Middletown transcript., 1897-07-31

She was far more attractive than Mrs.
Lorrilard ever could have been. The
girl's name was May Spencer
She was Is years old, if you took hel
word for IL; and she was blonde and
pink and white and plump. She came
from some place in Ohio, and she Wis
tied the Lnrilards at Stanton which
| is in New Mexica, 100 miles from the
railroad, across Dead mans valley
(there is always Dead mans valley
and some steep hills aud u lava bed a
mile wide. Ii you have never seen a
lava bed you cannot appreciate that.
You might try TO imagine the ocean
lashed into fury by a simeon. then
fancy its great waves and billows and
wells changed suddenly to dark gray
brown stone at the height of the storm,
and you may form vague idea Of what
the lava between Fort Stanton and the
railroad is like.
1t frightened Miss Spencer badly.
The ambulance went slipping and slid
ing and coasting and humping and
bounding over the one passable part, in
a way that only an ambulance con-
Quoted by driver who has spent his
life on Arizona and New Mexico roads
could possibly stand. 1t put all the
laws of centripetal force and eQulli-
brium at naught. It and the four
mules were laws unto themselves.
Miss Spencer was not accustomed to
that sort of thing. She stood it as long
as she could, and then she told Major
Roche-in waose charge she was trav-
eling-that she meant TO get out and
walk. She had bothered the major
good deal already, and he was getting
tired so he did not say anything but sim
ply told the driver to ''slow up' and
let Miss Spencer get out by herself
She fell behiLd after moment, and
the ambulance went relentlessly on
breaking, tapping its canvas, clanking
Its chains, its break screeching shrilly.
And as it Disappeared, sometimes lost
to sight in d great hollow, sometimes
| toiling up smooth face of lava, Miss
Spencer felt herself abandoned, indeed,
in New Mexico desert, under that
terrible midsummer sun. The heat
was fiery, scorching, parching. The
sky was like hot blueglass. She won-
dered why, when the lava was hot
enOugbt to burn her feet through the
soles of her shoes, it did not melt or
grow soft. She kept on walking be-
cause she was afraid to stop. Twice
she slipped and fell and cut her hands.
Under the porous, piled-up rock, rab-
bits, owls and quail were hidden; there
were snakes, too, and lizards. At first
she was frightened when they scurried
by her, but soon, with her head ringing
and her eyes dazIed with congested
blood and her mouth open and as dry
as four, shs did not even notice them.
She reached the end of this huge rock
| river at last and found the ambulance
waiting. The driver was sleep, and
lie maj ,r was drinking water. He Of
tered her some, and when she had
drunk it she held out her broad little
foot.
"My shoes are all cut to pieces, and
they were new and awfully heavy"
"You should have kept still," he an
swered.
Now Miss Spencer wanted sympathy,
and when she didn't get it she took
dislike to the major; and because she
disliked him she eve ntually made him
sorry.
For the FIRST fortnight of her visit
she was not pretty. She was sun
burned from her passage OF the lava
sea. Her face was red and swollen,
then blotchy and lastly peely. After
that she returned TO the normal pink
and white. She was the only girl at
the post. and there was a bachelor. q
brevet bachelor, young contract SUR
geon, and Major Roche's son. The
bachelor officer WAS studious-the kind
that have much faith and think that
the great fathers in Washington will
reward lieutenants who pass high
exams, and have ideas on Indians. He
had 10 time for young women. He
paid his one call ard retired. The bra
vet bachelor is pecnlior to the service.
His wife is back East, visiting her
family. He differs fromthe real arti-
Gle only inlthat he Is Ineligible. He was
devoted TO Miss Spencer, but he did not
count. There was also the contract
surgeon. OF course be was only con-
tract surgeon. Still, he WAS tall and
blonde and had a begiuling drawl. lie
fell in love With Miss Spencer.
But tue exciting part of the story
uAuSCo VII usJhI ARsCitPfo . otfiis lie WAS
20, ard lie Was no use on earth. He
WAS just boy aud never would be any
ting more. He had failed In every
thing he had ever undertaken. He
couldul even dance, and he was afraid
Of a lbrre fnot acequia when he rode.
He depended on his papa for every
thing. and he thought he knew women
through and through, Probably p. ov-
idence sent Miss Spencer to show him
he didnf-b but the ways Of Providence
are inscrutable, and can't be sure.
Well. the contract surgeon fell in
love with Miss Spencer. but, like
Viola. he never told his love. Now,
rs the bachelor was hidden, Miss Spen-
Ger couldn't have fallen in love with
him, and no one could have fallen ID
love with Teddy Roche, so che recipro-l