The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-12-14

Then laugh and upturn
All your fronds, little Fern,
And rejoice in the beat Of the Raini
John B. Tabb.
THE POSTMISTRESS.
Working hours were over in the Great
White canyon Mary Werner pulled down
the little window of the postoffice of
which she was the mistress, swept the con-
tents of the narrow counter into drawer
which she locked; then pinning a broad
lcavcd hat above the brown curls that
clustered about her brow she passed out
of her log cabin into the fresh, sweet,
evening air.
AS she reached the low fence which ran
before her house hurried footstep sound
ed through the gathering gloom, and
mans voice said:
rs that you, Mary, my girli You look
little more than ghost under the shadow
of those bushes
The girl-young and slender and grace
full as fawn-ran out into the lonely road
You've kept your promise dearest,
and como to see me" she cried as she
threw herself into the arms of her lover
Reuben Halse kissed the red lips SO
frankly offered him before he spoke
Yes, Mary, I've kept my promise, but
I've come to say 'Goodby.'"
'Goodby - GOODBYE You're going
away You're going to leave me-your
sweetheart wife that is to bey" She
clasped her arms closely about him and
trembled like leaf.
My dear little girl, don't cry-don't
grieve. You've been my sweetheart, faith
full and true, but we can never marry"
The strong mans voice broke and died
into silence.
Go on. Tell me the worst" sobbed
the girl in his arms
Listen, dear. You know that lately
things have gone wrong with me. The
bit of money I've saved for our wedding
in the fall was stolen, and then the cabin
I'd built for you down by the Blue Pools
was burnt. Still there was the farm stock
and your little purse of savings left, but
the drought has killed the stock, and-oh,
Mary, how can 1 tell you?'
Mary drew apart from her lover and
steadied her trembling form against the
garden fence.
Some one has robbed you of the money
l gave you. Oh, my poor boyr' She
stretched forth her plying hands toward
the man before her. who only bowed his
head and shuffled his feet in the thick
white dust.
"Tell me, Reuben; tell me how it hap
pened. All, surely you are not thinking
/ shall blame you for such misfortune!'
and once more she crept to his side.
But Reuben thrust her from him.
- Twas no misfortune. Twas crime
Your little savings, those few coins you've
starved and scraped to keep lie there
He pointed with his lean, brown hand
down tho canyon to where, amid q dense
mass of foliage, few lights twinkled.
Mary staggered.
Down there? At Ffolliott's?'
AYE, lass-at Ffolliottsl lost it all
at faro last night"
For moment no sound but the even
ing breeze whispering among the creepers
and bushes and the harsh note of night
bird broke the silence Then a woman's
voice, tender and low and full of tears,
murmured, "Rube, dear Rube, forgive
you
Reuben Halse flung his arms above his
head and gave bitter cry.
Don't, Mary, don'tl I'd rather you
would strike me-"
The stars twinkled their diamond eyes
on the man and the girl as they said fare
we'll, for Reuben had settled to leave tho
canyon that night.
bill Redfern, One Eyed Sammy and
Joe the Portuguese are going too. We're
all broke and may as well starve out
there" and he waved his hand toward
the wide forest land of Arizona, las in
this canyon here. Don't sob so, my girl.
You'll break my heart. I'm not worth
tear from your pretty eyes or a choke III
your white throat. But, Mary, you might
pray for rue sometimes, and when you re
married to good chap as don't go to Ffol-
liott's and neglect his farm for the tables
and the bar think of me, who loved you,
but was not worthy to have you"
One kiss on her brow, then a clatter of
galloping hoofs, and Mary Werner was free
to go back into her log cabin and sob out
her heart till the dawn.
Reuben Halse and his companions had
been gone from the Great White canyon
for week. Mary's cheeks, never very
full of color, had grown pale and heavy,
and blue lines beneath her large eyes told
of sleepless nights and many tears.
Yet Paul Harding, Beauty Paul, as no
was called in the canyon, thought he had
never seen Mary look SO lovely as he clat
tered up to the door Of the postoffice one
morning and asked the young postmis-
trcss II there was anything for him.
He watched, with his handsome dark
eyes, her small, white fingers go through
the letters lying on the counter before
her.
But she finally shook her head
Nothing for you today"
Yet Paul seemed loath to go. He pull
81 I1 a1o lad &c
spurred boots upon the floor and contin.
ued to stare through the pigeonhole win
dow at the girl as she fitted about her
usual business.
Anything 1 can do for you:" she asked
him presently.
No." Paul said slowly, taking In every
detail of the girls pretty figure, clad in a
cotton frock of gentian blue. but might
l speak to you one minute privatelyS"
You can say what you've got to say
where you are"
He stared silently, first at his boots, and
as his eyes wandered up they lit on the
snowy shelves of bright and simple uten-
sils and shining saucepans which lined
the walls.
How differently you keep your place \
from what mans shanty Isl"
But she staid his compliments.
You live down by the Blue Pools.
don't your"
"Yes, next to Reuben Halse till his
place was burnt out and he came to my
shanty saw Rube three days back"
"You saw Rubef" Mary clasped her
hands above her heart
Eyes. He and his chums passed
through Long Toms ranch. I've been
out there this two months past helping
him brand and count the cattle. Rube
told me that you and he had parted and
the reason why. He asked me to look
after you q bit. You see, we've been good
pals, and I'd like to do him a turn now
he's gone under You will let me look
after you now and again, won't you. fol
Rube's sake?"
The handsome cowboy, straight as DART
tall and strong as giant, clad In the pic
turesque rough clothes of his calling, bent
like reed before the tiny blue clad figure
of tho postofice mistress, who laid slen-
der white hand in his great palm and lift
ed her violet eyes to his dark ones.
''Surely, Paul Harding for Rube's sake,
you may look after me when can't look
after myself"
With that soft glance burning into his
brain and those gentle words pulsing In
his ears Beauty Paul swung himself into
his peaked saddle and sent his horse full
speed down the hill to Ffolliott's saloon.
1t was for Rube's sake that the follow
ing Sunday Paul dressed himself in his
best brought little two wheeled cart
III. ,1<N,,e 30