The times., 1897-05-02

| emotions she helplessly nswered, Yes =
| There exists no one on the top OF this
earth SO helplessly irresponsible as a
woman newly dismissed from a Govern
ment office-unless it be aman. When Miss
Matilda had cried herself sick enough for
| prescription She sank into state Of
| apathy and stayed there-until Anne catne
home one evening after a weeks busy plan
ming, with two yellow tickets in her
| hand.
| They cost exactly $70,'' she cried, joy
| ously. And / decided on Goldyille for
two splendid reason. We shall have So 0.52
! with which TO astonish the natives, and
! there is such a spice of prosperity In the
| name
Whats in a name?'' quoted Miss Dar-
| reil, disrnally, but Anne only laughed.
Miss Matilda almost wanted to laugh
| herself two days afterward when she
| found herself flashing through States that
| all her life had only meant so many red
and yellow splashes on the map There
| was no longer need to reprove Anne for
| the reckless handling OF their future. The
money was spent and, after all, there was
flavor OF dangerous pleasure In daring
| fate 10 her worst All her life she had
| walked in the beaten path that lay be-
fore her as prim as Dutch flower garden.
| and now that there had come an appalling
! end to her road all the comfort she got
| from Anne was reference to "ruts that
| wasn't sisterly, and another to Jack that
/ wasn't genteel Very well! there was
! no longer the despised rut to plod in. They
| had desoiate amount OF freedom now
| to starve where they pleased and, II it
| suited Anne, for their bones to bleach On
| the boundlcss prairies.
And then she did laugh at her own amaz-
| ing stock of self-pity, and 1T brought a
sparkle to Anne's eyes that it paid TO be
hopeful Just to see them. And, indeed, the
girl was so cheerily familiar with things
she never saw before and knew nothing
| about; so worldly wise in The matter OF
checks and so equal to the baggage men,
that Miss Darrell, in spite other thirty-and-
| 'something-d dreadfu.-over years, was begin
ming by the second night to feel childishly,
irresponslbly happy when-their journey
came TO an end.
Came to such a sudden and disastrous
end that she had been lying in an ugly
heap under the stars quite twenty minutes
before she realized that there had been
an accident and that like as not she
was dead.
Wounded, certainly, for her arms lay
un der her as lifeless as wooden thing
and there was something trckling down
her face, drip, drip, drip-then she tainted
again.
The accident had happened in an out of
the way part OF the country with only u
flag an TO blame. There was column
in tEe nearest paper and two-iine tele-
gram sent out by the Associated Press
but it takes more than handful of
battered humanity to make headlines in
these progressive days, so that when Miss
Darrell opened her eyes on the world again
il had quite forgotten all about her
It was rather unusual world for pair
of conventional eyes TO open upon-four
walls OF round logs, ehinked with mud of
delicatesu yellow; with small, square
slit for a window and long panel slit
for a door. Outside the window there
were fr0st-coated mountains shooting above
the sky line, and on the other side OF
the door came curious sounds of-what
was il? What was that sound? And
where in the name OF sense was Anne?
Anne was beside her. of course, and as
her watchful eyes caught sight or Miss
MatiIdas investigating ones, there came
into her face pink wave of gladness that
drowned out the pailor brought there by
suspense.
"Honey," began Miss Matilda, in such a
small, faint voice that il nearly fright
ened her into silence, I've beenill haven't
I?''
Yes, dear, but the doctor says
Ion. haveI needed ,ioctor?'' and when
she had asked her question she noaIled
and shut her eyes
Anne could have told her that she had
come near needing coroner, but she only
patred the white face and purred out en-
dearments instead.
And what did he say was the matter
with me? Am broken up beyond mend
ing? My back is splinters, know, and my
arms and NY
Indeed, then, you are not even chip
ped cried the girl, eagerly You were
lust shook up, you know, and spilled out
and flattened down, and-and-things like
that. but there was nothing downright
smashed about you, because the jury sat
on YOU, and reckon they ought TO know.
Then Miss Matilda Darrell's eyes flared
open and her means were something ap
palling.
.'It only serves me right for trusting
scatterwitted girl like YOU with re-
sponsibilities that belong TO myself alone.
| don't blame you, Anne, bIt TO come back
to consciousness in hovel like this pen-
uiless and likely manned for life lit makes
me wish / had died-oh, wish / had
died.
"If you knew what you were talking
about. Teddy, you wouldn't go on in that
in a "A
very nice shanty, and outside there are
mountains, and miles and miles of trees
and when you see the doctorn'
And how am 1 to pay him, that's
what I want TO know? Oh, Anne, child.
that was bad investment you made Of
our last bit of money"
sT call it a very good investment"
interrupted the youngest Miss Darreil-
stoutIy Il only had little over 500 to
work with, and I'm sure I've realized on
it to the extent of 81 600 and beau
thousand dollars and-and a what"
.Beau-yours, not mine, Teddy, so don't
stare at a body like that. You see, when
you agreed to let US come Westward
Hoing, wrote to Jack; yes, did. Teddy;
/ wrote to Jack and he wired that we
were TO start at once for Goldvilie and he
would meet us at the station. Well, we
didn't get there by ten miles, on ac-
count of the accident, and as you were
not able to be moved, the darling lumber
men who own this cabin turned out
hear them chopping?-Sald Jack comes
every day The thousand dollars is the
result OF compromise 1 made with the
ad-scatterwitted, in deedr'
oYou are a dear good child,S sighed