Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1896-03-12

uuu ihnuc UP uci tuiliu titdt SHE WOulu.
Expecting Saratoga, Newport, Bar
Harbor to be crowding Puget sound. do
your" said John Dallass, as he sat on
fallen log in the gloom OF u primeyal
forest in northwestern Washington.
somewhere earPungetsound. Thenthe
young man took out map and studied
1t Whether this railroad will make
plunge into the waters Of Puget sound
just here and the whole thing come 70
grief depends upon the within Of All
engineer, md that engineer is utterly
incompetent" he continued,
crime the men turned up. wanted
to he lonesome, and lam. Great fun to
have no other company than the trees.
It's disappointing, all the same. But
what is disappointing? expected SO
much of John Dallass, and this Jack
Dallass has wited. Heroic! You hcroicY
You are simply case Of collapsed
white-feathered poltroon." Thespcaker
made n big fist and absolutely shook II
in his own face. "Yes, you wanted to
show how dead in earnest you were and
to air the Dallass temper, engaged In
the skirmish and II wound up In q
pitched battle. | must confess to have
forced the fighting. Shel Why's did
not even bring up her reserves. Now,
II she had only cried-just half Of a III.
tie tearl A woman ought to weep. |,
Is expected OF her--but she did not.
She laughed at me" Then Jack Dallass
strobe up and down.
Whom am ! talking to? These great
frs and oaks md spruces? Well, lis
ten, then. Don't tattle; you are hun
dreds Of feet above such n thing. A jok-
lug mattcrl Idon't intend to be funny.
am Just miserable, Confound these
busybodes who made an ornithologic.
al or culinary joke on me and told II
to Julia Royal. Is II my fault that
Julu has none? And they, the dis.
gushing they said to her that Jack
DalIass was going to feather his nest
or butter his beans or something equal
ly coarse and outrageous; and ! came
with my cara rcd-hot and accused her
0. deeming me- mercenary, and want
ed TO know why she hadn't resented
It; and when was through she
laughed, and she laughed, and, OH
how she hurt mel And | marched
downstairs and took the first hat OH
the hat rack---and II wasn't my hat.
and 1t made me all the More ridlcu-
lous."
Then John Dallass again paced up
and down and consulted his watch. ut
will be dark in half-hour, But l
don't care n snap about being alone,
Aud what is likely to be the conclusion
OF this business? The girl invariably
mnrrics some other man, md Is happy
with the new fellow. And the first
chap-who cares what has become OF
him? Now, there Is that Bob Bryant,
why hasn't he written? Two months
have | been away from civilization,
and not line from anybody, only old
rlgamarole rubbish from railroad d.
rectprs."
Just then there was u shout away
off In the distance. John Dallass drew
out his map, md was, apparently,
deeply engrossed In the study Of II
when his men came In. At once the
engineer found fault with them for
being behind time.
"See here said the spokesman, 1T
was rough walking through the slough,
and we went TO where the mail was,
and II was ten miles out Of the way.
There was nothing
"Where's the fourth man ?" inquired
Jack Dalass, angrily.
"You cut me too short, bosa. There
was next to nothing, only a letter for
you. The fourth hand, the man that
sorts the mail, he said this here letter
had been there n month, and that an
other mail WINS expected, but we could
MT all stay for IL, so the fourth man he
allowed he would wait. See here,
boss, that young chaps got girl in
the east somewhar, and he said he'd be
bowed, or something like II, II he
wouldn't wait and see II she had wrote
him, 80 we III out without him. He'll
he up afore long"
John Dallass felt like forgiying the
fourth man, especially since the letter
he had now in his hand he recognized as
coming from Robert Bryant. While the
men were building fire Mr.. Dallass
read his letter. There was nothing In
1t. Club talk and nonsense, absolutely
unsatisfactory. Stop! There was u
postscript. Saw Miss Royal at the
thcatei. She looked cbarmingly. Such
an amusing play! | had heard she
was going abroad. asked her about
1t. She seemed to put some insistence
in denying IT, That's ALL"
What crumb Of comfort was there?
II was ever SO small n crumb, and yet
Jack Dallass read II over and over
ngain, until the last flicker Of the light
went out, and then he lay down In his
blanket and did not go to sleep, for
lie heard during the night the coming
Of the fourth man. II was too dark
to see whether he had a mail satchel.
In moment the man wns stretched his
length before the fire and was asleep,
At dawn Dallass was awake. Yes, the
man hnd small bag. He had used II
for a pillow. The engineer hlched II
from under The heavy sleeper's head.
The contents Of the bag were exam
ined. There we're newspapers and blue
envelopes. "Beastly instructions, lu-
| ..a..tl.i. 30. a aud 10 fnr