“Johnny’s a dear boy,” she observed meditatively, after they had sat for a little while in silence.  “I hope he doesn’t enlist in that terrible war; it’s so dangerous!”

Sudden turned in his chair and looked in through a window to where Mary V was sitting very quietly within three feet of the telephone, her album of “Desert Glimpses” in her lap.  Undoubtedly Mary V was listening, but she was also undoubtedly waiting for something.  He looked at his wife, and his wife also glanced into the room and caught the significance of Mary V’s position and attitude.

The telephone rang, and Mary V dropped the album in her haste to answer the call.  She glanced out at them while she announced, “Yes, this is Mary V—­it’s all right—­right on the porch, but it’s all right—­”

Dad and mommie took the hint and withdrew.

THE END

* * * * *

B. M. BOWER’S NOVELS

CHIP OF THE FLYING U. Wherein the love affairs of Chip and Della Whitman are charmingly and humorously told.

THE HAPPY FAMILY.  A lively and amusing story, dealing with the adventures of eighteen jovial, big hearted Montana cowboys.

HER PRAIRIE KNIGHT.  Describing a gay party of Easterners who exchange a cottage at Newport for a Montana ranch-house.

THE RANGE DWELLERS.  Spirited action, a range feud between two families, and a Romeo and Juliet courtship make this a bright, jolly story.

THE LURE OF THE DIM TRAILS.  A vivid portrayal of the experience of an Eastern author among the cowboys.

THE LONESOME TRAIL.  A little branch of sage brush and the recollection of a pair of large brown eyes upset “Weary” Davidson’s plans.

THE LONG SHADOW.  A vigorous Western story, sparkling with the free outdoor life of a mountain ranch.  It is a fine love story.

GOOD INDIAN.  A stirring romance of life on an Idaho ranch.

FLYING U RANCH.  Another delightful story about Chip and his pals.

THE FLYING U’S LAST STAND.  An amusing account of Chip and the other boys opposing a party of school teachers.

THE UPHILL CLIMB.  A story of a mountain ranch and of a man’s hard fight on the uphill road to manliness.

THE PHANTOM HERD.  The title of a moving-picture staged in New Mexico by the “Flying U” boys.

THE HERITAGE OF THE SIOUX.  The “Flying U” boys stage a fake bank robbery for film purposes which precedes a real one for lust of gold.

THE GRINGOS.  A story of love and adventure on a ranch in California.

STARR OF THE DESERT.  A New Mexico ranch story of mystery and adventure.

THE LOOKOUT MAN.  A Northern California story full of action, excitement and love.