The Settling of the Sage | Page 9

of it was yours by
merely keeping away."
"Maybe I'm sort of tied up myself--in ways you don't suspect," he
offered.
"Very likely!" she returned; "sounds plausible. You might offer to

marry me," she suggested when he failed to answer. "You could gain
full possession at once that way."
He removed his gaze from the fire and looked long at her.
"It will likely come to that," he said.
"I'll put a weapon in your hands," she retorted. "Whenever it does come
to that I'll leave the ranch--so now you know the one sure way to win."
"I hope it won't pan out like that," he said. "I'll be disappointed--more
than I can say."
She rose and stood waiting for him to go.
"Good night, Billie," he said. "I expect maybe things will break all right
for us."
She did not answer and he went out. Waddles hailed him in friendly
fashion as he passed through the cookhouse, then wiped his hands and
stepped into Billie's quarters. Waddles was a fixture at the Three Bar;
he had ridden for her father until he had his legs smashed up by a horse
and had thereafter reigned as cook. He was confidential adviser and
self-appointed guardian of the girl. His mind was still pleasantly
concerned with the stranger's warm praise of his culinary efforts.
"That new man now, Billie," he remarked. "He's away off ahead of the
average run. You mark me--he'll be top hand with this outfit in no time
at all." Then he observed the girl's expression. "What is it, Pet?" he
inquired. "What's a-fretting you?"
"Do you know who he is?" she asked.
Waddles wagged a negative head.
"He's Calvin Harris," she stated.
Instead of the blank dismay which she had expected to see depicted on
Waddles's face at this announcement, it seemed to her that the big man

was pleased.
"The hell!" he said. "'Scuse me, Billie. So this here is Cal! Well,
well--now what do you think of that?"
"I think that I don't want to stay here alone with him while you're out
after the horses," she returned.
"Wrong idea!" the big man promptly contradicted. "You've got to stick
it out for two years, girl. The best thing you can do is to get acquainted;
and figure out how to get along the best you can--the pair of you."
"That's probably true," she assented indifferently. "I'll have to face a
number of things that are equally unpleasant in the next two years--so I
might as well start now. He must have praised the food in order to win
you to his side in two minutes flat."
Waddles's face expressed pained reproach.
"Now there it is again!" he said. "You know I'm only on one
side--yours. Old Cal Warren had some definite notion when he framed
this play; so it's likely this young Cal is on your side, too."
"But even more likely not," she stated.
"Then what?"
"Why, then I'll have to kill him and put a stop to it," the big man
announced. "But it's noways probable that it will come to that. Let's use
logic. He spoke well of my cooking--like you said--which proves him a
man of some discernment. No way to get around that. Now a man with
his judgment wouldn't suspect for one living second that he could play
it low-down on you with me roosting close at hand. Putting two plain
facts together it works out right natural and simple that he's on the
square. As easy as that," he finished triumphantly. "So don't you fret.
And in case he acts up I'll clamp down on him real sudden," he added
by way of further reassurance.

His great paw opened and shut to illustrate his point as he moved
toward the door and the Three Bar girl knew that when Waddles spoke
of clamping down it was no mere figure of speech.

III
Billie Warren heard the steady buzz of a saw and later the ringing
strokes of an axe. The men had departed three hours before to be gone
for a week on the horse round-up but she had not yet issued from her
own quarters. The music of axe and saw was ample evidence that her
new and undesired partner was making valuable use of his time. She
went outside and he struck the axe in a cross section of pine log as she
moved toward him.
"We'll have to get along the best we can," she announced abruptly. "Of
course you will have a say in the management of the Three Bar and
draw the same amount for yourself that I do."
He sat on a log and twisted a cigarette as he reflected upon this
statement.
"I'd rather not do that," he decided. "I don't want to be