Judith of the Godless Valley

it, to feel it: that's all t

z Ro

e depth and sincerity of this feeling. And with that marvelously naive egotism of the male, he gave many hours of heavy thought to Judith's weaknesses and temptations, none at all to his own. Perhaps more tha

h an overhang, giving the house the hospitable shadows of a little Swiss chalet. There were several hundred acres belonging to the ranch. Free range had grown small before Inez' father died and he had gotten his acres well into grass and alfalfa. But when he an

e kitchen window. Chickens roosted on a saddle, which was flung in the stable muck. Tin cans, old wagon wheels, the ruin of a sheep wagon, were heaped in confusion at one end of the cabin. Three or four

John and Peter came out

urs clanking,

you doing here, Doug

nyon?" demanded John, with a chuckle. "Hustle up, Pete

plied Peter. "Here, John, take the ke

off. Sister snarled at Prince, w

ew, all right,"

un coyotes, tho

rown run this vall

id you ever watch the moon rise, Doug, from

nswered

de. I've been wanting to make y

and the rim of the moon was just peering over the edge of the Indian Range. All the valley lay in darkness. The

to do with yourself now

gla

for

ike to go Ea

more education now than

s thinking-you know I'm alone in the world-that I might help

ugh for me, thank you

n. Coyotes wailed in the peaks above them

r talk to you about y

ame was Esther, that the smallpox wiped her folks out, and that they owned the north half o

ars. So I could appreciate your mother more than the natives. I came here a roundabout way from Boston. So did your mother's folks, about forty-five years

an, coarse wor

saw the postmaster rub his

ster to hauling and p

ht and n

t used to keep alive the decencies and gentler things of life. Men lose those things in a cattle country unless the women keep 'em alive. If you keep women too c

is for a long time, his

he said, "You kne

as so devilishly overworked and unhappy! But she never complained. Your father was cra

kenly. "The poor little thing! Seems as if I

friend of Emerson's. Tucked away somewhere she had some letters the two men exchanged. Your grandfather d

, drenching the Rodman ranch in beauty and mystery. Sister crowded against her

thought I might see if you had anything in your head except hor

't a good enough profession f

it is. But it's n

why," repea

r swear or use a foul word," said Peter. "I've been on ranches in other pl

rses like the other w

it?" asked th

ught anythin

nning. She's mighty apt to end where Inez is ending. You just think about ranching in Lost Chief from your mother's point of view. It's a rough kind of a community, D

ed heavily: "Peter, what am I going to do t

nez has no illusions about what

to say Judith ou

e himself, how can you preach to Judith? And

I'm a

e the nerve to look at yourself as you are before you try to bring up Judith. Lost Chief is st

l I do about J

a man of you

with me?" demande

ame. And a kid of seventeen as self-satisfied as

in the valley works

uses his b

ht to go to college and l

f," protested Peter. "A half-baked

his feet. "By God,

ug. I've come a long, hard, lonely road. And all because I thought everybody was wrong

y in the world!" cried

he trail. Peter did not stir. For a long time he sat with his arm ar

ears are long!" Then he

odman's door-yard, Inez c

e you been? What's th

up. "I gave h

tle fool! It must h

is there anything I can do for you to

hurt he

se of saying that! Make

ward to beside breeding calves and wrangling firewood for some lazy dog of a rancher, b

her than understood. He sat in awkward silence. Inez put her hand on his kn

op to think how beautifu

n," admit

se other kids. When you ride round on the range try to keep your mind a little bit off cattle and horses and women and keep it on that line of the Forest Reserve the way it looks to-night. Or the way this yellow wall lo

uskily, "why don't you

nez shortly; and she turne

ssed her before. He had been only a baby at the time of her death. This was the first time that he had been told of the type of woman s

f what an unbelievably deep blue, in air of what tingling warmth and clearness! What unthinkable distances were glimpsed from the wild hay patch on the flank of Dead Line Peak! It seemed to Douglas, lying at length, chin elbow-supported, on the top of the last load, which Judith had insisted on driving, that he never before had sensed the beauty of the haying season in Lost Chief Valley. And again he seemed to see Inez's tragic eyes, which had

reached the shade of a little clump of blue spruce and aspen, Judith pulled the team up for a s

litter of pups of Sist

ot, but there's only one I'd look at. He's the image of Sister. I'm going to t

time it was bronco bust

ll about, a

to spend my life in Lost Ch

with a lazy glance. "I don't

it's no place for a woman! I'm going to earn enough money to take m

been talking to y

he offered to loan me t

a man outside the famil

r you get it?" Doug's glance was not lazy now

ome old Lost Chief rancher, I can tell you that!" cried Jud

ns? Jude, you'll never do it. I'd like to get out myself

be happy, but I've

hings,

ouglas to gaze at the

t one big fact at the bottom of everything and that is sex, and th

tly, as if Inez had said something shamefu

ry, I guess. How do you

ggest, finest ranch in the Rockies. Is that sex? You want a good education. Is that sex? Peter wants me to carry on some

ed with all the sadness of si

hem. And as he gazed there returned to Douglas the sense of panic that had harassed him after Oscar's death. What did it

id for folks all these

ese questions, I'll

tales just because I'm scared!"

r," agreed Dou

eat," said Judith, lifting the reins. "Food's t

the hay, and the rest of the

of course, and particularly of John Spencer. Douglas often wondered why old Johnny consented to work each year at this season for his father. This wonderment was solve

puppy in her arms. She set him on the floor where his four knotty legs pointed in four different directions and w

? He's mine!" cried Judi

ing his hair at the wash-basin in the co

Judith. "Of course, you

like Sister was at tw

coffee-pot in hand. "Isn't he awful homel

ngrel than anybody else! Come here to your missis, you precious!" and she gathered t

me?" asked old

ed dog in the valley, like Sioux will be the best trained bull and Buster th

e its pedigree, Do

skull, along its back, and down its erratic legs. "Some dog, Ju

y. "No, I won't! Wait til

udith. She was always gregus smar

is head. "I remember. I deponed that same thing to Peter the other

touch anything that is

di

like he broke old Molly horse, so she lost her nerve. I dep

ir up to the table. "I've put up with an awful lo

tened. "I wasn't drooling, John. I was just deponing. Any one

hut up!" sh

tled, gave a su

Jude! If he howls to-night, I'll shoot

aid Douglas quietly, as

alk, young fellow, you leave the t

that would threaten to shoot a pup because it howls deserves something more than b

timid glance. "I don't

a woman breaking horses when sh

r break a horse, Joh

run a gregus long way when Mary come along. She was just a walking and she reached up and grabbed the mule and she rode him back wi

, he seized the old man by the collar. D

d him to tell. Throw me out if you want to. Keep your hands off this little chap

y sight, then," growled Jo

ith whole wits knew how

aid Dougla

led, but her glance at the li

re of Judith's mother. Could anything, he wondered, change Judith so? A curious anger against his fat

vorite place beside the alfalfa stack,

idious to me. I just want to say, Doug, that you're the first man in this

uglas. "When I get my old ranch g

e old man solemnly, and he

en made that they could be over-broken as his father had over-broken Mary? And w