Penny of Top Hill Trail

to stop at all,

pon the atom of a girl who sat beside him. She was a dejected, dusty, little figure, drooping under the jolt of the jerking car and the bright rays of hills-land sunshine. Sh

nges of position and softly muffled exclamations, all seemingly unnoted by the man beside her, whose deep-set eyes had rema

down her cheeks. They were unmistakably real tears,-though, as he was well aware, they came from ph

?" he ask

red, and I'm shaken to bits. Fact is, I'm just all pegged out, old man. Have a heart, and stop for repairs. What's your rush, anyway? I can't get loose hereabouts

it was on your account more than any ot

wered supinely,

was going to take you h

stuff places left except in the movies. I never was much stuck on home, s

my sympathy that wa

el sorry for anyone who's tied down to one. Why don't you kick over the traces and come off your trail and see what's on the other side of your hills? I'd hate to take root here.

but there was a slight twitching of his

ed at h

minutes," he said in

out and stretch?" s

consent, she clim

e poured some water from an improvise

ds," she exclaimed, taking the c

tful tone, without looking at her. He had, in fact, studio

nswered with a chuckle. "I take what comes m

out fiercely. "I'd never have ta

hadn't been so grouchy. We could have had a chummy little gabfest, if yo

ut began to examine t

t seem as if you'd pick out anything like this. Was it 'Ma

manded curtly. "

I see there's a tidy little bit of shade yonder. Let's go there and rest awhile. I'll be good; honest, I will, and when

e of this oasis of shade that bec

wed relu

uxuriously against the trunk of a tree. "You're

r her and looke

"It may not be so bad. Any one would think you

ere," he sa

d at him

way? If you hate your job so

orn in as acting sheriff for the

g you be

You're my se

as the

Long

at up

m? Every one has been afraid to tackle

ment of hearing himself analyzed in spite of his reluctance to t

ove if you wanted to; but they said-Say; i

y n

Kurt.' You haven't been over-kind to me till just lately.

said dryly, "than the ki

art is in the right place or you wouldn't have let me rest and given me the drink, even if you did wait till the eleventh hour. Can't you look pleasant

nted you out to me and said he'd got you locked up, I thought you were one of the many young city girls who go wrong because they have no chance to know better. The kind bred in

woman in the world would teach you to want to be honest. Do you suppose I'd have done it if I'd known the kind y

had been scarcely conscious that he was talking, but was simp

sweetheart or your wife? If she is either one, you'd better take me back to Bender, or spill me out on the plains here. She w

ong face. She gazed at him curiously for a mome

o have been against me. I was born with 'taking ways.' I couldn't seem to live them down. Lately things have been going wrong awfully fast. I've been sic

rned from him, were soft, feminine and without

hatically. "You are educated. You could have ear

ly and thoughtfully

told me you had a lifel

Kurt, I am you

e over and over again, but that y

that brought back his scowl. "You've got a white elephan

now," he said glumly. "Carry out a

ing!" she murm

did yo

ntly don't hit this trail. What is

Hill T

as well as tophill. How did you come to build a hotel

dly, "is the name of a ranch-n

best woman in the

aid, rising abruptly and

rth ineffectual effort to start the engine, "that if she o

s futile attempts at starting, m

udge. I didn't steal anything off it. Wouldn't it be fierce if you

His eyes, of the deep-set sombre kind that grow larger and come to

r try whipping

rd me? You look like a man who might strike a woman under certain provocation, perhaps; but not like one w

ly, but turned

e a lookin', just cast your lamps into the gasoline tan

y he followe

drop, d

e, though. If you think I stole your gasoline, just

se you couldn't walk i

ting forth a foot illy and most inad

ou don't put one ove

ouldn't walk

ght come alo

e, if I gave you my w

wor

All right. I'm in no hurry

e until some on

wait," she proposed, climbing out of the

d word for me?" she asked as the

for, and he guessed you couldn't help it. What was

m glad I put one over on him and li

?" he deman

ust before he presented me to you. It'll come in

or it the next

e up in a nice napkin-looks as if it would taste good. Oh, what a feast! Pork sandwiches, deviled eggs, dills,

up, poured some coffee i

d. "Shall we make it

to a pork sandwich. He had had so much business

er's pilfered luncheon s

r presently, his temper disappea

g time since I'

steal this f

ve me such a once-over, and decided I was the scum of the ear

tly. "She's made a woma

or a man. Hope she will let me stay at the top of the hill while I get an appetite. The doctor said I didn't need medicine-just th

een before-a kindly, sympathetic look-leapt to hi

sick, real si

layed out, th

t you. We will make you

the other w

will try to do

lonesome. You'd better tell that 'best woman' to double-lock things. It's with stealing the sa

hat. I'm a she

, she

smile, she he

ing when you passed the coffee. It

rin that he had been so nea

bit," she continued in mo

th her sad, nice, little-girl manner. For his sake, I'll see that t

for returning your ticker,

on," he said coolly, "that affec

?" she asked

cher-Centi

on't look so contemptuous. I am going to tell you

with something like

t? I kind of thought it would suit you, because it doesn't so

" he replied tensely, as

leetly in this countr

l follo

ding voice. "They gave it to me, you see, and maybe it will help that I've never be

ast the one Bender knows you by-the one

culate sound sug

he admitted. "I had forgotte

e no c

irl, and she were asked how anyone who looked like that could expect to be different. Suppose I should tell you I'd been to reformatories and places where I had learned that I must play the stupid act as I did with Bender so as to be kept from being sent up. There is no mer

of that some one el

for the first tim

e demanded,

quite a detective for an acting one. If you were the real thing, y

my que

o know that name. Was he at a dance in Chicago-let me see, Hurricane Hall?"

f the country. You

rept into her vo

l I really feel to you, because I might lose my nerve and I've just got to hang on to that. It's my only asset in trade.

y. "Bender said that was where you drifted fr

ld feel his eyes, as piercing as

reason-thieves don't always lie-I had been sick and the doctor said air like this for mine, and so I followed this trail. I picked it up here and I'd have been all r

t's because we have a beautiful, c

tem? Well, no one can be good till they are comfortable. I'm not very strong yet, and I'm not used to being out unteth

f contrition in a m

ai

r and come back. Then she felt

umps of trees and sprea

re," he said

hich, if he had seen it, would have

e your story in the fi

ly, "and everyone is taking a shot at you, you have to put out

ther murmur

knocked about sharpens your wits and makes you an exper

ck-purple sky shot fo

a city look like thirty cen

she was serenely aware

matter

eplied frigidly

d what might you

plied, striving for dignity and realiz

t real friend I've ever had. As I said, I am all in, and I'm

leeping sense didn't tell her that a tall sheriff came and looked down upon her small, pale, moonlit face from which sleep, the great eliminator, had robbed of everything earthy and left it the face of an innocent,

It seems to be a characteristic of mine. Maybe her true little