Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-05-25

WdOcT over anu dC d1Ucr du
early dismissal, she carefully took out
the bundle and started with it down
the mountain path.
where's teacher goin'?" asked one
of the children of the others.
'Down to tn village, l guess" was
the reply.
''Too far spoke up one of the larger
boys. Its a good five mile, an she
amt goin' to take no such tram as
that"
But she was. Far through the blue
haze that deepened to blush in the
Swallowed ravines she could discern the
church spire and the courthouse tower
of the town. A mile this side, at the
base of Faze mountains projecting
foothills, lay the cemetery. She
knew that there had been such
services there that day as she
had once seen in the east. She
knew they were held there every year,
but she never attended them. Father
would not like it. Nevertheless, not a
Memorial day had passed but what the
close observer coming to the cemetery
on the following morning might have
seen an extra decoration on the mound
to the unknown dead''-not dollhouse
blossoms, not the windf1owers ormoun-
tain daisies, but great bunch of nod
ding, handsome golden roses, such as
would have made him, if Virginian,
feel longing for the boyhood home
And Mrs. Brake as regularly missed the
brightest flowers from the vine beside
the door, the vine they had brought
west with them in the white-covered
wagon.
Horses hoofs sounded quick tattoo
on the road a hundred yards below the
teacher. She peered down into the val
ley and a most unwonted sight met her
eyes.
Twenty men were cantering along on
horseback. The cavalcade was in close
ranks and Notwithstanding packages
were rugged to the saddles or dangled
from the shoulders of the riders At
the head of the company rode Ferril,
and behind him was McGrath, while
the others were nearly all known to her
by sight
For a moment she wondered what
they were doing-then like a flash came
the remembrance of the conversation
she had overheard. Breathlessly she
ran on until she had reached bold
outlook at turn in the path.
Yes, they took the road that led
around Faze mountain. FerriIs de-
mand for vengeance had been success
full and they were bent on visit to the
stranger.
She thought for moment over the
threats of the day before. Of all that
| she had heard one phrase stood out
most clearly and alphabetically in her
recollection: Hes got blue soldier
| clothes on" Blue soldier clothes called
up sweet memories just now, and she
looked down at the package in her arms
| with the flower stems showing at the
end of the brown paper.
! A comrade of her lover, perhaps!
Did she not owe him something? It
| was growing late. The sun had dropped
| beyond the hills and she could already
see the blue of night creeping up the
eastern sky. But she had counted on
being out late.
She knew from the mems talk and the
direction they were taking where the
stranger must be-a cabin perched on
the other side of Faze mountain, that
had often sheltered hunting parties, and
| was once the home for months of a
| couple seeking health among the hills.
The road around the mountain would
give the horsemen long journey.
| She turned short off from the path
| and climbed up the hillside, brushing
reclxlessly through the ivies and BRAN
bles and pushing sturdily aside low
hanging limbs and swaying vines.