Cavanagh,
The Great Conserva
tion Novel
... ST
T 1
orest
' CHAPTEH II.
THE IOHF.ST BA.IGCR.
EC VIIK'INIA was awakened neft
morning by the pausing of some
one down the hall calling at each
door. "Six o'clock!" She had not
tiept at all till after L She was lame,
fceart weary and dismayed, but she
rone and dressed herself as neatly as
kefore. She had decided to return to
Sulphur. "I cannot endure this." she
tad refuted to herself a hundred
times. "I irill not!"
Hearing the clntter of dishes, she
ventured with desperate courage Into
the dining room, which was again
tiled with cowboys, coal miners,
ranchers and their touHled families
ltd certain nondescript town loafers
f tramp-like appearance.
. Slipping Into a seat at the end of the
table which offered the cleanest cloth.
Lee Virginia glanced round upon her
telghbors with shrinking eyes. All
Were shoveling their food with knife
blades and guwllng their coffee with
Lent heads. Their faces scared her,
and sho dropped her eyes.
At her left, however, sat two men
Whoso greetings were frank and man
ly and whose table nianuers betrayed
higher form of life. One of them
was a tall man with a lean red face,
gainst which his blond mustache Inj
like a chulk mark. He wore a cordu
roy Jacket cut In Norfolk style, and In
the collar of his yellow shirt a green
tie was loosely knotted. Ills hands
were long and freckled, but were man
ifestly trained to polite usages.
The other man was younger and
browner and of a compact, athletic fig
ure. On tho breast of his olive greeu
coat bung a silver badge which lxre a
Bine treo In the center. Ills shirt wae
tun rolore.1 and rough, but Ills head
Was handsome. He-' -looked like a
Jfoung officer In the undress uniform
f the regular army. His hands were
trong, but rather small, and tho lines
f his shoulders graceful. Most at
tractive of all were his eyes, so brown.
o ouletly humorous and so keen.
In the rumble of cheap and vulgar
talk tho voices of these men appealed
to Iho troubled girl with great charm,
fftha felt mora uklu to thorn tlmu to
nv one else In the room, and from
tima in I line she raised her eyes to
their faces.
They were aware of her also, and
their gs.e was frankly admiring n
well as wondering, and In passing the
bam and eggs or the sugar they con
trived to show her that they consld
red her a lady In a rough place and
that thev would like lo know more
about her.
Rim iiceciiled their civilities with
tratltudc and listened to their ta
With growing Interest, it seemed that
the young man had come down from
the IiIMm to meet his friend and take
trim buck to his cabin. '
"I can't do It today, Itoss," said tins
older num. "I wish I could, but one
meal of HiIh kind Is all I can stain
these days."
Mrs. Wcthcrford. seizing the mo-
meut. cnine down to do the honor,
"You fellers ought to know my girl.
Virginity, this Is Forest Supervisor
Itedfleld. and tills Is Itoss Cnvnnugli.
his forest ranger In this district. You
ught to know each other. My girl's
Just buck from school, and she-don't
think much of the Fork. It's a little
too coarse for her."
Lee flushed under this introduction,
tod her distress was so evident that
both men came to her rescue.
The older man Isiwed and sal.l, "I
ldn't know you had a daughter, Mrs.
Wetherford." And Cavanagh, with a
fiance of admiration, added, "We've
been wondering who you might be."
Llr.e went on: "I thought I'd got rid
Cf her. She's been away now for
bout ten years. I don't know but It
was a mistake. Look's like she's
crown a little too fine haired for us
4oughlos out here."
"So much tho worse for us," replied
Itedfleld.
This little dialogue gave tho girl time
to recover herself, but as Cavanagh
watched the blush fade from her face,
leaving It cold and white, he synipa
th1r.ed with her-pitied her from tho
bottom of his heart. He perceived that
be was a rhance spectator of the first
cciio In a painful domestic drama
one that might easily becomo a trag
edy. He wondered what the forces
might lie which had brought such a
daughter to this sloven, this virago.
To see a mnld of this delicate bloom
thrust Into such a place as I.l.e Weth
erford's "hotel" had the reputation of
being roused Indignation.
"When did you reach town?" he
asked, and Into his voice his admira
tion crept.
"Only last night."
"You And great changes here?"
Not so great as In my mother. It's
H" she stooped abruptly, and he
understood.
Ll.e being drawn tack to her cash
register, Itedlleld turned to say: "My
dear young lady, I don t suppose you
remember inc. but I knew you when
you were n tot of Ave or six. I knew
your father ery well."
"Did yon?" Her face lighted up.
"les, poor fellow; he went away
from here rather under a cloud, you
know."
"I remember a Utile of it. I was
fccre when the shoot In j look place."
'. J nil C'1. Vl'.'ll. 'lil'O tll'Ml 'I'll
has happened" to us all.'1 lie explufned'
to the ranger. "There wasn't room for
dashing young blood such as Ed
Wethcrford was In those days." He
turned to Lee. "He wag no worse than
the men on the other side-It was dog
tat dogbut some way the people
lather settled on him as a scapegoat.
He was forced out, and your mother
bag borno the brunt of it since. Those
were lawless days."
More and more Lee Virginia's heart
ivcnt out In trust toward these two
pen. Opposed to the malodorous, un-
T
r rcanflftr
By HAMLIN GARLAND
Copyright. I10. by Hamlin Garland
baten throng which filled the room,
they seemed wondrously softened and
sympathetic, and In the ranger's gaze
was something else something which
made her troubles somehow less intol
erable. She felt tbut be understood
the difficult situation la which she
found herself.
Itedfleld went on. "You find us hor
ribly uncivilized after ten years' absence?"
"I find tht uncivilized," she replied
rltb fierce Intensity, looking around
the room. Then, on the Impulse, she
added: "I can't stand It I I camo here
to live with my mother, but this Is too
-too horrible!"
"I understand your repulsion." re
plied Itedfleld. "A thousand times 1
repeat, aproKs of this country, 'Wbero
every prospect pleases and only man
is vile.' "
"Do you suppose It was as bad ten
years ago?" she asked. "Was every
thing as dirty as mean? Were the
houses then as full of Die aud smells?"
"I'm afraid they were. Of course
the country Isn't all like this, aud
there are neat homes aud gentle peo
pie In Sulphur, but most cattlemen
re as they've always been a shift
less, happy-go-lucky lot at best, and
some of them have been worse, as you
know."
"I never dreamed of finding my
mother In such a place," she went on.
"I don't know what to do or say. She
Isn't well. I ought to stay and help
her, and yet oh, It Is disheartening!"
Llze tapped Itedfleld on the shoul
der. "Come over here, Iteddy, If you
have finished your breakfast. I want
to talk with you."
Itedlleld roe and followed his land
lndy behind the counter and there sat
In earnest conversation while she made
change. The tone In which her moth
er addressed the supervisor, her action
of touching him as one man lays hand
upon nnother. was profoundly reveal
Ing to Lee Virginia. She revolted
from It without realizing exactly what
It meant, and. feeling deeply but vague
ly tho forest ranger's sympathy, she
asked:
How can you endure this kind of
life?"
"1 can't, and I don't," ho answered
cautiously, for they were being closely
observed. "I am seldom Id town. My
dominion is more than a mile above
this level. My cabin Is 0.000 feet
above tho sea. It Is clean and quiet
up there."
"Are all the other restaurants In the
village like this?"
"Worse. 1 come here because It Is
the best."
She rose. "I can't stand this air and
these files suy longer. They're too
disgusting."
He followed her Into the other
bouse, conscious of the dismay and
bitterness which burst forth the In
stant they were aloue. "What am I
to do? She Is my mother, but I've lost
II seuse of relationship to her. And
these people, except you and Mr. Red
field, are all disgusting to me. It Isn't
because my mother Is poor, It Uu't
ed the ruugcr presently. The tnouu:
lulu wlud will do you good."
Sho followed him trustfully, and as
she stepped from the squalor of the
hotel into the bpleudor of the morning
her head lifted. She druuk the clear,
crisp wind as one takes water In the
desert.
"The air Is clean, anyway." she said.
Cavanagh to divert her pointed away
to the mountains. "There Is my do
mlulon. Dp there I am sole ruler. No
one can litter the earth with corrup
tion or poison the streams."
' She did uot speak, but as she stud
led the ranker her face cleared. "It is
beautifdl up there."
He weut on. "1 hate all this scrap
heap quite as heartily as you do, but
up there are sweetness and sanity. The
streams are genu less, and the forest
cannot be devastated. That Is why I
am a ranger. 1 could not endure llfs
In a town like this."
He turned up the street toward the
high bill to the south, and she kept
step with him. As she did not speak,
be asked. "What did you expect to do
out here?" ,
"I hoped to teach." she replied, her
voice still choked with her emotion
"I expected to find the country much
Improved."
"And so it Is. but It Is still a long
way from an eastern state, remaps
you will find the people less savage
than they appear at first glance."
It Isn't the town or the people: It Is
my mother! she burst rortu again.
Tell me! A woman In the car yester
day accused my mother of selling
whisky unlawfully. Is this so? Tell
She faced him resolutely, and, per
ceiving that she could not be evaded.
be made slow answer. "I don't know
that she does, but I've beard It charged
against her."
"Who made the churge?"
"One of the clergymen, and then It's
common talk among the rough men of
the town."
But she's my mother!" walled the
girl, coming back to the central fact
"She has sent me money she has been
kind to me. What am 1 to do? She
needs me, and yet the thought of stay
lug here and facing ber life frightens
me."
The rotten board walks, tbe low
rookeries, the unshaven, blear eyed
men sitting on Ibe thresholds of the
saloons, the slattern squaws wander
ing abroad like bedraggled bens, made
the girt stare with wonder and dis
may. She had remembered tbe town
street as a highway filled with splen
did cavaliers, a list wherein heroic
deeds were done with horse and pistol.
She perceived In the ranger tbe man
of the new order, aud with this In her
mind she said: "You don't belong here?
You're not a western man?"
"Not In the seuse of having been
born here," he replied. "1 am. In fact
a native of l'nglnnd. though I've lived
nearly twenty years of my life In the
States."
She glanced at his badge. "How did
you come to be a ranger-whnt does It
mean? It's all new to me."
"It Is new to the west," he answered
smilingly, glad of a chance to turu her
thought from her own personal griefs.
It has all come about since you went
east. Uncle Sam has at Inst become
provident aud Is now 'conserving bis
resources. I am one of his represent-
tlves, with stewardship over some
00.000 acres of territory, mostly forest."
being chief forester some time 1 inean
we all have the rosnrt of promotion
to sustain us. Tbe service is so new
that any one with even a knowledge
of forestry is in demand. I'y and by
real foresters will arise."
She returned abruptly to her own
problem. "I dread to go buck to my
mother, but 1 must. Oh. bow I hate j
that hotel! I loathe the Hies, the
smells, the people I hat eat there, the
waiters everything!" She shuddered.
"Many of the evils you mention
could be reformed, except, of course,
some of the people who come to eat.
I fear several of them have gone be
yond reformation."
As they started buck down the street
she saw I lie motor stage just leaving
the door of the otllce. "That settles
one question," she said. "1 cun t get
away till tomorrow."
"Where would you go If you broke
camp buck to the east?"
"No. My mother thinks there Is a
place for me lu Sulphur City."
"Your case Interests me deeply. 1
wish 1 could advise you to stay, but
this Is a rough town for a girl like
you. Why don't you talk the problem
over with the supervisor?" His voice
became firmer. "Mrs. Itedfleld Is the
very one to help you."
"Where does she live?"
"Their ranch lies Just above Sul
phur, at the mouth of the canyon.
May I tell him what you've told me?
He's a good sort. Is Itedfleld much
better able to advise than I am."
Cavanagh found himself enjoying
the coulideuce of this girl so strangely
thrown Into his care, and the curious
comment of the people in the street
did uot disturb him except as It bore
upon bis companion's position In the
town.
At the door of the hotel some half a
dozen men were clustered. As the
young couple approached they gave
way. but a short, powerful man. whom
Lee Virginia recognized as Gregg, the
sheepman, called to tbe ranger;
"I want to see you before you leave
town. Mr. Ranger."
"Very well. I shall be here all the
forenoon." answered Cavanagh In tbe
tone of a man accepting a challenge.
Then, turning to the girl, he said ear
nestly: "I want to help you. I shall
be here for lunch, and meanwhile 1
wish you would take Red Held Into
your confidence. He's a wise old boy,
and everybody knows him. No one
doubts his motives. Besides, he has a
family and Is rich and unhurried.
Would you like me to talk with hlrn?"
"If you will. I want to do right
Indeed. 1 do."
"I'm sure of that," be said, with
eyes upon ber Bushed aud quivering
face.' "There's a way out, believe
me."
1 -
n f)
W taigas L)
Telephone Talks!
No. 4
THAT WORD "HELLO!"
If you and every other Bell Telephone subrcriber
in this country would answer the telephone by giving
the name, as "John Smith talking," instead of saying
'"Hello!" a million and a half hours of time would be
saved every year.
Six billion connections are made over Bell Tele
phones every year. . A second economized on each call
by dropping the "Hello!" would mean six billion seconds,
a hundred million minutes, a million and a half hours,
or 455 days saved every year. This tremendous time
saving and consequent reduction in operating expenses
could be applied to the betterment of the service.
The most agreeable mode of beginning a telephone
conversation, and the method we recommendi because
it saves useless words and avoids misunderstanding and
consequent irritation, and is at the same time courteous
and direct, runs thus: .
The telephone' bell rings, and the person answering
says: "Brown's residence; John Brown talking," or
"Woods &. Company; Mr. Jones speaking."
Nebraska Telephone Company
M. E. BRANTNLR, Plattsmouth Manager
x
T
"l CAM T STAND THIS AW ASD TUFSC FLIES
ANY LONUBU,"
because she's keeping boarders; It'
something else," At this point hi
voice fulled her.
'Iet us go out luto the air" sugges
" CHAPTER III.
LIZK AND HER DAOGUTKR.
nEY parted on the little porch
of the hotel, and her eyes fol
lowed bis upright figure till he
eutered one of the shops. He
hud precisely the look and bearing of
a young lieutenant In tbe regular
army. She returned to ber own room
strangely heartened by her talk with
tho ranger.
She wus still pondering when her
mother came in.
"How'd you sleep last night?"
Leo Virglnlu could uot bring herself
to lie. "Not very well." she admitted.
"Neither did I. Fact of the matter Is
your coming fairly upset me. I've been
kind of used up for three mouths. I
don't know what alls me. !'d ought to
go up to Sulphur to see a doctor, but
there don't seem to be any free time.
knew yore jia and you "before 'the
war.' Are ye back fer to stay?"
"No. I don't think so. Will you sit
down?"
Mrs. Jackson took a seat. "Come
back to see how yore ma was. I reck
on? Toiind her pretty iorely. dldu t
ye?" She lowered her voice. "I tbluk
she's got cancer of. tbe stutnmlck
now that's my guess.'
Virginia stalled. "Whut nmkes yon
think so?"
"Well. I knew a woman who went
just that way. Hud that same flabby,,
funny look-and that same distress
after eutln'. I told her this moruin'
she'd better go up lo Sulphur and see
that uew doctor."
"What did you mean by 'the war?'"
asked Virginia.
"Why. you remeinlier the rustler
wur? We date everything out here
from that year. You was here, for I
saw ye."
"Oh:" exclaimed Virginia. "1 under
stand now. Yes. I was here. I saw my
father at the head of the cowboys."
"They weren't cowboys. They were
hived killers from Texas. That's what
let yore pa out o' the state. He were
on the wrong side, aud If it hadn't 'a'
been for I lie regular soldiers he'd 'a'
been wiped out right hyer. As It was
he hud to skip the range and hain't
never been back. 1 don't s'pose folks
will lay It up agin yoii-belu' a glrl
but I li.'.v couldn't no son of Ed Weth
erford come buck here and settle, not
r a minute. Why. ycre ma has had
to bluff the whole county a'most-nol
that I lay anything up agin her. I 1 ell
SHERW1N- WILLI AltS
STRICTLY PURE
Pars-Green
Pmity and Uniformity
are the essential qualities of Pari
Green. The name Sherman-Williams
Co. on the package insures
thejeontents to be pure, strong,,
uniform and absolutely reliable.
Phone your orders in now. "
I 'pear to have lost my grip. Food folks she was that bewitched with Ed
She looked st him with eyes of
chunglng TlgfitT "You don't talfc'llke
an Englishman, and yet you are not
like the men out here."
1 shouldn't care to be like some of
them." he answered. "My being here
Is quite logical. I went Into the cattle
business like many another, and I
went broke. 1 served under Colonel
Itoosevelt In the Cuban war and after
my term was out naturally drifted
back. I love the wilderness and have
some natural taste for forestry, aud I
can ride aim pack a horse as well as
most cowboys: hence my uniform.
Fan not the best forest ranger In the
service, I'll admit, but 1 fancy I'm a
fair average."
And that la your badge the pine
tree?"
Yes, and I am proud of it. Some of
the fellows are not, but so fur as 1 am
concerned I am glad to be known as a
defender of the forest. A tree means
much to me. 1 never mark one for
felling without a sense of responsibil
ity to the future."
Her questions came slowly, like
those of a child. "Where do you live?"
'IMrectly up the South Fork about
twenty miles."
"Whut do you do?"
He smiled. "Not much. 1 ride the
trails, guard the game, put out fires,
scale lumber, burn brush, build bridges,
herd cattle, count sheep, survey hind
and a few oilier odd chores. It's sup
posed to be a soft snuii. but 1 cun't
see It that way."
"lo you live alone?"
"Yes. for the larger part of the time
I have an assistant, who Is with me
dining part ot the summer .mouths.
Mostly I am alone. However, I am
supposed to keep Mien house, and I
cati h u visitor now n:hl iheii."
"I'o you expect to do ill In always?"
t. lie htiuieii again. I here you loiien
i;-r T;f i-tirliey love tbe hope of
don't give me any strength. 1 saw you
talking with Ross Cavunugh. There's a
man. And Reddy-Reddy Is what you
call a fancy rancher; goes In for al
falfy and fruit and all that He Isn't
In the forest service for the pay or for
graft He's got a regular palace up
there above Sulphur hot and cold
water all through the bouse, a furnace
In the cellar and two bathrooms, so
they tell me; I never was In "the place.
Tou better keep out of the caffy. It
ain't a fit place for you. Fact Is. I
wasn't expecting anything so fine as
you are. I laid awake till 3 o'clock Inst
night figuring on what to do. I reckon
you'd better go back and give this out
fit up as a bud Job. I used to tell Ed
you didn't beloug to neither of us, and
you don't. I can't see where you did
come from anyhow, I don't want the
responsibility of having you here. Why,
you'll have half the men In the county
hitching to my corral. You're too good
for any of them. You Just plan to pack
up and pull out tomorrow."
She went out with a dragging step
that softened the girl's heart. LIze's
daughter came nearer to loving her at
this moment than at any time since
her fifth year.
In truth. Lue had risen that morn
ing luteudlnir "to whirl lu and clean
up tbe bouse," bclug suddenly con
sclous to some degree of the dirt and
disorder around her. but she found
herself physically unequal to the task
Her brain seemed misted, and ber food
bad been a source of keen pain to her,
She gave sharp answers to all the
men who enme up to ask after her
daughter, and to one who remarked on
the girl's good looks and demanded an
Introduction she said: "Get along!
You fellers want to understand I'll kill
the man that sets out to fool with my
girl. I tell you that!"
While yet Lee Virginia was wonder
Ing how to begin the day's work some
one knocked on her door, and In an
iwer to her Invitation a woman stepped
In-s thin blond hug with a weak
smile and watery blue eyes. "Is this
little Lee Vlrgliuiy?" she usked.
The girl rose. "Yes."
"Well, howdy?" She extended her
baud, and Lee look It. "My name's
Juckson-Mrs. Orlando Jucksou. .1
he couldn't see thing any way but
his way. He fought to save bis ranch
ml stuwk. but she couldn't do not bin'
-and I hen to have him go buck on her
the way he did-slip nut 'twlxt two days
nud never wrlle; that Just about shot
her to pieces. I never could under
stand that In Kd: he 'penred so mortal-
y fond of on and of -her loo. He sure
was fond of you:" She shook her head
No, cun't anybody make me believe
Ed Wetherford Is alive."
Lee Virginia stnrted. "Who says
he's alive?"
"Now. don't (jet excited, girl. He
In't alive, bin yet folks say we don't
know he's dead, ne Jest dropped out
so far as yore nm Is concerned nnd so
far as the county Is concerned, but
(To He Continued.)
F. G. Fricke & Co.r
T3he
l.'5fe0f.BELL
186 dWt-N 68
STORE
Closed School Friday.
Miss Ada Seatl closed her
school year last Friday, having
been in charge of the school north
of Alvo. Miss SeatTs school had
exercises which would have (lone
credit to any community. A fine
program was rendered, consisting
of readings and music. A picnic
dinner wa sserved and a large
number of the parents and
patrons of the school and their
friends turned out to make' the
occasion enjoyable. Miss Searl is
among the best teachers in the
county and any entertainment
planned by her cannot otherwise
than succeed.
Have Your Tickets Read "BURLINGTON"
Via DENVER
Go via Scenic Colorado, Salt Lake; return Shasta Route
via Portland, Seattle. Yellowstone Park, Gatdiner en
trance, on your way.
UU DflDTI IDtfl I Going to Seattle direct through Billings, or via Denver
iarUnlLAnU I and Hillings, Shasta Route through California. Yellow-
ml CCRTTI C (stone Park, Pardiner entrance on the way. Returning
no OCA I ILL ) through Salt Lake, Scenic Colorado and Denver.
This is the general excursion rate basis to California
Portland and Seattle, on certain dates in June and July.
$15.00 higher via Shasta Route.
This is the general excursion rate basis to California,
certain dates in May, and daily June to September. Also
to Portland. Seattle, on certain dates in May, and daily
June to September, $15.00 higher via Shasta Route.
PROPORTIONAL RATES FROM YOUR HOME!
$50.00
$60.00 ;
Tho Burlington folder map will help you plan ycur tour, or let us help you.
lYour nearest agent can ticket you "Burlington."
R. W. CLEMENT, Ticket Agent.
.. W. WAKELY, General Passenger Agent, Omaha, Neb
mm