“I dunno,” returned Bill Hicks. “Maybe there’s one that’ll cover the case and send a feller like you to the foolish factory. Sally Dickson won’t have nothing to say to you.”
“Never mind,” said Ike, grimly. “You take this two dollar bill, Miss Ruthie—if you will. And you buy the nicest box o’ candy yo’ kin find in Bullhide. When you come back by Lem Dickson’s, jest drop it there for Sally. Yo’ needn’t say who sent it,” added the bashful cowboy, wistfully. “Jest—jest say one o’ the boys told you to buy it for her. That’s all, Miss. It won’t be too much trouble?”
“Of course it won’t, Mr. Stedman,” declared Ruth, earnestly. “I’ll gladly do your errand.”
“Thank you, Miss,” returned the foreman, and spurring his horse he rode rapidly away to escape further remarks from his boss.
CHAPTER VIII—WHAT WAS ON THE RECORDS
“Now, what can you do with a feller like that?” demanded Mr. Hicks, in disgust. “Poor old Ike has been shinning around Sally Dickson ever since Lem brought her home from school—from Denver. And she’s a nice little gal enough, at that; but she ain’t got no use for Ike and he ought to see it. Gals out here don’t like fellers that ain’t got sperit enough to say their soul’s their own. And Ike’s so bashful he fair hates hisself! You’ve noticed that.”
“But he’s just as kind and good-natured as he can be,” declared Ruth, her pony cantering on beside the ranchman’s bigger mount.
“That don’t help a feller none with a gal like Sally,” grunted Mr. Hicks. “She don’t want a reg’lar gump hanging around her. Makes her the laffin’ stock of the hull range—don’t you see? Ike better git a move on, if he wants her. ’Tain’t goin’ to be no bashful ’ombre that gets Sally Dickson, let me tell ye! Sendin’ her lollipops by messenger—bah! He wants ter ride up and hand that gal a ring—and a good one—if he expects to ever git her into double harness. Now, you hear me!”
“Just the same,” laughed Ruth, “I’m going to buy the nicest box of candy I can find, and she shall know who paid for it, too.”
And she found time to purchase the box of candy while Mr. Hicks was attending to his own private business in Bullhide. The town boasted of several good stores as well as a fine hotel. Ruth went to the railroad station, however, where there was sure to be fresh candies from the East, and she bought the handsomest box she could find. Then she wrote Ike’s name nicely on a card and had it tucked inside the wrapper, and the clerk tied the package up with gilt cord.