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qjpprSyyrgwyyqsjj -
lllustrytionsBy
DOM.T.LW3N
SYNOPSIS.
Hill Cnnnon. the bonunzn kin. nnl 1 Ills
liiiightr. Hoho, who hnd passed up Mrs.
Cornelius llynn's bnll nt Ban Krnmlseo to
Jipcompnny hiT father, nrrlvo nt Antelope.
Domlnlek llynn rulls on his mother to
1)pr n bull Invltnllon for his wife, nnd Is
refused The determined old lady runups
to recognize her ilnwjliler-ln-liiw Uom
inlrk had been trapped Into 11 innrrlntfo
-with Hernlce Iverson. n stenographer,
ovi-rnl years liln senior. She squam prs his
money, they huvp fn-iuenl oiinrrelH, nnd
lip slip nwny Cannon nnd lilu daughter
ire Knott il In lit Antelope. Domlnlik
Itynn Is lesrtied from storm In uncnn
acinus pondltlon urld brought to Anlmop
liotcl. Antelope Is cut off by storm, llosc
'unnon iiutifH Uomlnlck back to llfp
CHAPTER VI (Continued.)
"I don't e?c how alio could do that
trniiFnarcnt neck nnd nil. 1 don't
think (hut's (he kind of dress to wear
In u thr&ter. It's too sort of con
apleunus." "I ihlnli Ilnnnnh'B right," mid Josh
solemnly, nodding at Herny. "It don't
BMtn to me tho right thing for u lady.
KookH fast."
"What do you know about It, Josh
JlcCrae?" r-ald Hnzel pugnaciously.
"You're n rlcrk in a Jewelry store."
"Mnjbo I r.m," retorted Josh, "but
I KiicbH that don't prevent me from
Jtnowlng when n thing looks fast.
Clerks In Jewelry stores ain't such
Kinnmers as you might think. And.
nnvwiiy, 1 don't rce that being a clerk
In any kind of a store has anything to
do with it."
Hazel was taxed tho effort of male
Ins a crushing repartee, by Pearl, who
liud been allently callng hor lunch,
now EUtfdenly launching a remark into
Ihe momentary pause.
"Did Uncle Domlnlck go to tho
l)all?" sl.o asked, raising a pair of
limpid hltio eyes to Uerny's faro.
An Instantaneous, slgnllicnnt bIIpiico
fell on the others, and all eyes turned
Inquiringly to Herny. Hcrr of cool
control became slightly exaggerated.
"No, ho elaycd at home with me,"
eho replied, picking daintily at tho
.meat on, hor plnle.
"Hut I Biipposo he felt real hurt nnd
nniioysil." tnid Hannah. "Ho couldn't
have helped It."
Hprny did not reply. She knew that
Bhe must sooner or later tell her
slstcra of Domlnick's Htraugo depart
ure. They would find It out other
wise and suspect more thnn bIio want
ed them to know. TheyJlko the rest
of the world, had no Idea that Berny's
.brilliant marriage was not tho domes
tic success It appeared on the. surface.
She moved her knife and fork with an
nrranglng hand, and, as Hazel started
to speak, said with as careless an ulr
jib she could assume:
"'Domlnick's gone. He left this
morning."
"Gone where?" exclaimed Hazel.
This was tho test question and Herny
Wind schooled herself in an answer In
Iho car coming up.
t '"Oh, up nto tho country," she said
nonchalantly. "He's worn out. They
work tho life out of him In that hor
rlblo hank. He's getting Insomnia
and thought he'd better take n change
now beforo ho got run completely
down, so ho left thlB morning and I'm
i gay grass widow."
Sho laughed and drank some wa
ter. Her laugh did not Bound to her
own ears convincing and alio was
iware that, while Hnnnuu wajj evi
dently sntlsflcd by her explanation,
Hazel was eying her pondcrlngly.
"Well, If ho'B got Insomnia," said
Hannah, "he'd boiler tako his holiday
right now. That's tho best thing to
Jo. Tftko it In tho beginning, Before
'father took 111"
Here Josh Interrupted her, ns Han
nah's reminiscences of tho lato con
tractor's last illness wero long and
exhaustive.
"Whero'd you say he'd gone?" ho
jucrled.
, "! can't remember the name," Herny
tnswercd with skillfully-assumed In-
difference; "somewhero down toward
Banta Cruz and Monterey, nomu now
place. And he may not stay there. If
the doesn't "like It, he'll just move
around from place to place."
- -Why didn't you go, too?" said
Pearl.
This was tho second question Horn
bad dronded. Now suddenly sho felt
her throat contract and her lips
quiver. Her usually Iron nerve hnd
been shaken by her passion of the
night before and tho shock of the
morning, Tho unwonted sensations of
gloom nnd apprehension closed In on
tier again, and this time mndo her
feci weak nnd tearful.
"I didn't want to. I hate moving
.around," sho Bald, pushing her chair
back from tho table. Her volco was
n llttlo hoarse, and suddenly feeling
tho sting of tcurs under her eyelids
ho raised her hands to her hat and
-.began to fumble with her veil. "Why
should I Icavo my comfortnblo Hat to
go trailing round In a lot of hnlMiuilt
'hotels? That sort of thing doesn't
appoal to mo nt all. I llko my own
cook, and my own bed, and my own
'bnth-tub. I'm more of nn old maid
than Hannah. Well, so long, people.
it must' bo traveling."
.Sho laid her napkin on the tnblo nnd
dumped up with nn assumption of
brisk liveliness. Sho paid no atten
tion to tho expostulations of hor, rela
tives, but going to tho glnBB arranged
?5- "
V
MENS CffiLDBEN
IJrGPAmNR BONNER,
Author .c'lHB KQNEER.
TOMoipwis tangle;
'
CojjyrigkiiXBTlieBOBBS-MEBrHL CO.
her hat nnd put on hcrgloves. When
she turned back to tho tnblo she hnd
regained possession of herself. Her
veil wns down nnd through It her
checks looked unusually flushed, nnd
her dnrk eyes, with their slanting out
er corners, brighter and harder thnn
over. Sho hurried through her good
bys on tho pica that sho hnd shopping
to do, nnd almost ran out of tho houso,
leaving a trail of porfumcry and high,
artificial laughter behind her.
For the next week Bhe waited for
news from Domlnlck and nono came.
It wns a trying seven dnyfl. Added
to her embarrassment of mind, the
loneliness of tho fiat wns almost un
endurable. There was no onp to speak
to, no one to share her anxieties. Her
position wns unusually friendless.
When her marriage had lifted her
from flic ranks of working women she
had shown so cold a face to her old
companions that Ihoy had dropped
away from her, realizing that sho
wished to cut all ties with tho world
of her humble beginnings. New friends
had been hard to make. Tho wives
of sonic of the bank ofllclals, nnd odd,
aspiring applicants for such honors
ns would accruo from oven this re
mote connection with tho august name
of Ityan, wero nil she hnd found where
with to make a clrclo nnd a visiting
list.
Hut she was Intimate with nono of
them nnd was now too worried to seek
tho society of mere ncqunlnlnnces.
Sho nto hor solltnry meals In oppres
sive silence, feeling the Chinaman's
eyes fixed upon her In Ironic disbe
lief of tho story she ha"d told him to
account for Domlnick's nbsencc. Eat
as slowly ns sho would, her dinner
could not bo made to occupy more
than twenty minutes, nnd after that
there was tho long evening, Iho In
termlnnblo evening, to bo passed. Sho
was a great render of newspapers,
and when sho returned from her after
noon shopping sho brought a bundlo
of owning papers homo In hor hand.
Sho would read these Blowly, at first
the Important items, then go over
them for matters of Icbb moment, and
llnally scan tho advertisements.
At tho end of tho week she felt thnt
sho must find out something, nnd went
to tho hank. It was her Intention to
ensh n small check nnd over this
transaction seo if tho pnylng teller
would vouchsafe any Information
nbout Domlnlck. Sho pushed tho
check through tho opening nnd, as tho
mun counted "out tho money, snld
glibly:
"Do you hear anything of my wan
dering husband?"
Tho teller pushed tho llttlo pile of
silver and gold through tho window
toward hor nnd leaning forward, said,
with the air of one who intends to
have n leisurely moment of tnlk:
"No, we hnven't. Isn't It our placo
to come to you for thnt? Wo wore
wondering" whero ho'd gono nt such
n season."
Uerny's delicntoly.glovcd fingers
"What Do You Know About It, Josh
McCrae?" Said Hazel.
mndo sudden hasto to gather up tho
coIiib,
"Oh, he's Just loafing about," sho
suld ns easily as was consistent with
tho disappointment nnd nlarm that
gripped her, "He's Just wandering
round from placo to place. Ho wns
getting liiBomnln nnd wanted n chnnge
of scene."
Sho snapped tho claap of her purso
before the mnn could nsk her further
questions, nodded her good-bys, nnd
turned from tho window. Her fnco
changed as alio emerged on tho wide,
stono steps that led to tho street. It
was pinched and pale, two lines drawn
between tho eyebrows. 8ho descend,
etl tho steps slowly, tho flood of mng-
nuicent sunBiuno having no wnrmlng
Inlluonco upon tho chill that hnd
seized upon hor. Many of tho pnas
Ing throng of men looked at her a
pretty woman in hor modlahly-mnde
dress of tan-colored cloth and her
close-fitting brown turban with a
bunch of white pnrndlso fonthors at
ono sldo. Under her dotted veil her
carefully made-up complexion looked
f Vf '1 l ' If i,
naturally clear nnd rosy, nnd hor eyes,
accentuated by u dnrk lino benenth
them, wero In nttractlvo contrast to
her reddened hnlr. Hut sho wns not
thinking of herself or tho admiration
Bhe evoked, o subject which was gen
erally of overpowering Interest. Mat
ters of more polgnnnt moment bad
crowded nil elso from her mind.
Tho next week begnn nnd advanced
and still no news from Domlnlck. Ho
had been gono fourteen days, when
ono evening In her perusal of tho pa
per she saw his name. Her trembling
hands pressed tho sheet down on tho
table, nnd her eyes devoured the print
ed lines. It was one of the many short
despatches that had como from tho
foot-hill mining towns on tho rqcent
storms In tho Sierra. It wns bended
Rocky Hor and contained n descrip
tion of the situation nt Antelope nnd
tho snow-bound colony there. Its
chief Item of Informntlon wns that
Hill Cnnnon nnd his dnughter wero
mnong tho prisoners nt I'crley's Ho
tel. A mention was made, only a lino
or two, of Domlnick's walk from Itocky
Har, but It was treated lightly nnd
gave no Idea of tho real seriousness
of that almost fntnl excursion.
Herny read the two short para
graphs many times, and her spirits
went up like the needle of a ther
mometer when, the quicksilver Is
grasped In a warm hand. Her relief
wns Intense easeful nnd relaxing, as
the sudden cessation of a pain. Not
only wns Domlnlck nt last found, but
ho was found In a place as far re
moved from his own fnmlly nnd Its In
fluences as ho was from her. And
best of nil ho was shut up, Incarcerat
ed, with Hill Cannon, tho Honanza
King. What might not como of At
Herny wns not glad of the quarrel,
but It seemed a wonderful pleco of
luck that that unpleasant episode
should have sent him Into tho very
arms of the man that sho had always
wanted him to cultivate nnd who was
tho beBt person In the world for hlra
to Impress favorably. If Hill Cannon,
who hnd been n friend of his father's,
took a fancy to Domlnlck, thcro was
no knowing what might happen. In
n sudden reaction of relief nnd hope
Herny snw them nlmost adopted chil
dren of tho Honanza King, flouting
tho Kynns In tho pride of their new
found honors.
It made her feel lenient to Doml
nlck, whoso Indifference and neglect
had put her to tho torments of tho
last fortnight. After nil, he could not
hnvo let her know his whereabouts.
Tho wires wero Just up, and tho rural
mnll-carrlcr had not yet been ablo to
effect an ontranco Into tho snow-bound
town. Why Domlnlck had choBon to
go In this direction nnd hnd attempted
an Impossible walk In a heavy snow
storm Herny did not know, nor Just
now caro much. A sensation ns near
remorse and tenderness as sho could
feel possessed hor. Under Its soften
ing Influence spurred to generosity
nnd mngnanimity by tho lifting of tho
weight of anxiety she decided that
she would wrlto to him. Sho would
wrlto him n letter which would smooth
out tho difficulties between them nnd
bring him homo ready to forgivo and
be once more hlo old self, kind, quiet,
nnd Indulgent, as he had been In tho
first year of their marriage.
Then and there, without further
waiting, sho wroto tho letter. It ran
as follows:
"My Dear Husband: I have only
Just Been In tho paper where you are,
and, oh, the relief! For two weeks
now I have been half crazy, wondering
about you, wnltlng to hear from you.
And nothing evor como. Domlnlck,
dear, If you hnd seen me sitting hero
alone In tho don every evening, think
ing nnd wnltlng, looking at tho clock
and listening all tho time, even when
I wns trying to rend listening for
your footsteps which nover enmo you
would hnvo felt very sorry for mo;
oven you, who wero so nngry thnt you
left me without a word. It's Just been
hell this last two weeks. You may
not think by tho wny I ncted thnt I
would hnvo cared, but I did, I do.
If 1 didn't lovo you would I mind how
your pcoplo treated me? Thnt's what
makes It so hard, because I loyo you
and want you to bo happy with mo,
nnd It's drendful for mo to seo them
always getting In between us, till
sometimes lately I havo felt thoy were
going to separate us altogether.
"Oh, my dear husband, don't lot thnt
happen I Don't let them drive me
nwny from you! If I havo beon bad
humored and unreasonable, I have hnd
to bear n lot. I am sorry for tho pnst.
I nm sorry for what I Bald to you that
night, and for turning on tho gas and
scratching the bed. I am ready to ac
knowledge thnt I was wrong, nnd wns
menu and bnteful. And now you ought
to be reudy to forgivo mo nnd forget
It nil. Como bnck to me. Please
como back. Don't be nngry with mo.
I nm your wife. You cboso mo of
your own freo will. Thnt I lovod you
so thnt I forgot honor nnd public
opinion nnd hnd no will but yours,
you know better than any ono else
In tho world. It Isn't ove'ry man, Dom
lnlck, that gets that kind of lovo. I
gnvo It then nnd I've novor stopped
giving It, though I've often beon so
put upon nnd enraged that I've said
things 1 didn't menu nnd dono things
l'vo been rendy to kill myself for.
Hero I nm now, waiting for you, long
ing for you. Como back to me.
"Your loving wlfo. DEItNY."
Sho rend tho letter over several
times and It pleased her greatly. So
nnxlous wns sho to havo It gojis soon
ns poaslblo that, though It was past
ten, sho took It out herself nnd post
ed It In tho letter-box nt tho corner.
CHAPTER VII.
Snow-Bound.
Whllo tho world wont about Its af
fairs, attended to Its business, read
its papers, sent Us telegrams and
wroto Its letters, tho llttlo group at
Antelopo was as completely cut off
from It ns though marooned on n
strip of sand In an unknown sea. A
socond storm had followed tho origi
nal one, and tho end of tho first week
saw them snowed In deeper than over,
Antelopo a trickle of roofs and smoke
stacks, In n white, crystnl-clcnr wil
derness, solemn In Its stillness nnd
loneliness as the primeval world.
Tho wires woro down; the letter
carrier could not brenk his way In
to them. They heard no news and re
ceived no mall. Confined In a group
of rudo buildings, crouched in a hol
low of tho Sierra's flank, they felt
(or tho first tlmo whnt It wns to bo
outsldo that clrclo of busy activity
In which their Jives had heretofore
passed. They wero fnce to face with
the nnture they thought they hnd con
quered and which now In Its quiet
grandeur awed them with a senso of
their own small helplessness. Pressed
upon by that enormous silent Indiffer
ence, thoy drew nearer together, each
Individual unit gnlnlng In lmportnnco
from tho contrasting Immensity with
out, each character unconsciously de
claring itself, emerging from acquired
reticences and becoming bolder nnd
more open.
They accepted their captivity In n
spirit of gny good humor. Tho only
two members of tho party to whom It
peemed Irksome were Bill Cnnnon and
the actor, both girding ngnlnst a con
finement which kept them from their
sovoral spheres of action. Tho others
i
i
Z rmM VT If
Lavn- -. f -
They Accepted Their Captivity
abandoned themselves, to a childish,
almost fantastic enjoyment of a situ
ation unique In their experience. It
was soon to end, it would never be
repeated. It was an adventure charged
with romance, nccldentnl, unsought,
as all true adventures are. Tho world
was forgotten for these fow days of
Imprisonment against tho mountain's
mighty heart. It did not exist for
them. All that was real was their own
llttlo party, tho white-washed pas
sages and walls of Perley's, tho dining-room
with Its board floor and
homely fare, and the parlor at night
with a semicircle of faces round the
blazing logs.
On tho afternoon of tho sixth day
Domlnlck mado hfs first appearance
down stairs. Ho achieved tho descent
with slow palnfulness, hobbling be
tween Perley and tho doctor. Tho for
mer's bnth-robo bad been cast aside
for a dignified dark-brown dressing
gown, contributed to his wardrobe by
Cannon, and which, cut to fit the burly
proportions of tho Honanza King,
hung nround tho long, lank form of
tho young man In enveloping folds.
Tho parlor wns ompty, snvo for Miss
Cnnnon sitting beforo the fire. Dom
lnlck had ceased to feel bashfulness
nnd constraint In tho presence of this
girl, who hnd beon pushed ngnlnst
his will If not ngnlnst hor own Into
tho position of his head attendant.
The afternoon when they had sat to
gether In his room seemed to havo
brushed nwny nil his shyness nnd self
consciousness. Ho thought now that
It would bo dlfllcult to retnln either In
Intercourse with a being who wns so
cnndld, so spontaneous, so freshly nat
ural. Ho found himself treating her
as It sho wero a young boy with whom
he had been placed on n sudden foot
ing of careless, cheery Intimacy. But
hor outward seeming what sho pre
sented to tho eye wns not In the
least boyish. Her pale, opaque blond
ncss, hor line, rich outlines, hor soft
ness of mien, woro things ns complete
ly nnd graciously feminine as tho
most epicurean admirer of women
could hnvo wUhed,
Now, nt tho sight of her bending
over tho tiro, ho oxporlcnccd a sensa
tion of pleasure which vhguely sur
prised him. Ho wns hardly conscious
that all tho tlmo he had been dressing
nnd whllo ho enme down stairs he
had been hoping that buo would be
there. Ho sot a quick glance ahead
of him, saw her, and looked away. Tho
pain of his feet was violent, -nnd with
out again regarding her ho knew that
whllo ho was gnlnlng his chair nnd bis
nttendnnts woro Bottling him, sho hnd
not turned from her contemplation of
tho fire. Ho already know her well
enough to have a comfortable assur
ance of her Invarlnblo quick tnct. It
wns not till tho two men woro leaving
tho room that she turned to him nnd
said, ns If resuming an Interrupted
conversation:
"Well, how do you like tho parlor?
Speak nicely of it for I feel nn If It
belonged to me." ,
"It's a first-rate parlor," ho nn
swered, looking nbout him. "Never
snw n better one. Who's tho gentle
mnn with tho wreath of wax flowers
round his head?"
"Thnt's Jim Granger. Ho comes
from hero, you know; nnd you mustn't
laugh nt those flowers, they came off
his coffin."
"My father know him," said the
young man indifferently. "Thero wero
lots of queer Btorles about Jim Gran
gor. He killed a man once up at Do
die. Ypu'vo a fine fire here, haven't
you?"
"Kino. It's never allowed to go out.
Whnt do you think I intend to do this
afternoon? I've a plnn for amusing
and instructing you."
"What 1b it?" he said somewhnt un
easily. "I don't feel In tho least as
If I wnnted to qe Instructed."
Sho rose and moved to the centor-
In a Spirit of Gay Good Humor.
table which was covered with an Ir
regular scattering of books.
"Before you came down I was look
ing over these books. There nro lotB
of them. Mrs. Perley snys they've
been nccumulatlng for years. Mining
men havo left them nnd some of
them hnvo the nnraes of people I know
written In them. I thought perhaps
you might llko to read somo of them."
Domlnlck sent n lnzlly disparaging
glance over the books. Ho was not
much of a reader at the beat of times.
"What are they," he said, "novels?"
"Mostly." Sho sat down by the
table and took up the volume nearest
to her. "Here's 'Tale of Two Cities
That's a fine one."
"I'vo read It. Yes, it's splendid. It's
all about the French Revolution. The
hero's like a real person and heroes
In books hardcover are, only I'd havo
liked him better If he'd stopped drink
ing and married his girl."
"I thought perhaps you might like
mo to read to you," she said, turning
a tentative glance on him. "That's
how I was going to amuse and Instruct
you."
"I'm Bure It would be much more
amusing and probably Just as Instruc
tive If you talked to me."
"You've got to stay down hero two
hours. How could I talk and be amus
ing and Instructive for two hours?
You'd probably havo a relapse and
I'm qulto suro the doctor'd And mo in
a dead faint on tho hearth when ho
camo In."
"All right. Let's try tho books.
Don't let's risk relapses and dead
faints."
"Very well, then, that's understood
We'll go through tho library now. I'll
read tho titles and you say If you like
any of them."
"Suppose I don't?"
"You'll surely have a preference"
"All light. I'll try to. Go on."
"Hero's 'Foul Play,' by Charles
Reade. It seems to have been a good
deal read. Somo of tho paragraphs
aro marked with a pencil."
"I think I'vo read It, but I'm not
sure. It sounds llko a murder atory.
No, let's pass on that."
"Well, here's 'Mra. Skaggs' Hus
bands,' by Bret Hnrto, Does that sound
ns If you'd like It?"
"'Husbands!' No. Wo don't want
to rend about a woman who has husbands.-
Pass on that, too."
"The next 1b very nicely, bqund and
looks quite fresh and now, as If no
body had reach It much. It's called
'Tho Amazing Marriage.'"
"Oh, pass on that! I had It onco
and stuck In tho third chapter. Tho
last tlmo I went East somebody gavo
it to me to read on tho train,. I read
threo chapters and I wns moro nmazed
than nnybody In sight. Tho porter
was n fresh coon nnd I gave It to him
as my revenge. I'll bet It amazed
him."
"You don't seem to havo anything
In tho nnturo of a preference, so fnr.
I womlor how this will suit you.
"Notro Damo do Paris," by Victor
Hugo."
"I don't understand French."
"It's English and It's qulto w6rn out,
as If It had been read over and over.
Several of tho pages aro falling out."
"Oh, I'vo read that. I Just remem
ber. It's a rattling good story, too.
About the hunchback and the gipsy
girl who tells fortunes and has a pet
goat. The priest, who's a villain, falls
off the stceplo and clings to a gutter
by his finger nails with his enemy
watching him. It's tho finest kind of
a story."
"What a pity that you've read It!
Oh, here's ono that's evidently been
a great favorite. It's In paper nnd
it's nil thumbed and torn. Some
body's written across the top, 'Of all
the damned fool people '. Oh, I hg
your pardon, I read It before I real
ized. Tho nnmo Is 'Wife In Name
Only.' It doesn't seem tho kind of
title that makes you want to read the
book, does It?"
'"Wife In Nnmo Only!'" he gavo a
short laugh. "It certainly Isn't tho
kind of nnmo that would make me
want to read a book."
"Nor me," said a deep volco behind
them.
They both turned to see Buford, tho
actor, standing back of tho table, hlB
tall, angular figure silhouetted
against tho pale oblong of tho uncur
tained window. He wns smiling
suavely, but at the same tlmo with a
sort of uneasy, assumed assurance,
which suggested that he was not un
used to rebuffs.
"That, certainly," he Bald, "Is not a
name to recommend n book to any
man any man, that Is, who has or
over had a wife."
He advnnced Into tho clrclo'of tho
firelight, blandly bcnmlng at the young
man, who, leaning back In his chair,
was eying him with surprised Inquiry,
nover having seen him beforo. Tho
look did not chill the friendly effusion
of the actor who, approaching Doml
nlck, said with tho full, deep resonance
of his remarkable, volco: .,
"Congratulations, my dear sir, con
gratulations. Not alone on your re
covery, but on tho fact that you aro
here with us at all." He held out his
largo hand, the skin chapped and red
with the cold, and tho long fingers
closed with a wrenching grip on Dom
lnick's. "Wo were not sure, when you
arrived among us a few nlght3 ago,
that we would have tho felicity of
seeing you so soon up and around
In fact, we were doubtful whether wo
would ever see you up and around."
"Thanks, very kind of you. Oh, I'm
all right now." Domlnlck pressed tho
hand In return and then, bending a
little forward, sent a glance of Implor
ing Inquiry round the stranger's shoul
der at Rose.
She saught the eye, read Us behest,
and presented tho new-comer:
"Mr. Ryan, this Is Mr. Buford who
Is snowed In here with us. Mr. Bu
ford came hero the same day as you,
only he came on the Murphysvlllq
stage."
Buford Bat down between them on
one of tho horsehair chairs that wero
sociably arranged round the table. Tho
firelight threw Into promlnenco the
bony angles of his thin face and
glazed the backward sweep of his
hair, dark brown, and worn combed
away from his forehead, where a pair
of heavy, flexible eyebrows moved up
and down llko an animated commen
tary on the conversation. When any
thing surprising was said they went
up, anything puzzling or painful they
were drawn down. He rested ono
hand on his knee, the Angers turned
In, and, sitting bolt upright, buttoned
tight Into his worn frock-coat, turned
a glance of somewhat deprecating
amiability upon the invalid.
"You had a pretty close call, a-protty-clqao-call,"
he said. "If the op
erator nt" Rocky Bar hadn't had tho
sense to wire up here, that would
have been tho end of your life story."
Domlnlck bad heard this from every
member of tho snowed-ln party. Rep
ltitlon was not making It any more
agreeable, and there was an effect of
abrupt ungraciousness In his short an
swer which was merely a wprd ot
comment.
(TO BE CONTINURD.)
Very Easy Money.
An Ablleno (Kan.) papor tells how
a crowd of college boys, seeking work
in tho harvest fields, wero buncoed
In that town. The confidence man
was a big, flno looking fellow and this
was the talk he gave tho collegians:
"I'm J. J. Jackson. I'm looking for
about twenty high grndo harvestera
for the Jackson ranch, which my fa
ther owns. We havo several girls
from the east visiting us, and as tho
women have to be alono a great deal,
wo don't want to depend on to erdl
nary class of labor. You fellows are
collego men, and you look all right
to me. If you'll let mo have a dollas
as a pledgo of good faith I'll take you
along." Twenty In ono group paid a
dollar apiece, nnd that Is tbe Inst nny
ono snw of Mr. Jnckvo,n
The Family Trcutje.
"Why doesn't that boi.4 of yours
rent?"
"For the sarao roason I myself don'
do a lot of things."
"What reason Is that?'-'
"My wllj won't lot me."
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