Part 9 (1/2)

”Gosh!+” exclaily ”I wisht I'd asked six bits ot it as not Gosh, eh?”

”Gosh!+” murmured Willie Case, fervently

Back down the sticky road plodded The Oskaloosa Kid, his ar houratively As he entered the Squibbs' gateway he saw the girl and Bridge standing upon the verandah waiting his coht a nearer view of his great burden of provisions they hailed him with loud acclaim

”Some artist!” cried the man ”And to think that I doubted your ability to ive me! You are the ne plus ultra, non est cuinal kind of hand-out coirl, rapturously

”Oh, it's easy when you kno,” replied The Oskaloosa Kid carelessly, as, with the help of the others, he carried the fruits of his expedition into the kitchen Here Bridge busied hia portion of the top plate as clean as he could get it with such crude means as he could discover about the place

The youth he sent to the nearby brook for water after selecting the least dirty of the several e about the floor of the suainst the use of the water froenerous portion of the bacon into long, thin strips

Shortly after, the water colanced at his watch, greased one of the new cleaned stove lids with a piece of bacon rind and laid out as many strips of bacon as the lid would accommodate Instantly the roo bacon

”M-loated The Oskaloosa Kid ”I wish I had bo--asked for ood as that in all s? I could eat a dozen”

”The can'll only hold three at a ti while we are eating these” He borrowed his knife fro bread with it, and turned the bacon swiftly and deftly with the point, then he glanced at his watch

”The three minutes are up,” he announced and, with a couple of s wood, withdrew the eggs one at a time from the can

”But we have no cups!” exclaihed ”Knock an end off your egg and the shell will answer in place of a cup Got a knife?”

The Kid didn't Bridge eyed hi near holar!” cried the youth indignantly Somehoas very different when this nice voicedof the fact himself to such as The Sky Pilot's villainous company, or the awestruck, open-mouthed Willie Case whose very expression invited heroics

Bridge ht hand side pocket of the boy's coat Instantly the latter glanced guiltily doard to flush redly at the sight of several inches of pearl necklace protruding accusingly therefroht suddenly and painfully to a realization of her present position and recollection of the happenings of the preceding night For the tiotten that she was alone in the coht be she could only guess

The breakfast, colooirl and The Oskaloosa Kid were silent and gloohtful but far from morose His spirits were unquenchable

”I am afraid,” he said, ”that I shall have to replace Jaivable, and he has irl forced wan se drew a pouch of tobacco and sos and I ss,

”'Thinkin' as how this old world joked

”'In callin' only sos'”

He paused to kindle a sliver of wood at the stove ”In these parlous tih to hi a quarter of an ounce out of each five cents worth of chewing, I am told; so doubtless each box must be five or six matches short of full count Even these papers seem thinner than of yore and they will only sell one book to a custoht”

The youth and the girl rehts, and after aof anywhere,