look at the peecture!’’ she scold- ed when he kept his eyes on her. “All right,’ Radford consented as he turned his attention to the souvenir of “Oncle Phillipe”? which she held. “Why, that’s—” “A-h! You see! Eet ees my bene- factor an’ your friend!” she ex- claimed, excitedly clapping her hands. ‘“’Thees ees my Oncle Phillipe! Thees [ do not know.” “Tt’s Nick Bullen!’ Ted exclaimed, staring at the picture of his strange guest. “Yes, he who gave me the money to come to thees glorious land of sky and rocks, where I get strong. Am I not fat?”’ she cried, pirouetting be- fore his enraptured eyes that he might see how changed she was. “ You’re—fine!’’ Ted began enthu- siastically and concluded _ laniely. “Nick Bullen sent you out here to _claim your uncle’s estate?” “You laugh at me again?” she questioned, peering intently into his eyes. ‘“Eet ees not much an estate. That [ know. But eet ees health-giving, and I breathe large and happy here!” — To Radford she looked more like some radiant creature about to drift gaily off in the golden air above the butte than a human girl’ He forced himself back to the picture as a theme for talk, lest he do some one of the dozen things that tortured him’ men- tally with their promise of joy if he had the courage. “T hope Bullen recovered. I wrote Dr. Stratton about him just yesterday. I’m afraid I was rather careless about him,” he said, then added: ‘‘ Has Miss Thorpe heard how he is?’’ “She hears from Dr. Stratton, but nothing concerning M. Bullen,’ Na- talie replied, showing with what faith- fulness Alice Thorpe was keeping her own counsel. She reached and turned the picture ak bF over in Ted’s hand. He read three names on the back of it, scrawled on the fading reddish paper. “* Nick Bullen, Phillipe le Fevre, Al Watson. ‘The Three Dis-graces.’ ”’ Natalie laughed at the ancient joke, and he joined her. It seemed as young and delightful as themselves. “Does Miss Thorpe leave you here | alone?’’ Radford asked suddenly and with a lover’s jealous concern. “Only thees once,” Natalie assured him, blushing at the meanings behind his simple words. ‘“ She has gone to the Double X Ranch to talk to M. Geel about the water rights.” “For the Apache Spring?” Ted asked, quickly on guard for the inter- ests of the Mesquite. “‘ You can’t sell them, the right and leave the Mesquite out!” “T have not had overtures from the Mesquite Ranch,” she replied with dig- nity. “Well, you'll get them! Don’t do anything, please, till I can tell Silsby you are going to sell. There'll be a regular civil war if you do. The boys won't stand it to have the Double X- ers enjoy the privileges of the water alone. It isn’t fair, anyway, Mlle. le Fevre.”’ Radford’s loyalty to his- ranch flamed up, hot and strong. But it met an answer that puzzled him. “Why should you care for the Mes- quite Ranch—or anything of us out here?” she asked quickly. Ted looked at her, perplexed. She identified herself with the country; but she seemed to regard him as a stranger to it and its interests. “Why shouldn’t I care? When a fellow earns his salt from a certain source it’s as little as he can do to be loyal to the——” Mile. Natalie laughed a little French laugh, fin which all her cynical ances- tors must have had a part. “Your salt? Eet ees too funny! You but seek amusement out here! You make a new toy out of thees won- derful country! Ma tante says it.” EOPMICLOOKS