The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-07-28


quarter you don't see Meeker in four
months
The ride was the pcrsonifcation Of
menotony. The trail lay along the bot
tom Of a narrow canyon and only now
and then could glimpse be caught of
some prominent peak above the ragged
side walls.
At noon little incident occurred to
vary the monotony. One of the men,
stooping to straighten the pack on a
burro. was kicked off a little shelf only
four feet down, but his face, after had
done it up in court plaster, was good
plan of the battle of Waterloo, the
patches being in the form Of a great "A,
with the sunken road Of Chain across
the bridge Of his nose.
All the discomfort of my journey was
forgotten in the overlooking enthusi-
assn 81 my welcome. Over and over
| again did MY Margaret as had
called her in oldtime school days, rush
in from her little log kitchen to ask me
il there was anything she could do to
ease my aching bones. AS ] looked
around the little rooms. unplasbered
save with grout dug from neighboring
hills, | began to appreciate the decor
| alive possibilities Of dotted swiss and
| red ribbons, but then Margaret could
| find beauty TO utilize on the bleakest of
| desert isles From my scat-by the
same window could see the log mine
buildings on the opposite slope of the
gulch and the day shift coming out like
bees from a hive and scattering to the
various little shaDties dotted along the
side Of the stream. AS looked Mar
garet came and looked over my shoulder
and exclaimed: There's john" and
then. why, what can be the matter"
for inst bchindhim, on an improvised
strctcher of pine boughs four men
were carrying another so stiff and still
| it did not seem as If he could he, living.
| Margaret said: Help me get q bed
ready. and by the time the men
reached the door with their burden
bed was stripped to mattress and
sheets, and they had laid him upou it,
| while John said, briefly: IAN accident
TO the machinery. He is not dead, but
don't know how badly hurt"
f[-4Ats c soon found ONE Hrm and one-feg
broken, but no evidence of other in
| jury. Mr.. Rcnfrow. with the nssst-
ancc of two of the men who, through
many years of western life, had learned
a rough sort Of surgery, set the limbs,
while the women waited the result In
suspense. Through the long night we
watched beside the poor fel ow for
Hsome signs Of consciousness, and
toward morning were rewarded by sec
ing him open his eyes and recognize
| Mr.. Rcnfrow.
/ During the weeks Of nursing which
followed we women had not much time
to think of weather, but my friend ut
Meekcr had been true prophet, and
the fcathery flakes began to fall during
it up steadily for a week, and trail and
| canyon and side slope were covered
with white pail.
We were as securely shut up from the
| outside world as if we had been walled
around with ndamant. While ones
sympathics cannot fly round the world
| WITH the click of the electric needle, one
naturally seeks for subjects of interest
| in the humdrum life around, and SO |
| began to study our charge as sat beside
him day after day, not that he seemed
difficult subject Or wrapped in any
mystery, but as he lay there swathed
in bandages he Seemed to be intently
thinking. One day he abruptly asked
how long since he had been hurt. j told
him three weeks. He turned his head
away with a deep sigh and said no more
| for a few minutes. Then he asked:
9 Bout how far is it to Cairo, Ill. ?" !
said | did not know exactly, thought
nearly thousand miles.
Wish ! was there, he jcrked out,
with an effort.
| | began to suspect that The girl
\ left behind me" was troubling him and
he wanted to talk about it and did
not know how to begin. So l rather
banteringly said; Tell me about her. 3"
lie looked at me with look of com
ical diamay and said: "Why, how did
you know and then said; Il might as
we tell some one, though there amt
much to tell. | used to live down in
Cairo and was roustabout ron a Mis-
sissippi steamer There was another
| fellow always worked on the same
| gang with me and we were thicker than
molasses in winter. He was as vain as
a peacock and thought he was some
when he got on his Sunday toys, and
he was u purity stable sort of Teller.
Well, there was girl who lived down
the river few miles, whose dad run
truck farm and sent garden sass to st.
Louis. You know. Hank Simpson and
me both met her to a dance one night.
] got introduced first and danced twice
with her before s simpson did and then
she darcel several times with him and
when come mp once ito ask her she
said she couldn't, as she was going to
dance with Mr.. Simpson. That made
me hot and went and told Hank he
was not doing the fair thing, not allow
ing her to dance with anyone but him.
He laughed and said she didn't seem to
think of any hardship. Well, we both
| got mad and | told him would dance
with her anyway, and | went back and
said Hank couldn't keep his engage
mcnt. Well, she danced with me, but
Hank and me were enemies and he did
me every bad turn he could. Well, !
used to go down the river every Sunday
to old man Lees place and sometimes
found Hank Simpson there, and he
went down sometimes in the week /
couldn't tell which of us Elsie liked the
| best or whether she was fooling both
Of us She was pretty, enough for bet
| ter than MS
Here a tender note crcpt into his
voice,
II had to go down on the boat to
Vicksburg, which would take about
two weeks, as we would have to.wait
for a cargo 1t was a regular purga-
tory to me all the time | was gone, for
| was afraid Hank would get the best of
me and made up my mind to have it
out when got back. The next Sunday
l went down. ! had bought ring in
Niclrs