The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-03-22

majority and went with her husband
into the then half savage depths of the
Colorado cattle ranges.
For four years her letters came regu-
larly. From the very first there had been
little of personal record in them. What
she hoped or feared, enjoyed or suffered,
no one had any way of guessing. 1t was
the kindest thing to read nothing more
than appeared on the surface. But at
the end OF that time Payne Morse was
tried and sentenced to confinement for
life for participation in a daring train
robbery, She simply sent the papers in
which the matter was recorded.
Mr.. Tryon followed his telegram with
all the speed possible. And so Helen
Morse came home again, statuesque
shadow of herself-she and her baby,
of whom the whole family made an OBJ
ject of worship.
One more blow remained to fall A
year later the baby died. The newspa-
per that told its death told, too, the
death of its father, shot while trying to
escape from the prison in which he was
confined.
Helen wore black after that-perhaps
for her baby's death, perhaps for the
memory of the man who had treated her
with a cruelty she never told nor limited
at, perhaps for herself, because she had
outlived everything. At any rate, she
went in somber garments, and no Ole
questioned or remarked.
And so up to this night, the night Of
her twenty fifth birthday, when they
were all sitting about the tea table and
talking of Harry's prospects Harry had
bought share in Texas ranch, and he
! and his partner were going to rough it
alone in their cabin among the grass
and sheep. Harry was enthusiastic, fore
stalling a little and unconsciously the
character he was to assume by and by.
'Now, Mr.. Micawberl' Grace said
mockingly. Mother, you ought to give
him tin plate and cup and keep silver
forks out of his sight And, Harry. you'll
have to cut the acquaintance of boiled
shirts unless you boil them yourself, and
then you'll have spasms over the
starch
Helen looked up and said in her slow,
impassive way, why couldn't go and
keep house for you, Harry"
Silence fell about the table. The idea
had never presented itself to one of
| them, but now all at once it did not
! seem SO impracticable. No fancy of
| Helen ever did for Helen.
II have seen something of the life,"
! she said There is nothing in it that ]
cannot face do not mind the solitude
and house is more comfortable with
woman in it. !"
And so it was settled. She went about
her preparations with straig ghtforward,
unhurrying readiness that admitted of
little assistance In 10 days the brother
and sister started, and the family felt
somehow as if there had been death as
well as departure
In those days the railroad lines were
everywhere incomplete. Helen, alight-
ing from the train at its farthermost
point of advance found herself with
500 miles of stage riding before her
With her usual silence, she did not even
comment on the discomforts of the jour
ney She was the only woman in the
great swinging coach. The other pas
sengers were men, bronzed and bearded,
i'll fannels and sombreros, and with more
or less of the furniture of an armory
about them. They paid her great deal
of deferential attention and were assidu-
Gus in supplying every want, real or
imagined. And Helen took it all, as
she did everything else, with a gentle
kind Of half unobseryanb gravity that
seemed to be very puzzling to their
minds.
On the second day, we'll among the
mountains, swinging down a long in
cline among the dark shadows of the
pines, there was sudden, abrupt report
of firearms, plunging, lurching mo-
ton Of the coach, sudden uproar of
voices without, and Helen, crushed
down intothe lower corner of thevehicle,
with a smothered impression of several
tons of kicking humanity over and
above her. heard road agents" uttered
somewhere in the mass and knew what
had befallen them.
One by one the passengers were ex.
tracted.
"There'a lady in there, a voice said.
| we II coIle 10 ner presently. OeaG
yourselves on that log, gentlemen.
Here she is. Now, madam" Offering
a diamond ringed white hand
Up rose Helen, as little disheVeled as
it was possible for q woman to be nm
der the circumstances, and was assisted
up and out by masked man with the
easiest elegance of demeanor
''We are sorry to inconvenience q
lady" quiet voice said, but it is one
Il. ~ l.