The Northern Pacific farmer., 1883-08-23
ZARA.,
BY CLAUDE WILLIAM SMITH.

& driving, binding snow, the sky DARK
and sullen, wild wind sweeping ove1
the plains the mountains quite hidden
from view by the storm.
lara threw more pine logs on the fire
drew toseth r the red chintz curtains al
the small window of her "best room, ,
and tried to make things triae cozier
in the ranch cabin.
"Father will soon be home" she said
she had fallen into the habit of talk.
ing to herself out in this lonely country
this "new, far west" 'He will put the
sheep in the corral early to-night-it is
SO stormy"
A small clock on shelf, which served
RS mantel, and which was draped with
Eome simple but pretty chi:ltz, like the
curtains, struck four. cara sighed d lit
tie as che heard it. How many times
had she listened to that same silyery
chllne-it was a pretty little French
tlock-;n happier days in the dear east!
Its musical sound recalled so much!-
brought back the pretty, old-fashioned
New England home so plainly. lara
could almost smell the great creamy
roses that climbed over the front porch.
She could see the tasteful little home
parlor, SO different from the meagrely-
furnished room she now sat in, with its
poor little attempts at cheerfulness.
She could fancy herself, as of old, sitting
before her sweet-toned piano, singing
all the cold tunes" she could call to
mind ''to please father;" or she could
picture the long, happy summer days
spent under the large naples in the gar.
den, lying idly in Il hammock, drinking
In the sweet air, and dreaming as girls
will dream.
How her dreams had turned out!
when her father came to her one fall
day and said iery gravely, "Zara, I have
lost money. This place must be sold. /
shall go West," her heart had leaped
with foolish joy, She had dreamed so
often Of the West; she knew it was a
paradise, 80 free and wild. "Roughing
it, would be so very pleasant. Had she
not read in books about it? So she had
only smiled at her fathers grave face
and exclaimed: II am so glad we are
going West! We shall make our for
tunes there. know"
She was younger then-barely II. She
was % now-had been "roughing it"
five years. She was wiser.
The lovely New England home had
been sold, all debts paid-for lara Joss
lyn's father was strictly honorable-and
father and daughter had sought the west
the great undeveloped territory of
Montana. Mr.. Josslyn's remaining cap
ital, which was not large, had been in
vested in sheep.
''We shall have to be content to wait,
Fart, child, while our little flock grows,''
Mr.. Josslyn had said, and at the same
time bad cast rueful glanco around
the small log-house they were to call
"hone" for the years to come. But
Zara vas young and hopeful.
''Wc shall be rich before we know It'll"
che had cried gayly, and went on tack
ing muslin on the cabin walls, in lieu of
plasteling.
The years came and went-the little
flock of sheep grew larger, and money
came in a little more plentifully; but
Mr.. Josslyn had not made fortune"
yet, and life on ranch was not easy.
Earn pined, secretly, for the east. She
hated those desoate plains, the barren
foot hills" the deeply furrowed snowy
mountains, so different from the wooded
New England hills! The sun blinded
her-it shone in such a glaring way
and she missed the trees! The few cot
ton-wood' trees she detested; she
lonSed for NAPLES, elnis, and oaks. Il
want real trees or noneW she would say.
A few vines, in summer, were trained
about the cabin-door and windows, and
some wild, pale, pink sweetbrier roses
grew near the house. But lara had not
the heart to cultivate flowers, besides,
her time was we'll taken up in other
ways, Her days, though monotonous,
We're busy ones. She did not dream
often now, unless Of the past, and life
was wholly practical to her.
Again the little gilt clock chimed-
this time, tive.
81 wonder father does not comew ex-
claimed Iara, rising from a low foot
bench by the fire, where she had been
sitting thinking for the last hour. She
went to the window, and vainly
tried to peer through the darkness. The
wind moaned and walled, the snow
blew against the window-pane. Tara
shtversd and drew back. As she did so
she caught the sound of voices. Lamp
in hand she hurried to the door.
eco right in." she heard her father
say; 'don't wait for me. Just tell her
wa dIC lIOul Cllc GdSG-Ludt Will Ut Sulll"
Clent recommendation"
Then lara saw her father turn toward
the barn leading another horse beside
came striding up the path from the gate
way.
"May l come in?" asked the stranger,
pausiDg for moment at the door and
raising a fur cap.
"Certainly," replied lara, and re-
treated into the warm, fre-lit room.
The tall man followed, and quickly di-
vesting himself of his snow-covered out
cr wrappings, drew near the blazing
fire.
"My name is sStorey-William Storey"
he said, smiling, land your father ad-
vises me to tell you that I am from the
East
Z'ra smiled also. Father knows how
glad ! am always to see any one from
lome," she said.
81 have been in Montana, however,
all this fall" Mr.. Storey went on to say,
land I come here nearly every fall to
hunt. Montana is good hunting ground.
But | have fingered a little too along
among the Rockies this time; winter has
overtaken mep
"It is our first real snow storm, but it
makes one feel it ought to be in January
Instead of only November!' lara
said with a sigh, as a gust of
wind beat wildly against the ranch
CABIN
"You do not like the West?" asked
her companion, g]ancing up at the young
girls somew hat sad face.
She was leaning against the mantel-
shelf, unconsciously watching William
Storey as he warmed his chilled hands
before the blaze.
"No, thought I should like it, but it
is very disappointing" Then suddenly,
her face kindling: "Have you ever
been in Maine? Havs you ever passed
through little town called Laurel?" she
asked eagerly.
"les, to both. questions" replied sto-
::eeI, again smiling. II stopped over
Mount Desert one summer. It is love-
ly little nook"
"Oh, is it notp cried the young girl
with almost culver in her voice. II
lived there once. I was so happy
therep
'Shall you not return there some
timer asked Storey pityingly, not know
ing what else to say.
1--WE hope to; but we can't set no def
mite time for our return. It all depends
on the Sheep" said Zara, naively.
AS she spoke her father opened the
front door and came in, we'll whitened
by the storm. r..
lara fastened to help him off with
his great, shaggy buffalo-skin coat, and
Their drew another chair to the fire for
him.
Almost her first words were: Gath