The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-05-30

four miles away. The agent is de-
tanned at home by sickness, and am
the telegraph operator, on duty in
his absence
"Can you tell me,' pleaded the SOL
itary passenger, "where / can get a
nights lodging and something to
eat? 1t is six hours since we left the
supper station, and l am just recover
ing from a siege of malarial fever.
Surely there must be some one
around here who could act as my
guide?"
"There is no one here but me, :"
said Miss Barlow, locking the cash
drawer and preparing to extinguish
the one reflector lamp that glowed
above the new arrivals head. But
fyou choose to go home with me I
dare say my mother will give you
some supper and bed. Our house
is the nearest to this place. And to-
morrow somewhat signifi-
can't pause-"you can begin a new
career"
81 am awfully obliged to you, ''said
the gentleman, jumping up with alac-
rity. But how many careers per
week do these westerners count upon?
I've no objection, for my part, to
the old one continued"
Miss Barlow's face remained inexo-
rably grave. She considered it no
part of her duty to countenance flip
pancy like this. She locked the sta
ton and hung the key on it's hooked
nail close within the latticed case
ment outside, where winds could not
hull it away nor storms disturb it,
before she said, quietly, ''This way,
please. The lantern will light you
sufficiently if you are little careful;
otheswise you will find the way rath-
er steep and narrow down the hill.
You are perhaps unaware that a tel
egram describing your personal ap-
pearance has just come in from the
White Peak Officer
"a telegram! By Jove, tbe whole
thing is out, then?'
Eyes, responded the telegraph op-
orator, "the whole thing is out. Your
conjecture is quite correct"
"Does-I beg your pardon, but this
is a matter of Importance to me-
does any one know it besides your
self"
"No,"
II may depend on your" with i'm
ploring emphasis.
eyes. you may depend on me-"
''Thanks, awfully! declared the
stranger, with fervor. "You see, it
makes it very unpleasant to have
those things talked about"
$50 I should imagine
A brief silence ensued. Eunice was
wondering how her strange compan-
ion could speak so coolly of "these
things"
"Was heutterly dead to all shame?"
she thought. The strange compan-
ion, in the meantime was secretly
marveling at the ease and ightness
with which this extraordinary girl
stepped out through the snowdrift.
"a perfect Amazon" he said to
himself, land a pretty one, too. Why
doesn't she keep talking? like the
timbre of her voice, it's regular
contralto.''
''It seems to me-" observed the
young man, after another interval of
silence, during which the crunching
of their feet in the snow and the per-
sistent bowling of the wind was all
that broke the spell that they put
great deal of responsibility on young
women in this part of the world"
"A good deal of it is forced upon
them, and a good deal they assume
themselves" said Eunice Barlow,
composedly. II am willing to admit
that I have taken heavy respon-
'sibility on myself tonight. Under
stand" added Miss Barlow, chat If
[ take you home tonight and shelter
you, | must have your promises -"
''The new career question again!
Pm blessed if know what all this
MEANS" gasped the solitary passen-
ger
"Equivocation is entirely useless"
said Eunice, severely. "You know per-
fectly we'll what I mean. Ihave given
you a chance for freedom; for what's
still better, fame and character. See
to it that this chance does not pass
unimproved."
"Mad!' muttered the stranger to
himself; livery mad! Entirely a hope
less case, l should say. I wonder if
there really was a telegram, or if that
is merely part of her brain disorder?
l wonder if I'd better keep on with
her, nobody knows whittier, or cut
and run for it, snow storm and all?"
"You have basely absconded with
your employers money!" said Eunice,
with the freezing sternness ofidealized
justice. Gin other words, you are a
bank defalcator."
ooh, come, now; won't you give a
fellow a chance?" uttered her CON-
panion. GAS the school books say,
Strike, but hear I've. nobody's
money but my own, and none too
much ofthat Idon'tknow any thing
about your banks nor their defal-