The Chinese Parrot (Charlie Chan Detective Series) — page 233: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

a, "Is that so? Well, I'm sorry you did, in a way. I'm no hypocrite, and try as I may, I can't discover any lurking fondness for Wilbur. Oddly enough, the boy begins to annoy me." "But you said—" "I know. But isn't it just possible that I've overrated this freedom stuff? I'm young, and the young are often mistaken. Stop me if you've heard this one, but the more I see of you—" "Stop. I've heard it." "T'll bet you have. Many times." "And my suggestion is that we get back to business. If we don't that horse of yours is going to eat too much Bermuda grass." Through the long afternoon, amid the hot yellow dunes, the wind-blown foothills of that sandy waste, they rode back to Seven Palms by a roundabout route. The sun was sinking, the rose and gold wonder of the skies reflected on snow and glistening sand, when finally they headed for the village. "If only I could find a novel setting for the final love scene,’ sighed the girl. "Whose final love scene?" "The cowpuncher's and the poor little rich girl's. So many times they've just wandered off into the sunset, 233 comiicboeoe S CO