The Red Cloud chief., 1888-08-17

Ineligible syllable. Nays face lighted up
when b heard the anne. and, starting up,
she graspcd her shabby. old fashioned
carpet bag with n hand, felt n~ervOusly in
her poke: with the other. to make sure that
her purse had not been distracted within
the last two minutes by any Of the ~listless
passengers and hurried to the door.
The train a stepped at q little flag
station, whose only accommodation for pas
sengers was a small platform, at present
covered with snow.
As May hesitated an instant OF the car
steps. a tall figure seized her, n carrying
her across the platform deposited her in the
sleigh. and the train moved OF before she
could recover from her surprise enough to
ask ti:nidly: where's my trunk!"
You don't mean to say that I'm such an
idiot that I've let the train go of an carry
Of your trunk" demanded the tall man in
tones of poignantdisgust.
Il don't see the trunk anywhere" she
answered. ignoring the question Of the
strangers inbecility.
Wal, l snum,' said her disconnected
companion, ''yOu must think I'm the gOl-
dern-the biggest gump you ever come
acrost. There rant nothin' in 1t you a
ed. was they!' he asked, As though people
were in the habit Of travelling with baggage
for which they had no earthly use.
YES she admitted. ''every thing l have
was in it, except what l ave in this bag"
.~.Jewhitaker." exclaimed the other. '-ef
you'd only chuck somethin' at me to pay for
bein' such a loon. I'd feel better. Ispose,
though. you hain't got nothin' you want to
waste on such q fool"
You see it showed, so I didn't much ex-
pect We, though Of course I'd hev come eff it
had showed bilin' water, an ez I'd been
a-waitin' for We nigh on to three hours, l
was so c0nsummedly tickled to think you
come I didn't stop to think about nOthin'
else. Can You git along without it tonight"
20. yes," she answered, II o care, il
ii isn't lost"
Then that's all right "he said in a greatly
relieved tone, getting in h sleigh beside
her. '.Ill get ii for We to-morrer eff | hev to
overhaul every train in the State with my
own hands. G'long"
The horse moved q little, but refused to
start.
..Git up" he called louder. ''what ais
We" Then in a different tone he exclaimed
Wal. by gracious! eff l amt the biggest
fool tibet ever-I don't know what amt
unhitched the critter"'
While the crestfallen stranger proceeded
to remove this slight obstacle to their loco
motion, May burst into hysterical laughter.
Il don't blame We non for laughin'," he
said. Il shouldn't find no fault ef We said
you wouldn't ride ono step with such q
knOwnothin' ez I be-"
As there was no house in sight, and the
sEow was nearly two feet deep and still
falling. no inviting alternative seemed to
present itself. and he got back into the
sleigh. saying plaintively: Il amt always
this way. but I was so bejiggled at SEEM We
l don't seem to know whether I'm a-foot or
a-hOrseback."
May was too bewildered and frightened to
make much reply to the strangers self-sc-
cusatiOns.
She supposed that he was the ''hiring com
mittee'' who was to meet her at Hunters
vile. where he lived, and take her to his
home, where she was to board, but her
natural timidity and morbid fear Of doing
any thing to ''attract attention" kept her
from asking any questions.
The night was very dark. A lantern
hanging on the dashboard cast g~rotesque
shadows OF the horse or the roadsides, from
which, now a snow drift, now an evergreen
loaded with snow, apparently leaned for.
ward for an instant, and then drew back
into impenetrable gloom.
A vague sense Of horror added itself to
the homesickness of the trembling girl.
Perhaps the man beside her was no com.
mon-place committeeman at all-indeed this
executive stranger was very unlike the ideal
committee to whom she had sent her little
rewritten, re-punctuated letters, fearful
lest his critical eye would discover some un.
pardDnable grammatical error which would
make her timid aspirations toward the
dignity Of q school ma'an absurd in his
sight.
Perhaps he might be some robber who in
habit2ted the Businesses Of these gloomy
mountains, who had left her trunk for some
not very obvious rcason of his OWL, and
who would shortly add the contents Of her
bag and purse to his ill-gOtten spOils. His
features were not visible in the darkness
and might wear an expression of incOnceiv-
able ferocity. but the tones of his voice were
50 sensible. kindly and whole-sOuled that
she felt an u~naccountable sense of comfort
and security whenever he spoke. though in
the long intervals of silence that fell upon
them as they %journeyed slowly and jabori-
ously through the snowdrifts and darkness,
her fears could hardly be controlled.
You're q little thing, amt ye!" he finally
remarked. abruptly.
YES she fa.tered, feeling that he might
consider this an ~insurmOuntable obstacle in
the way Of her managing the big boys in
school.
'Would that be any objection"
Land, no." ne responded. r~eassuringly.
81 like little women"
May had a dim. underlined feeling that
when a school was regulated by the likes
and dislikes Of the committee. there was an
imperative call for civil service reform
somewhere.
A wild and improbable ale she had once
heard of a school committee who always in
sisted on kissing all the female teachers
flashed across her mind along with q vague
fear that this ma beside her might resem-
BILE him in this respect, but she ~biushingly
dismissed it as an immodest suggestion, un-
worthy of any decorous imagination.
Presently her companion. after clearing
his throat several times preparatory to
speaking, but not being able to carry his
conversational attempts further than IN
abashed ''Gid dap to his horse, began with
a manifest effort and much u~naccountatke
confusion and embarrassment, which he
tried vainly to conceal By in.erpolating
various remarks of encouragement to his
horse: i've got yOur letters an you've got