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Jrs. IV right.
She kept tho boarding house for the
miners at Portland. She always had the
best of everything, and hor prices were
not so high, either. She had to go down
tO'Deadwood every day for supplies.
Somehow it seemed as if she could be in
two places at once, for everything went
on smoothlv in Portland while she was
in Deadwood, and 1 know that she was
the motive power as well as the head.
She supported herself,her two children
and her husband, sent her daughter away
to school, and owned several ranches in
her own name.
She was short and plump and energetic
Her hair was brushed smooth, more with
the idea of neatness than ornament, and
with an attempt to cover up gray locks.
Her dress when I saw her, was duck,
black with narrow yellow stripes, severe
ly plain but well fitting. Shu apologized
for her appearance, saying that if she
had kno.vn we were coming she would
have put on something better. I am
glad she didn't. She looked better in
her every day clothes.
We went up to Portland one day to
climb Bald Mountain and Terry, and of
course we took dinner at Mrs. Wright's;
there was no other place to take it.
Mrs. Wright set ir dinner at one, be
cause she thought we would not want to
dine with thirty or forty miners, and she
sat down with us and entertained us.
"You come from Boston, don't you?
My husband came from Boston before I
got him. He was one of the Wrights on
Beacon Hill. My name was Valory,
Gorman. O yes, I can speak German;
it's my mother tongue. I can think of
German words faster than English.
"Thirty-thirty-ono years ago I met
you, Mr. Eldridge, and I ain't seen you
till last March, and now your daughter is
seventeen. Jennie is fifteen. ,1 was
thirty-five when I was married.
"Jennie, come here!
"Miss Eldridge, this is my daughter,
Miss Wright. Now I want you should
get acquainted.
"Yes thirty-one veal's ago when 1 was
homesteading in Kearney
"Jennie bring the pie.
"I've kept a boarding house for twenty
five years, ever since 1 left Kearney. Yes
I own that farm yet. All tho Valories
live around there. I'll show you the
family picture, we had it taken the last
time I was home. Come up stairs and
I'll get it.
"Now I wonder where it is.
"Oh no, I dou'.t have to go to Dead
wood, Harry. Mr. Wright, is going in
my place to-day.
"Now I'm in a brown study to know
where that picture is.
"That one is the Spearfish Falls. I
wonder where that other one is!
"Why you may have that one if you
like it. Jiist put on it, Mrs. H. S.
Wright, Portland. So. Dakota."
ALASKV.
TWO HOPES.
Dark, sombre clouds lie low -'
Along the we&lerti sky.
To shelfring boughs all silently,
The winged songsters lly.
The wind is cold,
The earth is sad;
The darkness parts:
Through sundered -cloud,
A tiny ray of sunshine start?,'
The fin til is glad.
Dark, gloomy doubt lie deep
Within my aching breast
No d reams of joy come, tenderly,
To give mo peace and rest.
My love in cold;
My heart is sad;
The darkness parts:- s ;
Through .riven doubts,
Atiuy ray of sweet iWpe starta
. My heart is glad. . 'Kl -
). U Kbkuv
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