Mower County transcript., 1897-05-19

ceived equally careful attention. And
what thrills Of delight were expert
enced by the owners Of s'sto. clot othea
/ Of the Sunday style, relics
Of San Francisco civilization! The part
ners were among this lucky number,
but neither rested on his laurels.
The express agent had closed Il his
books for the day, and was balancing
them in his usual easy manner, cash
book In one hand, and report book in the
other, when he was interrupted jim
Bowloe leaned upon the counter, hold
ing in his hand q soiled copy of a San
Francisco newspaper. st"I want yeh to
help me out, he said, in answer to the
agents look of inquiry. A low-voiced
conference followed. Together they ex-
amined the advertising columns of the
Alta E'l< l1& .-.s~s. *&(8a&
"Fo'ty-tive dollars, did yeh say?" said
Jim. - II go. ~, y S<F =.
"Forty-tive dollars" .s.-. ....~
"'Pears to me that's steep-purty
steep, but I ain't the man ter kick about
trif1es. Here's yer money. Gitit start
ed as soon as yeh can." The agent
smiled softly, while Boloe trudged away
in the, darkness. " W. So
Strange happenings, like calamities,
often come not singly. 1t was the very
next evening, and the express agent
was engaged in hopeless effort to
make every dollar in the cash drawer
balance two in his accounts, when he
glanced up and found Bobby Henderson
attentively regarding him over the
COUNTER He, too, was confidential,
and he. too, had copy of San Fran
cisco paper. There was whispered
conference t. I ,.o, =. s,
"Forty-five dollars" said Henderson.
"Ain't that rather high?"e ~ =.
"Oh, no." answered the agent, smil-
inbly; "such things don't grow on every
mesquite bush." '.'t l.. ..'
"Well," said Henderson, 'this amt a
question of 'dobes, SO here's your dust
The next stage brought two packages
to the camp, that were exactly alike,
outwardly.,9. One wasr addressed to
Bowloe and the other to Henderson.
It was the evening of day not long
before Thanksgiving, and Jim Bowloe
was preparing to take his departure
from the higgins parlor. He hesitated
for q momept as he arose, and Miss
higgins smiled enoouragingly.
'"Of course, Miss higgins, you'll be
down at the big time Thursday night.
An I'll feel most oncomnonly obleeged
it you'll let me have the pleasure of
seein' you down thar an back. I'll fix
up so won't be any disgrace ter you"
And Bowloe threw back his shoulders
and looked down at himself admiring-
1y.
To this Miss higgins, smiling sweet
", and holding open the door, replied:
'1'll be ready to 60 down not later than
eight o'clock"
The next evening Henderson stood
on the doorstep, twirling his hat. Miss
higgins regarded him with pleasant
look of inquiry. -
"Miss higgins" said he, Il know I
ain't equal to the occasion, but neither's
nary other man in the gulch. But I
reckon you'll want to see the dance,
an if you need a feller to kind o. pint
out the way. it'll be great JOY ter me to
be the favored man. An I'll fix up as
much for the occasion as Californy will
allow"
Miss higgins was kind-hearted. She
looked at the face of the young man
before her, and then said simply and
sweetly: ''I'll be ready at eight
o'clock"
It was supper time in the gulch. The
express agent leaned idly against the
stump of the big pine that used to mark
the bend in the canyon and, with IN ex-
preston of amusement curling his lips.
regarded 'Cencion,i who stood before
him with her black eyes flashing.
twill be good joke" he said, "and
that is the reason spoke of it to you,
tor aim Of your opinion that Jim needs
taking down a little. But you'd better
take both, outfits. for neither of them
knows what the, other has done. and
if either lost his layout and: then saw
the other arrayed in purple and fine
flinen-well, there would be trouble and
a funeral. to say the least, #. - -
1T is well,'' said the girl, and dis
appeared amongsthe growing shadows.
The: express agent gazed l,nfterf'her
departing form 'euriously. IT. she
could write,"he murmured, reflective-
]y, "thereJis one word she would cer-
tainly begin with q capital letter. And
that is Revenge" "'--'.5. r., )
The candles, sputtered bravely that
night in front of the tin :refectors, the
lone fiddler played with all the lervor
the occasion demanded, and the floor
creaked and groaned under the grand
march, but neither Bowloe nor Hender-
son saw the opening of the grand ball.
The partners did not arrive at the
cabin on the hillside at the same time
after supper. Bowloe, with thoughts
of neckties of flaming, hues, white col
lars of wonderful heights and stiffness,
and shirts upon the fronts of which
were pictured. ell the flowers Of the
field, arrived home early 1t is not
known just what his feelings were when
he comprehended the situation, but the
opinion prevailed in the camp thataby
not being present it lost the effect. Of
the most expressive and artistic burst