Hope Hathaway

soon over-crowded with cattle and horses. There was no room in their mountains for sheep. Livingston, the interloper, must vacate. That was the unanimous decision of the whole Harris fa

or is deeply buried in its midst. The breeds, pliable to the strong will of Joe Harris, wer

the cattle-man's wife, therefore the old woman had particular rights about the premises, a m

s. The whole, heightened by numerous dogs and the old squaw stooping over her fire, presented the appearance of a small Indian camp, such as may be seen about any reservation. The old woman's rattle-trap cart stood beside her lodge, for she had her periods of wandering

iving stream, when the pigs with a grunt rose lazily upon their fore-legs, and old Mother White Blanket bent over the smoke of her newly built camp-fire, the girl school-teacher came out of her room and leaned against the smooth rain-washed logs of the building. She drew in with every deep

s as they were astonishing, and, while crediting nothing, she felt a quickened interest in the old squaw. But she had so far no opportunity to cultivate her acquaintance. Generally the spaces between the tents were filled with groups of breeds, and these she h

anket made no reply, and turning her back proc

to which greeting the old woman grunted,

nued Hope. "I forgot for t

nket stood up, anger

nk I don't know you make fun at me? Go away, girl, or you be s

find out if it is true." She had not one particle of belief in the old woman's generally credited supernatural powers, but she

ou can say 'go' to any of your men or women and they go; that if anyone is sick you can lay your hand on them and they are well, and that you can tell the future and the past of anyone. If all these things are true you must be a very great, remarkable woman. Is i

ou!" said the woman, suddenly

w up her mummified face within two inches of the girl's own. Hope shuddered and involuntarily moved backward toward

er of little children, you butc

azened old squaw frighten her into a fit, or should she pick up the bony thing and throw her over the top of the tepee? An impulse to do the latter came over her-then to her fancy she could hear the crashing of brittle bones. What she did do, however, was to t

o be interested in the performance, speculating to just what degree of rage the old woman would reach before she foamed a

riedly dressed, rushed from the lodge

here and git my breakfast, an

ove, under the hand of her son-in-law, but before turning awa

e think I know not

ughed good

heard, an' you make as much noise as an old guinea hen." Meekly the old woman continued her interrupted task

m spells once in a while," apologized Long Bill politely. Hope gave a short laugh, while the m

I wouldn't have missed it-not for anything. Her rag

t hand since Saturday evening among all the men she had chanced to see. That this great, strong fellow possessed it eased her conscience, if, indeed, i

marked casually to Long Bill, who through sh

e peeled. If she takes a likin' to anyone she'll just about break her neck to please, but," he added in a lower voice, "if

asked Hope, observing: "I not

to make it a go. You see I 'lowed to meet her here when the round-up come 'round to these parts, but here's she's done run off to Canada with some o

he didn't like you. I am sorry she is not in a more amiable mood, for I'd really like

, now she's had her spel

hy are you not with it?" quer

andaged fist up before him,

erful bad. It ain't goin' to be much use fer handlin' a rope fer quite a spe

am sorry! It seems too bad to see a great big

' clean this here gun o' mine. It's been a-needin' it powerful bad fer awhile back. I didn't know there was nary load in it until the blame

see I can't very well help hearing a lot of things around here. The girls hear things and they tell me, and then I am often forced to overhear the men and boys talking among themselves. It's none of my business, but yet I am glad to know that you were not one to set upon an innocent white man. I scarcely know this Mr. Livingston by sight, but he is a friend of S

I heard tell about the fracas over there, that there

g had been plainly heard, and through curiosity he and Carter had ridden to Livingston's ranch to inquire into it, but the sheep-man had been very reticent about the matter. Had told them only that there had been trouble with some breeds, and his her

uded, walking slowly away toward the kitchen end of

I didn't have nothin' to do with