The Desire of the Moth; and The Come On | Page 4

And he'll be the very
one you'd pick out for me yourself. Of course you'll want to tease me
by pretending to guess someone else; but you'll know which one he is,
without me telling you. He stands out apart from all other men in every
way. Come on, John Wesley--it's time to go down to the station."

Pringle caught step with her.
"And how long--if a reliable old faithful John may ask--before you
become Stella Some-One-Else?"
"At Christmas. And I am a very lucky girl, John. What an absurd
convention it is that people are never supposed to congratulate the
girl--as if no man was ever worth having! Silly, isn't it?"
"Very silly. But then, it's a silly world."
"A delightful world," said Stella, her eyes sparkling. "You don't know
how happy I am. Or perhaps you do know. Tell me honestly, did you
ever l--like anyone, this way?"
"I refuse to answer, by advice of counsel," said John Wesley. "I'll say
this much, though. X marks no spot where any Annie Laurie gave me
her promise true."
When the train had gone John Wesley wandered disconsolately back to
his hotel and rested his elbows on the bar. The white-aproned attendant
hastened to serve him.
"What will it be, sir?"
"Give me a gin pitfall," said John Wesley.
Chapter II
"Cold feet?"
"Horrible!" said Anastacio.
Matthew Lisner, sheriff of Dona Ana, bent a hard eye on his
subordinate.
"It's got to be done," he urged. "To elect our ticket we must have all the
respectable and responsible people of the valley. If we can provoke Foy
into an outbreak----"

"Not we--you," corrected Anastacio. "Myself, I do not feel provoking."
"Are you going to lay down on me?"
"If you care to put it that way--yes. Kit Foy is just the man to leave
alone."
"Now, listen!" said the sheriff impatiently. "Half the valley is owned by
newcomers, men of substance, who, with the votes they influence or
control, will decide the election. Foy is half a hero with them, because
of these vague old stories. But let him be stirred up to violence now and
you'll see! They won't see any romance in it--just an open outrage; they
will flock to us to the last man. Ours is the party of law and order--"
"Law to order, some say."
The veins swelled in the sheriff's heavy face and thick neck; he
regarded his deputy darkly.
"That comes well from you, Barela! Don't you see, with the law on our
side all these men of substance will be with us unconditionally? I tell
you, Christopher Foy is the brains of his party. Once he is
discredited--"
"And I tell you that I am the brains of your party and I'll have nothing
to do with your fine plan. 'Tis an old stratagem to call oppression, law,
and resistance to oppression, lawlessness. You tried just that in
ninety-six, didn't you? And I never could hear that our side had any the
best of it or that the good name of Dona Ana was in any way bettered
by our wars. Come, Mr. Lisner--the Kingdom of Lady Ann has been
quiet now for nearly eight years. Let us leave it so. For myself, the last
row brought me reputation and place, made me chief deputy under two
sheriffs--so I need have the less hesitation in setting forth my
passionate preference for peace."
"You have as much to gain as I have," growled the sheriff. "Besides
your own cinch, you have one of your gente for deputy in every
precinct in the county."

"Exactly! And if we have wars again, who but the Barelas would bear
the brunt? No, no, Mr. Matt Lisner; while I may be a merely
ornamental chief deputy, it will never be denied that I am a very careful
chief to my gente. Be sure that I shall think more than once or twice
before I set a man of my men at a useless hazard to pleasure you--or to
reëlect you."
"You speak plainly."
"I intend to. I speak for three hundred--and we vote solid. Make no
mistake, Mr. Lisner. You need me in your business, but I can do nicely
without you."
"Perhaps you'd like to be sheriff yourself."
"I might like it--except that I am not as young and foolish as I was,"
said Anastacio, smiling. "Now that I am so old, and so wise and all, it is
clear to see that neither myself nor any of the fighting men of the mad
old days--on either side--should be sheriff."
"You were not always so thoughtful of the best interests of the dear
pee-pul," sneered the sheriff.
"That I wasn't. I was as silly and hot-brained a fool as either side could
boast. But you, Sheriff, are neither silly