B. M. Bower

“ An Ideal Picture.
“I guess I’ll go down to Denson’s to-day,” said J. G. at the breakfast table one morning. “Maybe we can get that grass widow to come and keep house for us.”
“I don’t want any old grass widow to keep house,” protested Della. “I’m getting along well enough, so long as Patsy bakes the bread, and meat, and cake, and stuff. It’s just fun to keep house. The only trouble is, there isn’t half enough to keep me busy. I’m going to get a license to practice medicine, so if there’s any sickness around I can be of some use. You say it’s fifty miles to the nearest doctor. ”

“ That fellow needs looking after; he ain’t finished his education. Jacky, you ain’t got a female girl yanking your heart around, sail in and show us what yuh can do in that line.”
“Nit,” said Jack Bates, briefly. “My heart’s doing business at the old stand and doing it satisfactory and proper. I don’t want to set it to bucking—over a girl that wouldn’t have me at any price. Let Slim. The Little Doctor’s half stuck on him, anyhow.”
While the boys amused themselves in serious debate with Slim, Chip put away his magazine and went down to visit Silver in the box stall. ”

“ Denson, a large woman who narrowly escaped being ginger-whiskered like her husband, beamed upon them from the doorway.
“Come right on in! Louise, here’s comp’ny! The house is all tore up—we been tryin’ t’ clean house a little. Lay off yer things an’ I’ll git yuh some dinner right away. I’m awful glad yuh come over—I do hate t’ see folks stand on cer’mony out here where neighbors is so skurce. I guess yuh think we ain’t been very neighborly, but we been tryin’ t’ clean house, an’ me an’ Louise ain’t had a minute we could dast call our own, er we’d a been over t’ seen yuh before now. ”

“ I dunno as wimmin horse doctors is very common, but I dunno why not. I get a horse with somethin’ the matter of his foot, and I dunno what. I’d like t’ have ye take a look at it, fore ye go. ’Course, I expect t’ pay ye.”
The Old Man winked appreciatively at Chip before he came humanely to the rescue and explained that his sister was not a horse doctor, and Mr. Denson, looking very disappointed, reiterated his invitation to enter. ”

“ J. G. Whitmore.”
Chip, who had been silent till now, glanced briefly over his shoulder.
“It’s a cinch you’ll take the front seat,” he remarked, laconically.
“J. G., if you hire a woman like that——”
“Like what? Doggone it, it takes a woman to jump at conclusions! The Countess is all right. She talks some——”
“I’d tell a man she does!” broke in Chip, tersely. ”

“ If I hadn’t got the only girl God ever made right, I’d give one Dr. Cecil Granthum, of Gilroy, Ohio, a run for his money, I tell yuh those. I’d impress it upon him that a man’s taking long chances when he stands and lets his best girl stampede out here among us cow-punchers for a change uh grass. ”

“ You can do all right with just me, but you couldn’t cook for two or three men; you can’t cook good enough, even if it wasn’t too much work.” J. G. had a blunt way of stating disagreeable facts, occasionally. ”

“ She’s good company, the Countess is.” He grinned when he said it “I’ll have Chip ketch up the creams, and you get ready and go along with us. It’ll give you a chance to size up the kind uh neighbors yuh got.”
There was real pleasure in driving swiftly over the prairie land, through the sweet, spring sunshine, and Miss Whitmore tingled with enthusiasm till they drove headlong into a deep coulee which sheltered the Denson family. ”