"Collie!"
Louise stood beside the sweating Yuma, patting the pony's neck. Collie
raised his sombrero formally.
Louise was bareheaded. The clear morning sunlight enhanced her rich
coloring. Against the misty gray of the canon wall, her head in profile,
as she stood beside the horse, was as delicately beautiful as that
vision that imagination knows full well but may seldom realize.
"Yes, ma'am."
"Collie, don't! Say anything but that. You look awfully glum. Surely not
because I took Yuma."
"No. Only I was afraid for you."
"So you followed at break-neck speed to rescue the timorous, the
despairing, and-so-forth?"
"I can't joke like that this morning."
"Why? I'm here, safe enough. Had breakfast?"
"Yes. I wanted to see you about something, Louise."
"All right. But you are so unnaturally tall and severe and judicial
sitting there on Boyar. You look almost funereal. Please get down. Roll
a cigarette and act natural. I'm not going to scold you, sir."
"I wish you would."
"Why? What have you been doing that makes you look so ashamed of
yourself. Tell me!"
"I didn't know I was."
"You don't act naturally. Is there something about me that is different?
Is that it?"
"No.
Pages:
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322