The Dillon tribune., 1886-12-31
still twenty feet below the trail!

"Sha'l l pull you up the same ways'
; qucried. Miss Alice looked at his nose, an
hcsitnt.M "Or will you take my hand" h
a'l'l.sl in surly impatience. To his surprise
Miss Alice took his hand, and they BEGAN Il.
ascent together.
but tue way was difficult and dangerous
Once ar twice her feet slipped ON the sm,cthl,
worn rock tene;,tll; and she confessed to al
inward tiE,nkfulness when her unccrtai,, fcni
nine hanilsr,p was exchanged for his strong
. arm around her waist. Not that he was un
gentle; hut Miss Alice angrily felt that Le
had o'.ce or twice exercised his superior mas
clilinc functions in u i.u,si, way: and yet the
next m,o'r,ent She would have probably re-
jcctssl the idea that she had even noticed it.
Theirs was no doubt, bowcver, that he was a
little s,lrly.
\ fierce scramble finally brought then,
back in safety to the trail; hut in tho action
Miss 4Alicos shoulder, striking a projecting
bowhlcr, wrung from her a feminine cry Of
pain, her first sign Of womanly weakness
The guide stopped instantly.
II a.: afraid hurt you:"
She raised her brown lashes, 4 trifle moist
from suffering, looked in his eyes, and dropped
her own. Why, she could not tell. And yet
ousn'.ss; and fine face, albeit unsholn and
weather bcateal. Her own eyes had never
br.n so ',e;,r to any mans before, save her
! lovers: and yet she had never seen SO much
=" avcn his. She slipped her hand away, not
| with any reference to him, but rather to
potnicr over this singular experience, and,
somehow. felt uncomfortable thereat.
Nor WIS hn ess So wns but few days
ago that LIE had accepted tho charge o. this
young wo,,rtn from tho elder guide, who was
TIN. recognized escort Of the Kightbody PARTY.
having lren Il former correspondent Of her
fathers. He had been hired like any other
guide, but had undertaken tho task with that
chval.ous enthusiasm which tue average
Californian always extends TO the sex SO rare
to hmm. hut the illusion had passed. and he
6a'l dropped Into u >ulky, practical sense Of
his sltuAti''1', PERHAPS fraught with less
danger to himself. O:ly, when appealed to
''y his manhood or her weakness, he had for.
gotten his wound,sl vanity.
Ho strobe ms""tily ahead. dutfully break
ing tho path for her III the direction of the
distant canyon, where Mrs Rightl,oly and
he frie'l aw"ite,l them Miss Alico was
first t" speak. In this tracklt.ss unclart*tl
terra i'"o:t,lta of tho passions, it is always
thc wo'i'a" who steps cut to lead the way.
You know this place very we'll L suppose
you have lived here longs"
"Ycs,'
q You were not born he,e-nor'
y long pause.
II observe they call you 'Stanislaus Joe.'
OF course that il not your real nar,e2"
N1em.-Miss Alice had never called him
anything, usually prefacing any request
with languid, "O-cr-er, please, n,ster-cr.a,"
explicit enough for bis station.)
NO."
Miss Alice ttrotting after him, and bawl-
in. in his ear)-IVhat name did you say,
iae man doggedly)-I don't know.
Nevertheless, when they reached the cabin,
after huIf-hour's buifeting with the storm,
Miss Alice applied herself to her mothers es.
cort. Mr.. Ryder.
"Wh*::> tho name Of the man who takes
CAFE ot u. lorseW
"::anislaus Joe, /" responded Mr.. Ryder.
us that all!"
mo. Sometimes he's called Joe STAINS |
laus."
Miss Alice tsatiricaily)-I suppose it's the
custom here to send young Ladies' out with
gentlemen who hido their names under an
alias:
Mr.. Ryder greatly perplexed)-Nhy, dear
me, Miss Alice, You alters 'pearel to mo as
gal as was able to tats Eeer
Miss Alice li.1terru2xng with wounded,
dovc-likc tin1idty)-Oh, never rai.,d, please!
Tho cabin offered but scanty accommodate
tion to tho tourists; .1,ich fact, when in
disnantly presented to Mrs. Rightbody, was
explained by tho good-hunored Ryder from
the circumstance that tho usual hot,l was
only slight affair Of boards, cloth and paper,
put up during; the season, and partly dis
mantled in the fall "You couldn't be Kent
warm enough there" he added. Nevcrthc-
less Miss Alice noticed that both Mr. RYDER
and Stanislaus Joe retired there With their
pipes, after having prepared the ladies'
supper, with the assistance OF an Indian
woman, who apparently emerged fro::a tho
earth at the coming of tho party, and dis
appeared rs nys:eriously.
lhe stafs came out brightly before they
slept; and tho next morning clear, unwink-
ing sun beamcd with almost summer power
through tho shutterless window of their
cabin, and ironically disclosed tho details of
Its ru'lo interior. Two Or three NANCY, half
eaten buffalo robes, bearskin, somo sus-
plclous looking blankets, rifles and saddles.
deal tables and barrels mado up its scsnt in.
vcntory. A strip of faded calico hung be-
fore recess near the chimney, but SO black