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But, gradually, Mr Cone began to detect discrepancies, and he noticed also that the descriptions not only varied but grew uessed shrewdly that the reason the members of The Happy Family never contradicted one another was that they dared not

The day came, finally, when Mr Cone found it not only expedient but necessary to arrange a signal with the operator at the switchboard for certain contingencies A close observer ht have noticed that a preliminary "That reminds me" was invariably followed by an imperative announcement from the operator that Mr Cone anted on the telephone

A haste which reseuests when a re until, forsooth, the time arrived when they had only themselves for audience and their "That reminds me" became "Do you remember?" The only wonder was, to those less travelled, that The Happy Faht the, even for the winter

The only person whom their enthusiasm did not weary was Miss Mary Macpherson, because directly and indirectly it all redounded to the credit of her nephehonity of a successful "Dude Wrangler" than the diht tears of disappointment to the eyes of the lonely woman, yet secretly she respected his pride and boasted to strangers of his independence

"My nephew, Wallace Macpherson--youWent West without a penny, practically; too proud to accept help from any one--that's the Macpherson of it--and now, they tell me, he is one of the important men of the country"

She was sos, and put the acreage well up into the thousands, but since Miss Macpherson was a truthful woman with a sensitive conscience, she contented herself with declaring, e ranch, oh, a very large place--several days' ride around it"

He was all she had, and blood is far thicker than water She was hungry for a sight of hi While letters fro in any of the to Florida His extensive interests, she presulect affairs that needed hio to hi way off and there were tily tempted to make the journey in winter in spite of the northern blizzards of which, while fanning theusto