The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1890-07-10
ALEX[A.
BY EVELYN RAYMOND.


"She's Gomez
"AleXy's arriv'i'
''Here she be,'
One rough head after another was
thrust into the open doorway of the long
room which served as postofficc and gen
eral "store," to announce that the event
of the day was at hand.
Willis Boothroyd followed the others
to the street, He would satisfy his curl
osity by look at this "Alexy," whose
name was in everybody's mouth.
He behold her, the centre OF an adj
miring group, mounted man fashion upon
sturdy mustang. Her costume of dark
blue flannel, with its loose blouse and
full Turkish trousers, met below the
knee by untanned, close fitting boots,
might be different from ordinary, but
was not unwomanly. Her pomegranate-
,olored face, with its rich browns aud
reds, half hidden under the deep visor of
trim little cap, showed perfect health !;
and the dark eyes roamed pleasantly over
The assembled countenances-seeing them
only as those of fricnds-until they came
10 Boothroyd's own.
Then the expression was changed, and
touch of defiance was added to the
rearlessness. She bestowed upon him no
second glance, ard as soon as the post
master had securely fastened the mail
Bags behind her saddle she made dash
ing little military salute to all, chirruped
20 Bolero, and was off like the wind.
AS she galloped out of sight the idlers
,cnt up lusty cheer; a moment later
there toated back the echo of musical
"Yo-oh-ho!" and Crimmins's Station
returned to its gossiping laziness.
elbow long has Miss Rae carried the
mail?"
"Ha-ow long9 Lemme see! l reckon
t must be abaout year--come Aurgust.
Jim, ha-ow longs Alexy ben on the
row-it2"
Nigh year. Ever sence she come
hum from tn East. She went ter school
in Bostin, t'other coast-crost country
30 to speak"
"Then she is an educated womana"
"Eddycated! Ed-dy-cated' Wa-all,
stranger, that tharsis abaout he greenest
thing t ye've said yit. Eddycated!
should say so. That thar gal knows
more'n all creation. She larned so much
she busted the college she was tn, an SC
they packed her back West, whar thar's
some room. She kin write her name It'll
hull string O. initials arter it, an eacf
one on 'em means some kind O. diplomy
she's took. l amt no great scholard my
self, but what that thar Alexy Rae dunno
INIT with much. Humph! Eddycated
Hmm"
The speaker tilted back his chair ant
pulled his indignation through his pipe
His silence was another's opportunity.
"Where'd you come from stranger
Askin' and answern's the same game-el
d orter be-"
"Oh"' laughed Boothroyd, good ma
turedly, 81 came from that same Bostol
which was honored by your favorite'
presence. l am a geologist-one of
party travelling through these mountains
but I've cut loose from the others for
few days to make little tour on my owl
account"
"Then you amt -prospectin'?''
"For gold9 No. I, too, have beel
sent West by college, but not, like you
handsome mail carrier, because I knew
too much-rather in pursust of NOR
knowledge
'Lor!" grunted the man with tn
pipe, "ye,ve no call ter tell ont
A laugh ran around the circle.
"Then We must a-knowed her tharl'
"No. I regret that had not tina
pleasure"
elbow came she to take up such
life?"
Material enough" replied the post
master. ''Her father owns the stage lin
that runs atween Bloomin' City an Hel
rick's Station, further daown stream
She cum hum, an hadn't nothin' ter do
Old RAGS rich as thunder, an the et
likes the open. She b'lieves in work, TT
Haint a lazy bone in her hull body.
she arms the regular wages, an support
an ole Teller what usen ter carry tn
mail, till he got 'held up and shot, al
left ter be half chawed up by bars"
son this same route?"
''Yes, sir! Old Rae he b'lieves IL
fHermit' robbed the mail hisself, al
won't do nothln' fer him; but Alex,
she don't, an she takes keer O. hi
splendid"
"Speakin' O. bars" interjected IL
pipe-smoker, "thar's the gal fer VI
Why, one day long back in the sprin
she was comm long toward Grin
Tinses when, my gracious. thar sot thru
bars right ahead on her in the roat
Bolero, he got scairt an throwed he
then starts off back toward Bloomi
City. But she up an arter him! l tt
ye, she runs like a deer. She outrun IL
mustang an caught him; then 81
jumped on the saddle an jest rode hi
back agin, right amongst them tn
grizzly cusses, an by 'em, on ter Grin
minses. Reckin twor the b ars was seal
that time. Sence then she's met two
the critters, but they didn't dast to tack
her. Reckin them relashuns O. theirn
spread the story; cause them two je
sneaked off outen the road s if tn,
couldn't look sech a gal in the ey
Smart an plucky2' You bet!"
Willis Boothroyd spent that night
Crimmins's. He heard many more stori
of the pretty carriers adventures ov
her twentymile route, which lay direct
through the heart of the mountains, al
was lonely in the extreme. But the g
seemed utterly fearless, and there W
not c man in the whole country b
would have laid down his life to defer
or avenge her had need arisen.
Yet that which interested him mt
was her devotion to the neglected, IN
judged "Hermit," her predecessor, W
by his enemies own showing, must ha
been man of no ordinary daring Al
intelligence. He fancie1 sympat
between the rough frontiersman and t
cultured girl born of common couras
and his interest so grew that he resolv
to make his next days walk lead to I
cabin of the cripple to see for hims