The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1891-04-17

bN1O--~g W L. VI CAA OtiNFO LIZ A-s~e "
feel gerson;I pride in CARRYING the at
fair through to a successful lssue-fc
feel that he had heraided himself TO en-
ter JhalisfS against caprice and inJus-
tice. AID was in danger of failure, not
through lack of prOwess. but through
extraneOus and eXasDerat1n5 clrcum-
stancea So completely did the matter
absorb ana possess him that obstacles.
instead of daunting his resolution and
causing him to reconsicer the situation,
only aroused and concentrated bis forces
as Though they mad been distractions ii
the path of his Individual hopes and
fortune rgr
He was anxious also about the patient
be had Beau compelled to leave IN the
care of AN inexperienced young fellow
downy with graduation hOnOrS and sell
confidence. whom he had picked up in
the Office Ct the hotel The cose was Sc
serious THAT tie least Encouragement
might prccii tate the result.
he'd alUof by preoccupation, Royal
failed to appreciate CT even note the
grand uplifting Uf the cogatry round
about, tae e2-9 aIal.e Cri.cery Oh the win
ter forest, the delicate hua Of the Sky,
or the wonderful harmony OF tone given
by the shading of earth RAG rocks, tree
stems and ta'!ing vegetation. Even tha
quick leap Of q brook escaped MIN, and
the grace OF the curve with whlct, ike a
queens obcisance to Il rival power, it
turned aside from the ein5all1nenJ of
the railway ana pursued its lovely, muir
murous journey down the mountain.
H1Gher UP the read ran at tie foot Of
clihs covered with laurel and scrub pine
and cedar, whose gray powders jutted
up through dark mold and the brown
ness OF fallen leaves. relieved and bright
ened here and there by patches Of par
tr1dGeberry and teaberry vines. which
grew low, and showed vivid scarlet
against dark green, where birds and
rabbits had left the fruit unga5hered
Against the rocks, in sheltered hooks.
where the wind could not despoil them.
were long trails of brambfe vines and
! poison oak holding punches Of dark pur-
pie berries and tufts OF crimson leaves.
Through a long cutting, whose sides
showed the presence of iron ore, the
train steamed out into broad valley,
and drew up at a small station with de-
celtful briskness and self laudatory
whistle OF accomplished duty. Royal
lost no time IN transferring himself and
his Impotence to the station platform.
Anybody here for DIR. Royal"
The question was imparsonally ad-
dressed 10 a little knot OF lounsers, and
Royal paused for reply, wondering
what the dickens he should do If thrown
On his own resources.
A tficll5et man in gray overcoat
copiously patched with blue-a relic of
meet him.
You're Dr.. Royal yerse'f. reckon.
Amt your ne questioned.
Royal nodded and the man extended
his hand with great cordially.
''Do1o forgot ne. Igacson, doctor, bi:
TEta't forgot you. We al uasd to hunt
an Gsl ta-atlor back yoniar befo' you
wont ~. Mr. palnea Jim Dpt1sua;
which echoed and re-echoed among the
trees with 4 peculiarly penetrating Ca
dence. It was like nothing which Royal,
| for all his experience Of Indians, ''loayers"
and coyotes, had ever heard in his life
before, and, had he but known it, was
simply Differentiation Of the old ''rebel
yell, still used among the mountains as
q signal.
In q second it was answered, and the
lad dropped back to his seat and put out
his hand for the reins.
what was that for?" demanded
Royal, feeling that he was getting all of
adventure he could possibly desire.
Spotswood laughed, and turned his
horse into the road to the left. ITO let
'em know it's all right and we've gone
on to the church," he explained. 1--WE
were afraid something might happen to
prevent your coming, ii spite Of what
you wrote Phyl. And it wouldn't have
done for her to go to the chnrch and no
wedding after all, you know. She'd
have been mortified, even il you couldn'
help it. Women are different from us,
with protective assumption. ''Their
feelings have got to be allowed for. Tom
and I put up that job. He had a little
niger on horseback in the woods there,
and when 1 whooped he was to gallon
back to the house and tell EN-. There's
a short cut that way. II you hadn't
come I'd have howled twice. They'll get
to the church almost as soon as we viii. "
The lads consideration touched Royal.
In his frontier experience the life had
been too free from conventionahty, and
human Independence had been too read
lily and practically recognized, for him to
wonder over the interest these people ap-
| peared to take in each others concerns
and the trouble they voluntarily put
| themselves to in each others behalf.
That seemed to him legitimate and nat
ural, but at the same time it increased
the difficulty Of the position. In their
love and care for the girl these people
would doubtless demand not only elab-
crate explanation of his plan, but some
| sort of credentials for himself before they
would allow so unprecedented a thing as
marriage by proxy to take place. The
bucolic mind did not assimilate ideas
readily, nor was it avid Of experiment
And what could they know of the an.
| guish, the insistence of the poor fellow
! dying down there in Matoacca? IF only
he had time to make them feel the pathos
| of those Last words John Royal had ut