CHAPTER VIII ee] oe Mr. Wiliam B, Latham smiled fatu- susly and rubbed his old hands to- gether In pleased anticipation, as he aoticed the teleggam beside his plate ft breakfast, He read: “The man who first called you Jrooked Bill knew his onions stop 1 have your Texas record stop You per- mitted me to walk Into a situation that is perfectly and monstrously un- usual and I am horribly embarrassed stop Jim's father shot you in the foot with a forty-five caliber revolver and the impulse to be careless with deadly still runs in the family only the present representative ases a bow and arrow and shoots for the heart stop. Nor Is the Connemara half blood bred out of the tribe stop Believe it or not he has erected a headstong® over Uncle Tom stop It is fin angel weeping and on the base of the monument he has worked in a bas-relief of a shepherd and a sheep presumably the one that was lost stop Spanish art and Irish When I compare him with Glenn I am torn between a desire to and to laugh stop Glenn is so respectable so proper so mindful of all the things we have been raised to admire and respect while this fellow stops at noth- ing and consults only own desires stop My plan Is to secure the court's permission to get rid of the promptly and geturn to Hillcrest can bite you on the ear. weapons deviltry stop weep his sheep go I “BOBRERY." Harms, the butler, in the dropping the customary sugar into Crooked Bill's froze in the act and regare ter with amazement and concern. appeared to Harms that the old gentle- man was about to have seizure, for he had thrown back his head, mouth and gasped. “Anything wrong, 8 manded. “Har !" yelled Crooked Bill, Two bursts of maniac “Good news, sir?” politely. “Harms" Crooked you ever hear of Pandora? “Oh, yes, gir! You are referring to the lady of mythology unlocked the box of troubles?” “Exactly. Well, Miss act some sort of closed his opened his eyes, 2 Br rr? Harms de- “Har!” langhter! Harms suggested sald Bill, “did who Roberta has so why not go to Texas with me? Shave your whiskers and dress like a rancher and play the part of the sheep buyer?” “By golly, I'll do it, Glenn. good idea, When can you start?” “In one week.” “Fine. Meanwhile I'll keep you ad- vised If anything new turns up— Hey, don't hang up yet. Harms has just handed me another telegram . . . fit may be from Bobby. . ! No, it's fron Higuenes, Oh, Lord, oh, Lord, Lord! Glenn, will you listen to this?" And he read over the tele phone: It's a oh, “When you see your ward again I should be a proud man to hear you address her as Mrs, Higuenes or Hig- gins whichever suits you best stop To that end I request your permission to pay my court stop I know the will be hard but I have never been accustomed to getting anywhere without a battle will take a stop You know my people so I do not have to furnish social refer- Can furnish dentials to please any acting.” “He's =a Hackett growled “He's his father's im- the induced him to seek the permission of Bobby's responsible relat! going so 1 chance ences stop inancial cre save most ex- direct-actionist, Glenn son. Just agine nice courtesy that before commgne in “I'm COUrse, “Why that?" “To him work. Glenn, there is one th never forgive, You can't kill a expect to rush her off though you killed in in so doing performed a publi I tell you this man Higuenes doesn't know any better than to walk into straight lefts and rights.” Crooked Bill hung v tely hed the ram to Don Jaime Mi “You have the nerve of stop Thanks for the plied in your telegram nothing to say about it stop However you have my best wishes and I will even give you some good advice stop Pile on the high and sound do make Remember, Roberta will bad ing taste, and then her feet, even self-defense and ¢ service, and immed] ip » a dispatc fol or 2 a llon-tamer ment im but 1 have compli romance her casually and sald: “1 see you had a good night's rest In the gigantic bed of my ancestors. You appear much refreshed and I am very glad of it. And you arrive for breakfast promptly at eight, Punctuality is a paramount virtue, particularly In women, so just for that you win a rose, And he leaned back and plucked one from the vine that clam- bered around a pillar of the gallepy. “You're too red for red " he rambled on, handing it to her, “so this lovely is just the right shade, “I'm not red. I'm for the rose, however, “Well, whatever it Is, it suits fine. You and I are going to be best of friends, Roberta” “Well, 1 like fast their feet—and you're a whiz-bang, Jimmy. I've been trying very hard you but I must t's an up-hill job.” “Of course, it's Ty eal me,” he “Let us say go at that” His eyes you're may, roses, mauve rose Thanks It's lovely." auburn. me the them on to dislike confide to like let It “fob think, devoured rerta, mig! if 1 I'l “My friends all il! von Cali you away, old-timer.” She saw hin men She { Mverse thelr Mis her she was ime with banners! “You're a you, Jimmy you, must song.” “Oh, it is." he her. “The singing started last night, Again his eves burned into hers for a sg her face flush very } It seen be life one assured iit sec ond, and again she feit ing hotly. To cover her confusion she sald Inanely: “I do knew my Uncle BilL™ “Not interested in bate, gh If he she wish you the althon Roberta Antrim, body Roberta her t and she decide forward Hac) the Antrim foreman, who she thinks, at Then the girl ety girl. who a telegram m Jaime Antrim lent death, Texas ives Miguel] m » Pp : interests, land eontrolled by Don Antrim Jaime is wars erta Ant in the ev (Don Jaime's anglicized name) Antrim’s estate, to save inte Hoberta, Ww off ostensibl to be one and iilam B. Latham aowne At the adv since she Deon Jain to take A and Ton Another Higuer tells her his fortune | is A the P scheme reat In tured R ria, al Ante tehing "Jim Higgins” sees hin y to tell Don Jaime of her e's invitation ays at his ras sh arr she st unlocked a similar box, Mr. Hackett on the tel He read Hackett Rol and waited for a hearty It did not come. “Dog Glenn.” he protested, “where's your sense of hu- mor?" “1 see no humor in the situation, Mr. Latham, 1 can only sympathize with Roberta, There she is, the guest of the man who killed her uncle, and who has had the hardihood a jest at the expense his victim. Not satisfled with that exhibition of bad taste he has, apparently, com- menced to pay his court to Roberta immediately, which Is most embarrass- ing and distressing to her. She will be forced to leave his house, of course, and decline to permit him con- tinue serve her in the matter of conserving those damnable " “You tarnation that exactly what I planned happen? Roberta practically it already. She's anxious on those sheep and return she does, boy, you'll good to her” “1 wish I could be as you, Mr. Latham. wenkness, and that humor. Like yours, it's a biter diabolical. I wish 1 had never joined in this conspiracy with you.” “Faint heart never won fair lady. My boy, don't you realize you have a chance to be a hero?” “I do not.” “You're singularly is still elimbing and you need more money to protect me. So you've de cided that those gheep should be sold to get ready cash, Consequently you've had two Important cases con- tinued, which will enable you to go to Texas and arrange the of the sheep.” “Who will I sell them to? “To me, fool, to me. I'll give you more money for them than anybody else, and the more money you realize on them the stronger you'll be with Roberta! Also, you'll arrive on the Job In time to put a crimp in the sentl- mental aspirations of Don Jalme Miguel Higuenes, You'd better jump to Texas muy pronto.” “Well, In order to make good on your deceit you've rented Hillcrest, get Harms, message your cats, of to to sheep, Isn't ghould admits up and when look monkey, you, to clean certainly confident Roberta is as has one her sense of dull. My stock anle the old ecastilian not father knew well in Mendel's law you should dark-haired and dark-eyved like Mike and ese assets a fair sing- ing voice guitar some moonlight wus hide 1 should say i 1 chance umsing an asbes- nfernal regions, “LATHAM” “And now,” he murmured, “having done my full Christian duty by all con- cerned, I think I should return to my breakfast” Well vad Crooked Bill! your good old 80 stop If there is you stans more than a eelluloi tos cat through he been nicknamed Mignon awakened Roberta at seven next morning. “It's Sunday,” she reminded her discreetly. “What will you wear, miss? toberta had given considerable thought to that very subject the night previous, “That sports suit I bought Just before leaving New York,” she answered promptly. ireakfast was ready on the gallery when Roberta came out looking for her host. The table was set for two and Don Jaime was waiting for her. His lazy dark eyes swept her In one glance—from her white kid pumps to her Titian head, “You are as beautiful as an army with banners, Miss Antrim,” he an- nounced in the matter-of-fact tone in which one proclaims that two and two make four or that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points, Not so much a compliment or the natural desire of a man to flatter a womin, as a definite statement of fact. Roberta flushed—and hated herself for it, because it was not her habit to exhibit such apparent pleasure at com pliments from men. Had the words come from any other man she would have had a careless retort: in all prob. ability she would have told another man that he wasn't looking so very beautiful himself. But again that strange sense of bafflement, of stupid. ity, almost, held her speechless, “1 suppose he'll ask me If I slept well” she decided, “The usual banal query.” He did not. He tucked her into her seat, sat down opposite, looked at . o'clock notion to show up at Valle wouldn't sick the dogs on him. some bacon and I cured bacon myself quainted with Verde 1 Have eERs that and am the hens that eggs.” Had he noticed was this gay, her confusion, frivolous banter merely his kind way of helping her cover it? toberta had an idea It was His two setters slouched ally to the table and he appeared to forget Ho berta, to become absorbed In the dogs, feeding them strips of bacon and little pieces of bread steeped in bacon grease, talking affectionately to them the while as If they were human. Ro. berta reminded herself that Don Jaime was the first young man who had ever neglected her to curry favor with a pair of English setters. and was Interested to discover that she did not resent his action “What are you going to do Robble?" she inquired presently, “Oh, Robbie, Nothing very much wrong with him. [I suspected the fix he was 'n and, In order to verify my susgpiciots, I had Mrs. Ganby bring him here. He's been kept in the house because bis mother, despite the fact that she Is a trained nurse, mother like considered him too delicate to be allowed ont very much. She had to make a living for the two of them, 80 necessarily she has been forced to neglect the boy. “He requires sunlight and lots of it. Every day he lles out in the sun- light mother-naked, I gave it to him in small doses, so he wouldn't sun- burn. Now he's tanned. One arm and one leg are affected but not very badly. With Increased general health he will gain strength and the desire to be more active, Nobody ever ex- ercised without wasting energy, and those who have no energy to waste do not care to exercise ™ “He adores you, Jimmy." “Well, If children and dogs do not like a man that's a sign he had better begin to take stock of himself, 1 like Robbie. 1 like all children, even terrible children, I'm godfather to one hundred and eighty-seven and after mass this morning I'll take on the one hundred and eighty-elghth.” “Why are you so popular, Jimmy?" “For two reasons, df I'm godfather to the child of one of my people then, ana apologet] about while an Higuenes lives at Valle Verde, that child will always dwell under the mantle of the Higuenes philanthropy. He can't be fired off the ranch, if he's a male, and he'll get something in the way of a hope chest If he's a female” “You man! Of course as A godfather you have to promise that if the parents neglect to their child a religious upbr will attend to the matter” “Haven't I built a li haven't I a padre on my payroll? ported him from strange give you ttle church and Im- arch Mexico, The yi She Marked the Pride and Pleasure in the Young Mother's Face. know free as py myself never ma le T'4 illerest. Ix unty, New ou the to your Uncle bbe Ferry, York, error of your atl expensive | niroh prona » ni Roberta could: had a habit men when they Lhe were pro on the brink of it no longer In in this man 1 any other r she had ughed. chagrin grin he laughed with a horrible suspicion this Texas ing in & mild A hot rage swelled and her laughter crossed ric Was in Roberta's heart " Ber ex blood. trait that My father When he made up his mind to marry my mother, he appeared at her father's house and said to the old man: ‘I've marry your daughter. What have you got to say about it? Why, nothing at all! Here's the license and the priest's Where's the bride? “Well respectable was a very sudden man come to outside, if IT had been the bride your parent would have re ceived the jolt of his career.” “Fiddlesticks!" Don Jaime charply. "A woman worth having is a woman worth stealing. My father always declared women seldom know what they want. They think they want a lot of romance, when what they're looking for is a husband who'll organize the show and run it with a firm hand.” “What do you know about women?” “Something less than nothing. But I know a heap about men! I'd most certainly be the head of my house” “So would II" “Not in my bouse, Bobby.” “ls this argument in the nature of a left-handed proposal?” “Certainly not. The time isn't ripe for that, nor do I know that it will ever be ripe. I'm merely arguing a relative proposition—a sort of hypo thetical question. By the way, may | photograph you after we return from church, and may I have a print? Just one, please. Then you may destroy the plate If you will?” “I never give my photograph to gen- tlemen on such short acquantance.” “That Isn't answering my question.” “No “Then I'll have to get along with the one I have, It isn’t so good but it will do.” “Where did you possess yourself of my photograph?” “It's a rotogravure and 1 got It out of a magazine” “I'l give you the photograph, Jim my. I had some taken just before 1 left and I'll send for one.” “Thank you, but I want you just as retorted you are this morning. standing In that doorway. Then, after you away, 1 can look at ft and think how fine it would have been if you had stayed-—-there in your doorway looking out at me. Pe I may be able to fool myself into I want you go eying you standing there watching me to come home” “Not th standing one of your that the ‘ he | DOVE will be with the hod me hos; and urged much there the cupola of Don The Jalme's ti church was eall ing its last sun 18 to the faithful whefi Roberta her host left house on foot. Don Jaim a 1 i the the wn the main et alsle of Crags with stood her over ngainst benches nothing thinks i acts stralg He couldn't wanted to Oh, dear, id I wish 1 had never met him. one sermon Don his fo Jaime of whix addressing him to of Jaime, thanks an his pobrecitos the American Don transinted his message, and a few min convey and that senoriia. utes later she saw him stooping over the lap of a girl and lifting therefrom She watched him holding infant while the sacrament was adn an infant the $v lie i! giolag of baptism iinistered: she the pride and pleasure in the face at this signal honor conferred upon her and hers, when, the ceremony over, Don Jaime kissed the infant and handed the moth- er the customary largess, To the god- mother, too, he made a gift of money; then, with a paternal pat on the shoul ders of all concerned, including the padre, he rejoined Roberta and to- gether they walked back through the pueblo to the hacienda (TO BE CONTINUED.) marked young mother's American Willow Trees Originally From Syria? It has been told that the first weep ing willow tree in this country was planted by John Curtis of Virginia dur. ing the Revolutionary war, and still stands on the Curtis estate, The story is that “a traveler In Syria once sent to Alexander Pope, the English poet, a box of figs, In which was a twig from one of the weeping willows beside the rivers of Babylon, upon which the exilos used to hang their harps, This twig was planted alongside of the Thames, where It grew, A British officer brought a slip from this tree and gave It to John Curtis of Virginia” Nurserymen claim that this tree is the ancestor of all the weeping wil lows in this country. This awakens new Interest In that tree, which is given such prominence in the Bible=-"the willows of Babylon.” | Our Government —How It Operates By William Bruchkars OTHER FUNCTIONS OF THE TREASURY HERE is a provision in the Con- stitution that says the federal government has power to levy lmposts to be collected at the customs houses, It is an but performance obviously simple provision, the privilege been of fno- corded there hs for pro- the basis and most to which px the 1 il back! the member, Millions know of taxes dreds ever, that COLI "USIOMS servic Next ISUry referre tions the touches more people the custor service ¢ the Another Vad has been unde but 0 he off tains the first ice as a trad They may be f apg t but where the storn ke hardest, and 1 nter a along a shore that gingie guara lic health service of highly trained delve into likely to affect your health do It without for the plain it seems ix the warning the local who or health, They favor, science ques- the and seeking ns affecting nation's mine of publie love learning truth, pub- alth department transmitted » ¢itizens of & community that h origin in the research and of the lttle group of jeal men making whose work in conjunction with state and city health officers extends from const to It was they, for in- stance, who shed the light of science on parrot fever a few years ago and taught a mation how to fend it off. Another example: they have studied the anti-freeze solutions used In auto mobile radiators and have branded some of them as dangerous to health because the fumes given off are poisonous. to ad con- clusions med. up the service and const, No picture of treasury operations would be complete without a refer ence to the office of supervising archi- tect. Especially i= this troe under present conditions, when the federal government Is proceeding with vast programs building. Every day. the plans for a post office, or federal courts hullding, or customs house or gome other building with a public purpose, are being completed, and they are prepared by or under super. vision of the architects in the treasury. Before those architects start work, however, a branch of their office has examined available sites In the elty or town where the building Is to be, constilted with the local authorities fe to the needs, purchased the site out of federal funds and has received from congress authority to proceed. 80 again, the treasury, though it be | miles and miles from you, wields its | influence on your daily fe. i © 1885, Western Newspaper Union. of
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers