Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-12-16

ranch. The architecture of the house
was OF the early cowboy period, with
suggestions of that of the mining
camp. There was a severe simplicity
about the roughly hewn logs which
MADE up the walls, and although the
freaks of fashion bring many queer
Things into popular use, the plastering
OF creylces with adobe has not yet
Deem natnralized in polite neighbor-
moods. Never, howeye9., should the
wise traveller in the West or Southwest
Judge of the kernel by the shell, Of
the interior by the exterior Both
Mrs. Simpson and her daughter pos
sessed the rare and charming 'gift of
practical management" which Haw-.
thorn has ascribed to little Phoebe, in
The House of the Seven Gables" 1T
is Kind of natural magic" he says,
that enables these favored ones to
bring out the hidden capabilities of
things about them; and particularly
to give a look ofeomfort and habitable-
ness to any place which for however
brief period may happen to be their
hone''
So did cheap and simple material
take new character and virtue from
their hands; so were rough walls hid
den by chintz of tasteful pattern and
homogeneous tint; so did refinement
supply the place of costly equipment.
Jack Reynolds realized all this the
lrst time he entered the building. TO
be sure, he saw it under favorable
circumstances.
The daughter of the house had
come out to meet him as he ap-
preached. When she saw it was her
own favorite horse he had brough.
home, her face lighted up by a smile
which went straight to his heart Be
fore his visit came to an end he dis
covered that her name was Edith.
What more he discovered about her
no one but himself would know; but
it could not have been otherwise than
pleasant, for he arrived at his home ia
the highest spirits. He counted the
days until he thought he might call
again, and he made them as few as he
possibly could. 1t was strong evidence
OF Broncho Sans partially for his
young friend that he took but mild ex-
ception to what must surely be a de-
traction to an embryo cowboy; but
then Sam himself had seen the young
lady, and her grace and sweetness had
made an impression on even his case
hardened sensibilities.
THAR amt no kind o. use in talkin
about it, said he; cts human natur.
I'm an old man now, but was young
once myself an know. He's fellow
thet's got sand, an she's real good
appearin' gal an I allow it amt no
ones business but theirs"
The road up the valley was narrow
and rough; one side was often much
higher than the other; and many fur
rows and holes lay as pitfalls before
the rider. All riders, however, had
rot such horses as Comanche. He
knew what was expected of him. With
splendid stride he went over the
difficult path as if over English turf,
clearing this treacherous gully with
spring, swerving to avoid that pile
of earth washed down by the even
ing's rains, leaving one landmark after
another behind in his headlong course
They talk to this day of the time in
which he made the distance
Jack sat him like the good horseman
he was. His excitement was intense,
but every faculty seemed under per-
feet control. One thinks and remem-
bers at such times with unWonted
quickness and vividness. Not knowing
what duty or peril awaited him, nerved
for whatever it might be, he still
found himself wondering whether Sam
and the other man could get the
horses to a place of safety. Then he
thought, for what seemed to him
long time, but was probably a few
seconds, of his far-away home. Then
the absorbing theme of what he must
soon encounter took the place OF all
else. The horse began to breathe a
little hard, but his pace never slack
ened. At one time Jack fancied ne
heard hoofs behind him, but he dis
missed the idea as absurd. The next
moment he saw something which made
his heart beat fast. What had shown
itself in the gray light of dawn as
slender turbid rill was now large
stream, and rapidly growing higher.
Instinctively he called to his morse.
Faster the noble animal sped on; the
water was around his feet. There was
turn in the valley where it narrowed;
surging torrent reached his knees as
he rounded the point of the Cliff. In
five minutes he slackened his pace, for
there, parting the flood which eddled
around it, tugged and tore at it, hurled
logs and stumps and tree trunks at u,
was Simpsons ranch, and at the WIN
dow on the lower side was Edith.
In the lee, as it were, OF the mouse,
the water was comparatively quiet anu
shallow. In a second he was at the
window the horse standing still, with
heaying TANKS and laboring breath.
Tboro was scant time for ceremony,