CHAPTER 1
ws Fo
Old Willlam B. Latham lay on a
wicker chaise longue in the veranda
of his country house, Hillcrest, and
pretended to be asleep—a subterfuge
quite in keeping with a certain salient
characteristic of his which, quite early
in his career, had earned for him
the not {inappropriate sobriquet of
“Crooked Bill" Not that the old ras-
cal was crooked in the commonly ac-
cepted sense of that term as employed
in the quaint patois of our times (in-
deed he was a most honorable man),
but because he was possessed of an
uncommon degree of craft, of auda-
cious and generally amusing slyness,
in business and out of it—a sort of
super-prudence born of uncanny in-
nate ability to read human nature,
Such men are rarely deficient in a
sense of humor, and Crooked Bill had
found life more abundantly provoea-
tive of laughter than of sighs, He
was popularly believed to have more
money than some folks have hay; he
had no wife to bother his life and he
paddled his own canoe; also, he en-
Joyed excellent health,
It pleased Willlam B. Latham this
late afternoon to pretend to be asleep
in order that he might, from under
the drawn-down rim of his hat, watch
his late wife's niece engaged in a
pastime peculiarly dear to that most
attractive young woman, to wit, snar-
ing and breaking the heart of a youth
whose manifest appeared,
to Crooked Bill, sufficient justification
for receiving from the young lady in
question what her uncle and guardian
described as “a whole lot of letting
alone.”
With the ordinary run of young
gentlemen who laid their vealy hearts
at the feet of Miss Roberta Antrim,
Crooked Bill had little sympathy and
less patience. The majority of them
were he-flirts, amusing themselves with
Roberta as outrageously as she
amused herself with them, or else
frankly attracted to her as a moth Is
attracted to a candle flame. Up to
the present none of Roberta's rejects
had committed suiclde, although not
less than four had vowed so to do.
Crooked Bill had more than a sus-
picion, too, that, In addition to Ro-
berta's undoubted charms, the fact
that she was his heir was not a neg-
ligible attraction to her continuous
and shifting entourage,
In the case of the young gentleman
who sat with Roberta on the stone
bench under the elm, Crooked Bill
could find no extenuating eireum-
stances to adduce as to why Roberta
should not be convicted of inflicting
cruel and unusual punishment. Glenn
Hackett, to begin with, was of good
family where brains and money, In
evidence for three generations, had
always been used He was
rather tall, loose Jointed and angular.
with a plain honest face like a kind
horse. He was thirty years old, a
lawyer and a good one, which is to
say that Crooked Bill gladly pald him
a large annual retainer. The old
man's highest compliment for Glenn
Hackett was that he had horse sense,
and was the only man he knew who
appeared to be as common and com-
fortable as an old shoe yet
wasn't,
Crooked Bill wished he might have
been privileged to hear what Glenn
Hackett and Roberta were saying.
However, he was a fairly accurate
reader of gesture, facial expression
and nods, so he was assured that
Hackett was proposing marriage to
his nlece,
“It'll be like her to refuse him,” he
decided, “and him the only real man
I've ever seem on the premises. And
for once In his life he's doing all the
talking while Roberta does the listen-
ing. know that meek, sad resigned
bend of her head while she tugs at
her handkerchief and tries to appear
surprised. She must have admiration
from men or life is a delusion and a
snare! And now she's picked on a
victim that's bound to back-fire on her,
or I'm no judge of men. Hello, he's
talking too much! He's getting op-
pressive. She's finding the going not
to her liking—ah, I thought so!”
Crooked Bill drew his hat brim
down over his nose, opened his mouth
a little and commenced to breathe in
lomg even respirations. He heard the
rapid patter of Roberta's little feet
as she passed him and entered the
house, In about five minutes he heard
the firm, leisurely tread of Glenn
Hackett following, and was aware,
presently, that the young man had sat
down In a chair beside him, So he
pretended to sleep on for five minutes,
then he stirred uneasily, gritted his
teeth, sighed, opened his cyes, and
yawned pleasurably,
“Well, now that you havent had
your forty winks,” Hackett observed
quietly, “what's your opinion as to
what my next move should be? I've
Just jlited Roberta |”
Crooked Bill sat up with the abrupt.
ness of a Jack-in-the-box, which, in all
fairness, he resembled not a little.
“Shoot me for a horse-thief!” he ejac-
ulated. “Played fast and loose with
you, eh, boy?”
“No. Just tried to.”
“So, you threw the dally over your
decencles
wisely,
and
pommel and gave her the bust, eh?
Three cheers for our side.”
“Cheer to your heart's content.
This poor devil isn't dying,” Glenn
Hackett retorted savagely.
Crooked Bill looked cautiously
around to make certain the door from
the veranda to the living room was
closed, for it was Instinct with him
never to make a move until all the
conditions were propitious. “I hadn't
any idea you two were engaged, son.”
“We weren't, although I think we
could have been if I had been fool
enough to Insist. Bobby likes me tre-
mendously. I'm sure of that.”
“Like is right. I doubt if she'll ever
love anybody, but if she should I'm
certain he'll be a married man with a
large family and unavailable from
every point of view. You interested
her, son, far more than any of your
predecessors, and I've seen them all
come and go. I reckon that's because
You were a mite harder to land than
the others.”
“She's been expecting me to propose
for a month, and just a little while
ago I was fool enough to do it. She
looked so infernally proposable today!
And while I was doing it I looked at
her steadily and noted the triumphant
glint In her eyes, and a little self-sat-
isfled smile on her lovely lips. Some
thing told me she was preparing the
skids for me. So, no sooner had 1
the and no sooner
had she commenced to assure me that
she hadn't remotely suspected this at-
tachment, than I interrupted her and
withdrew my proposition. 1
her not to think any more about it.”
“H—~1l's fire!™ Crooked BIll was
steeped In reverential awe,
“That got her blazing mad,” Hackett
continued.
“It would anger a sheep,” Crooked
Bill agreed. “Roberta's mighty high
and handsome In her ideas”
“1 told her it had suddenly occurred
to me that she could never possibly
consider marrying a lawyer who
grubbed for a living in the heart of
New York's financial quarter. [I told
her I was quite certain that what she
was seeking was a knight-errant and
I wasn't it. I told her I had suddenly
made up my mind that it was all a
hideous mistake and—Put that's as
far as I got.”
“She up and left you then, son? She
was crying as she passed me. [ didn't
see her, but my hearing's right good
for my years. Boy, you're a gift from
God! Continue to play your cards
like that and she's yours without a
flicker. That girl requires a whole
lot o' lickin’, but she's only got to
be licked once!™
“I'm wondering If I overplayed my
hand?
“What If you did? She didn't have
even a dirty little deuce to trump your
ace, did she?
“1 suppose I startled her. I'm a
little bit afrald, Mr. Latham. She
plays fast nd loose with a man.
She's a confirmed flirt”
“They make awful good wives once
you halter-break ‘em,” Crooked Bill
suggested.
“How do you know?
“1 married one—and she was that
girl's aunt. Roberta comes by her
misfortune honestly, All the Bar
rows women were romantic. In fact
loberta’s mother ran away with an
end man in a minstrel show. She
adored the jokes that boy used to
crack until he cracked one on her by
marrying her. She bore him Roberta
and from that day until he died Ro-
berta ran him ragged and made the
poor devil like it. He was a good
end man but a poor judge of invest.
ments, and when he and his wife were
killed In a train wreck, my wife and
I fell heir to Roberta. She was eleven
then. My wife died ten years ago and
I've been riding herd on Roberta ever
since.”
“I fear you've made a bad job of
it, Mr. Latham.”
“Well, you can't bar me for tryin’
Crooked Bill responded calmly, “The
girl's sound at heart, but cursed with
a face and figure that'd make Helen
of Troy look like a Navajo squaw in
comparison. She has brains, she has
poise.”
*Not any more,” Glenn Hackett in-
terrupted gloomily. “I've just upset
her poise!”
Crooked Bill indulged himself in a
very mirthful little chuckle. “Well, at
any rate, she's a very good dear sweet
girl” he defended finally,
“She can't coquet with me. She
wants to be pursued. I'm a busy man
and I've pursued her for a year, and
you know, Mr. Latham, as well as I
do, that whenever she has another
swain on hand she always devotes
herself to him and ignores me.”
“Wants to see If you'll get jeal
ous.”
Crooked Bill stroked his chin and
spat a thin amber stream over the
veranda railing. “Tell you what you
do, son,” he announced presently, and
Glenn Hackett leaned forward to lis
ten to the words of wisdom from the
oracle, “You stay to dinner just as if
nothing out of the ordinary had oec-
curred. Roberta’ll dine In her room,
if she has any appetite at all, which
I doubt, because the mald’'ll tell her
you're still here and she'll think that's
indecent of you. Let her think it
Continue to come out uninvited and
popped question
begged
unexpected whenever the notion grips
you, when she gives you the dead
face you grin at her like a Chinese
idol and tell her how winsome she
looks in that new dress, Continue to
advertise yourself, son.”
* * . * ® . ®
Pausing not an instant In her pre-
cipitate flight from the most amazing
and Impossible male biped she had
ever encountered, Roberta Antrim
fled to her room, locked the door, lay
down on her bed and indulged herself
for ten minutes In that delight of her
sex customarily known as a good cry.
“The wretch!” she soliloquized.
“The odious hoor! He had the ef-
frontery to talk to me exactly as if 1
were a refractory client instead of the
girl he had but a moment before as-
sured he loved to distraction. Oh,
dear, what humiliation! I hate him,
I hate him. I'll never speak to him
again as long as I live.”
When a woman has come to that
conclusion, quite usually she finds it
time to cease valn repining and weep-
Ing, lave her inflamed eyes with some
soothing lotion and powder her nose.
So presently Roberta did all of these
things and while them ap-
praised herself very critically In her
4
doing
He Heard the Rapid Patter of Ro-
berta’s Little Feet.
mirror. She knew she had a medium-
sized, wellshaped head covered with
the sort of golden-tinted auburn halr
which so many women attempt, but
which few achieve. She had the sort
of rich creamy skin that goes with
such hair; her eyebrows and eye
lashes were darker than her halr,
thelr luxuriance conveying a hint of
Celtic blood.
Her eyes, large, brown and a trifle
sleepy, owing to her scquired trick
of gazing up at men from under the
lids, were ideal for setting the reason
of an impressionable male tottering
on its throne, Her nose had Sust es.
caped being snubby and was tilted at
so gentle an angle as to confer upon
her a faintly haughty expression when
her face was In repose She had a
short, beautifully curved upper lip
which adorable malformation per
mitted much too easy a display of
even, hard white teeth. Her lower lip
was full, tender and just a shade will.
ful. Her chin was full and aggres-
sive, her body beautifully formed,
ithe as a cat's and suggestive of
abounding health and much outdoor
exercise,
Despite her almost startling beanty
one realized Instinctively that Ro-
berta was not (sentimentally speak-
ing) a clinging vine. One felt, too,
that she had a healthy temper, despite
her perennial good nature and her
tolerance for her own sex. As a mat-
ter of fact Roberta did possess & tem-
per readily aroused, hut she had the
saving grace of refusing to admit it
except under extraordinary circum.
stances.
Appraising herself In her mirror,
Roberta reflected with a sort of sweet
bitterness that she had dressed that
afternoon with an eye single to Im-
pinging herself upon the cool, quietly
impersonal glance of Glenn Hackett
“If I were a girl who wore diamonds
to the breakfast table” she told her
reflection, “there might have been
some excuse for his gauche conduct.
One moment he had proposed and the
next he was withdrawing the proposal,
I wouldn't have accepted him on =u
bet, nice as he Is and comfortable as
he is to have around, but he might
have given me an opportunity to say
so! He was terrible! He gave me
the Impression that, in one revealing
moment, he had seen something in me
that revolted him-—and I'm not re-
volting, I'm not, I'm not—"
Once more she gave way to tears,
but not for long. She dried her eyes
and applied the powder rag. And
then the real reason for her charm-—
the reason men adored her and made
love to her—presented itself. Ro-
berta was a good sport—none better,
and hated a quitter with all the
strength of her vital, Intelligent soul.
She made a little grimace at herself.
“Well, Bobby Antrim, you took a
man's-size beating, didn't you? That
Hackett imbecile Isn't dull, at any
rate. And I did start to say something
banal-—all about never having sus
pected his attachment! I see it all
very clearly now. Right there little
Bobby went blah! Yes, that was a
sour note—and he has an ear for
musie. That man-animal has
pride—and I had thought they all
had ego!™
She sat down in a low rocker to
think it over very carefully. As usual,
her resentment and rage were disap-
pearing” at the double: she was only
sensible now of a feeling of humilia-
tion, not so much because of what
Glenn Hackett had sald
she had failed so
in feminine adroitness to meet an ex-
traordinary situation, In a f
3 way of
speaking he had demolished her. Par
some
and done as
because miserably
alyzed her powers of ii ive and In.
and left her helpless to
defend herself! ground her to a pulp!
He had proved to her what a monu-
mental fa had
be in an art where, to quote Crooked
Bill, she was supposed to be 150 per
cent perfect!
Roberta began to
“Thinks he's won a great victory,”
decided. “Well, like John Paul Jones
I have not yet begun to fight. I'll
bring that unusual man to his knees
and when I have him there I'll—well,
I'll not do anything so unladylike as
to put my foot In his but I'll
laughat him! Iswearl will I'll laugh
out loud!”
There is always a feeling of com.
fort when one has come to a decision
after wrestling with a knotty prob
lem, toberta had her poise back
again; she felt again that she was
ready to conquer new worlds and
make them like it. She went down.
stairs and found Glenn Hackett and
Crooked Bill in the library enjoying
cocktails,
“Have
ventivenoess
ure she turned out to
Suddenly
laugh.
she
face,
honey? her guardian
asked coaxingly. “A tiny one?
“No, thank you, Uncle Bill. Give
my share to Mr. Hackett. He's going
to need It to give him courage to face
the future”
‘Bah I” Mr. Hackett replied rudely.
He caught a wildly approving wink
from Crooked Bill and decided to leap
in over his head. “Sour grapes,” be
added—a bit viperishly, loberta
thought.
Roberta smiled with exceeding po
liteness, but there was coolness in the
smile. Crooked Bill noticed her chin
had gone up about a quarter of an
inch. “Let's be good friends, Glenn”
she said In her most ingratiating and
fascinating manner, “You are so in-
telligent one can't help being attracted
to you, and usually you're very nice
teally, If your bank account should
ever be brought to the sear and yel
low leaf you should set up as a for
tune-teiler and mind-reader.”
“I thought I had read yours cor-
rectly. I see now [ did not”
“Indeed, you did. You're
ous.”
“You'll marry me when I get ready
to marry you" he charged amiably.
“Why, you tell jokes, don't you?
“Time!” Crooked Bill saw that the
issue was far from clarifying. “No
more of these lovers’ quarrels, Ro-
berta, Glenn Is staying for dinner.
You'll join us, of course, honey ?™
“Why, certainly, Uncle Bill. How
delightful, Glenn!"
Any man who thinks he can out.
fence a woman is a fool, and suddenly
Glenn Hackett realized he was all of
that. Such realizations always disturb
a manly man. “If I remain for dinner,
Mr. Latham, I fear I'll not be able to
do Justice to your excellent cuisine
Therefore, with your permission, Bob-
by, and yours, sir, I'd like to motor
back to town"
Crooked Bill was upset. *“H-—I's
fire!” he exclaimed, using his most
formidable oath, He had placed his
money, 80 to speak, on young Hackett
and now the ingrate was running out
one,
marvel.
By genius | would understand that
power, or rather those powers of the
mind, which are capable of penetrating
into all things within our reach and
knowledge, nnd of distinguishing their
essential differences. These are no
other than Invention and judgment;
and they are both called by the col:
lective name of genius, as they are of
those gifts of nature which we bring
with us into the world; concerning
each of which, many seem to have
fallen into very great errors; for by
invention, I believe, Is generally un-
derstood a creative faculty, which
would indeed prove most romance
writers to have the highest pretentions
to it; whereas by Invention is really
meant no more, and so the word sig.
nifies, than discovery, or finding out;
or, to explain It at large, a quick and
sagacious penetration into the true es.
sence of all the objects of our con
templation~Henry Fielding.
Being happy Is largely forgetting.
on him, to employ a
He was prepared to enter a vigorous
a telegram, rendered that impossible
“Thanks, Minna. May 17”
lifted* brows to her uncle and his
guest, she commenced to tear the en-
velop.
her other faults may be,” Hackett re-
marked to Crooked Bill. Roberta ig-
nored him and read aloud:
Texas,
21.
Hillcrest,
“Los Algodones,
“June
“Miss Roberta Antrim,
Dobbs Ferry, N. Y.
“Your uncle Tom had an argument
with a cowman yesterday stop There
will be a funeral tomorrow stop 1 got
your address by frisking Uncle Hom
on whose person 1 found your letter
to him of the second Instant
you insist 1 will send him to
charges prepald stop However If you
will take the of a well-inten
tioned stranger you will permit him
to awalt the trump of resurrection in
the land his sheep made stop
If you have any interest In his estate
You take steps to protect
stop If unable to do this immediatel:
wire me authority and I will
charge of it Pp Most ]
honest stop Reference Federa
company El Paso,
“JAIME MIGUEL HIGUENES”
“H—~1's fire!” Crooked
was the first to break the
1p
1d,
stop If
you
advice
fallow
I suggest
stop usu
Bill's
“wy
It's true
the spar-
There i
row’'s fall—az
bird!
“yy
Bill,
speak kindly . At least he was
n oberta chid the old
“All right
other word.”
Hackett
tion, while a bit
customary consideration.
sorry, Bobby,” he sald.
“That's kind of you, Glenn.
tunately I never knew Uncle Tom—
had never seen him, that is It's
bad, of course, but really poor Uncle
Tom wasn't a very lovable character,
I'm afraid”
“He was a turkey buzzard,” Crooked
Bil slared with finality, “Roberta’s
paternal uncle,” he went on to explain
for the benefit of Hackett, “He took
with I reckon
the old bandit must have been worth
and so far as I know,
loberta, you're his next of kin So
it looks as if you're in the sheep busl-
ness in Texas™
Roberta read the letter again,
ing by the name of the sender of this
telegram, Jaime Miguel Higuenes It
would appear that Texas boasts at
least very ntelligent, very
thoughtful, very frank and very humor
ous Mexican. He
like an educated American,
Bill, you spent a great many
down there. Do you happen to know
the Higuenes
Crooked Bill's
most crafty smile while
speaking, but now it was blank and
expressionless. “It's been twenty-five
years since I operated In Texas, Ro-
berta. Higuenes! Higuenes! 1 can't
seem to remember anybody by that
name."
“It would appear,” Roberta decided
presently, “that I have need to en.
gage a lawyer to investigate Uncle
Tom's estate.” She glanced with frank
interest and approval at Hackett
“Certainly. Of course,” Crooked
Bill agreed, and thought more kindly
of Uncle Tom for having provided an
opportunity for these two to forget
their recent differences and be friend
Iy again in the name of business
“Haclsett is the very man”
“Hackett isn't” that harassed per
gon declared with finality, “Jaime
Miguel Higuenes is. That man is hon-
est and fearless, I can tell that much
from his telegram. Also he gives bank
references If you desire, Roberta,
I shall telegraph the bank he men.
tiong, If the bank's reply would
seem to Indicate the advisability of
requesting Higuenes to take charge
of your Uncle Tom's estate for the
present, may 1 send him a telegram,
signing your name, and requesting him
to do so?”
Roberta was rereading the telegram,
“I think.” shea declared, “that Jaime
Miguel Higuercs must be a perfectly
fascinating person. In twenty-three
words he gives one the whole dramatic
story of a bloody shooting scrape out
on the range and gives one the Im.
pression—in fact, the conviction—that
the result was no surprise to him and
that he is not sorry the tragedy oc-
curred ! He Is resourceful, not
squeamish and has initiative, because
in the pursuit of information he dared
to pick a dead man's pocket, He Is
kind and friendly and thoughtful and
wants to help a person he has never
seen, and he is a man of substance
and takes a justifiable pride in his
personal and financial standing.”
“Oh, those Spanish dons are as
proud as Lacifer,” Crooked Bill as.
sured her.
(TO DE CONTINUED.)
Im
not say an
Glenn thought the situs
clouded, deserved the
“I''m very
Unfor-
100
to associating sheep,
considerable,
“Judg-
one
expresses himself
Uncle
Years
family?
had worn his
toberta was
face
is a Winner
Every mother real.
izes how Important
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dren good habits of
conduct but many of
i them fall to realize
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A teaching thelr chil-
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pend on it,
Mrs, C.
away those distressing
v ‘'S
as hes
conted tong i
HRT ORE
IRTICRE
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Lhege « NE 8
norn of their own
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rescribed it for
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mothers
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.
More
da.
Wolff
¥ son,
wealth,
» with
le was
him
him
appetite,
he's been
since
nm the carton.
Slowest Train Discovered
believes it has the slow-
lity Before the Law
Mrs O'Noodls 34
Equa
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Aching back! Will
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ruggist . . .
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id me to
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