Jean of the Lazy A

k. She had known all along that it would die; everything that she took any interest in turned out badly, i

saddling Pard and riding away from the Bar Nothing into her own dream world and the great outdoors. Jean's conscience commanded her instead to hang her riding-clothes in the closet and wear striped percale and a gingham apron, which she hated; and to sweep and dust and remember not to whistle, and to look sympathetic,-which she was not, particularly; and to ask her

le at the corners of her eyes and just easing her lips. "Well, you certainly play your part in life with a heap of enthusiasm," she had replied, and had gone out into t

the little nest she had made f

f philosophic calm, when she saw her Uncle Carl sitting on the edge of the front porch, with his elbows rest

found them extremely commonplace thoughts that strayed no farther than his own little personal business of life, and that they would easily be translated to the dollar sign. His a

tly that she herself was surprised at the question. "Or putting it anot

considers that Jean had without warning opened a subject tacitly forbidden upon that ranch. His

red, when she persisted in looking at him

I want to know how much it will take." Until that moment Jean had merely dreamed of some day

?" Carl looked at her curiously,

h dad owed you before-it happened, and just how much the lawyers charged, and what was the real market value of the outfit, and all that. Dad told me-dad told me that there was something left over for me. H

is all right, far as I know. I

ean cut in calmly. "I'll reach my dest

d her harshly. "There ain't anything you can do to better matters. I came out

dare say that! How can you say that,-and think of dad? He got the worst of it

you mean by that? I know it? If I knew anything like that, do y

know how long the jury was out, and what a time they had agreeing. Some points were weak. It was s

ncle leaned a little and peered into

n's voice was quiet, but it had a qual

vised her tritely, "l

ot. These particular dogs have lied for nearly three years. I'm going

antness for yourself and the rest of us, is what you'll do. The thing's

her laugh was ex

ere and accuse me of cheating you out of something! I don't know what in heaven's name you expect. The Lazy A didn't make me rich, I can tell you that. It just

down upon the edge of the porch and stared away at the dimmi

in her mind. She had never liked her uncle, who was so different from her father, but she had never accused him in her mind of unfairness until she had written something of the sort in her ledger. She had never thought of quarrelling,-and yet one could scarcely call this encounter less

sk up through a gap in the hills, and the gap was almost too narrow, so that the disk touched either side as it slid slowly upward. At last it was up, launched fairly upon its leisurely, drifting journey across to the farther hills behi

and looked around her at the familiar details of the Bar Nothing dwelling-place, softened a little by the moonlight, but harsh with her memor

, hesitated perceptibly, and then followed her down to the corral. When she had gone in

ite asked her in a tone that w

always hung it, and laid an arm over his neck while she held the bit against his clinched teeth. Pard never did

ou?" Lite asked, and reache

been for that whole day. "You've had all the riding you need. I'

e the latigo a final pul

ourse

ou might get a shot at one. Another thing, a gun's

o pull a trigger," Jean retorted, with something approaching her natural to

gainst a corral post and watched her out of sight on the trail up the h

estination, but since she had told him so, she knew that was where she was going. The picture-people would not be there at night, and she felt the need of coming as close as possible to her father; at the Lazy A, where his thoughts w

ll. A couple of minutes later Jean saw him sitting alert upon his haunches on a moon-bathed slope, watching to see what she would do. She

sing through that phase of calm elation which follows close upon the heels of a great resolve. She had not yet come to the actual surmo

Johnny Croft. She was going to do it! Then life would begin where it had left off three years ago. And when this deadening load of trouble was lifted, then perhaps she could do some of the glorious, great things she had all of

she could see every rock and the shadow that it cast upon the ground. Little, soothing night noises fitted themselves into her thoughts and changed them to waking dreams. Crickets that hushed

read of the picture-people's machine, her mind jarred from dreams back to reality. From sheer habit she dismounted, picked up the spineless thing of stakes and barbed

. "This is what dad would call a man-sized job, I reckon." She pulled up in the white-lighted trail and stared along the empty, sagging-roofed sheds and sta

bookstores to buy it. It should have a beautiful girl, and at least two handsome men,-one with all the human virtues, and the other with all the arts of the devil and the cruel strength of the savage. And-I think some Indians and outlaws would add several dollars' worth of thrills; or else a ghost and a haunted h

re and there, and characters coming down to breakfast with white, drawn faces and haggard eyes. And the wicked one would look over his shoulder

light and several stormy sunsets, and the wind soughing in the branches. I shall have to buy a new dictionary,-a big, fat, heavy one with the flags of all nations and how to

nd closed the door. Her shadow fell clean cut upon the rough planks, and she stood for a minute looking at it as if it were a person. Her Stetson hat tilted a little to one side, her hair fluffed loosely at the sides, leaving her neck daintily slender where it showed above the turn

said to her shadow, "but you're going to tackle it, just

nd into her room, which had as yet been left undisturbe

turned into the coulee from the southwest. Half-way between the base and the ragged skyline, the boulder that looked like an elephant's head stood out, white of profile, hooded with black shade. Beyond was the fat shelf of ledge that had a small cave beneath, where she had once found a nest full of little, hungry birds and upon the slope beneath the

r hands unclasped themselves from behind her head and dropped numbly to her lap. She sighed and moved stiffly, and knew that she was tired and that she must get some sleep, because she could not sit down in one spot and think h