The Delta independent. [volume] (Delta, Colo.) 1886-19??, 1897-06-09

Can she not be persuaded to give her
Iecuperative powers . fair chance TO
assert themselves? One can't do bet
ter than to let nature alone sometimes.
This is plain talk. palmer than should
Ike to address directly TO your aunt;
but il is due to you, for in many ways
you can help TO put it into practice"
And I will help only too gladly"
said the girl, earnestly. please be as
sured of that"
rs it a bargain, then?"
Indeed it is"
May it be q successful one" said !.
And now, Miss Gray. you may be
pleased to know that from. this turn In
the road can be had tine only view of
iassettville which warrants claim of
beauty for the place."
We drove int" 'he town and turned
into its principal street. halting in
front of the shop of its solitary drug
g.st. While l stood before the counter,
waiting for the prescription to be made
up, Sam Carpenter sarutered in.
Il kinder wanted to see ye," he re-
marked. after the weather, the state of
trade and town politics Ind been dis
cussed. ''rain't much, bu, maybe yer'J
like to know about it,
Whats the trouble ?" saidI.
Wall, u couple o. days ago chap
come ter my stable an hung round till
we got ter talkin'. He didn't seem ter
have no special bizness egitatin' him,
hut he did seem ALFRED curious. Pret-
~ soon he got round ter that old brewer
from Charleston, South Car'liny, you're
doctorin'. Seemed mighty interested
in him-too mighty interested, reck-
oned. When a neighbor's boy asks me
how my apples is gettin' on / put il
down ter friendliness, but when catch
him up the tree 1 call him too blamed
ahectionate. So as this chap WINS tryin'
ter pump me, / tried ter pump him, but
guess neither of us got any more salts
faction than the schoolmaster did when
he tackled the parsons Hebrew book,
thinkin' 1T was Greek. Struck me you
mighta well know about linn, though
what wns his name ?" asked.
He didn't say" T.
"Can you describe him?"
"Hefty fer his inches; old clothes,
trousers tucked in his boots; kinder
springy in his walk; more dirt than
tan on his face. kept an eye on him,
an saw him. after hangin' round spell,
steer fer the Rodneytown road"
Thanks for the informot tion," said !.
Probably he is some tramp who has
heard yarns about my patient, and, hay-
ing nothing better TO do. asks questions
to keep talk going. Nevertheless,
I'm much obliged for the tip"
That's all right" Carpenter re-
sponded, with the air of q man who feels
that he has done his duty. Say, how's
the hoss suitin' yer?"
"Excellently. It's q pity, though.
there's SO little style about him."
IF he had style, ye'd never got him
fer the price ye paid. He ain't the kind
of hoss pretty girl likes ter hev
hitched in front Of her house ON Sun.
day afternoon-that's fact-but fer
plain weekday use he's o. r."
Hes hnrd-mouthed. That's dspy.
back. Quiet as he Is, you wouIdnrte4
him lady's horse, would you?"
"No, wouldn't" said Sam, oraculAr-
ly. "a lady's hoss-that's any good
is MS sceerce as an angel hoss; and
angel hosses rs scarce as angel men"
The ride back to Rodneytowp was
hardly as pleasant as the fret half OF the
clined to taciturnity. Miss Gray doubt
less was busy will thought S of her aunt,
while for me the afternoon was spoiled
by Carpenters tidings. IL had been a
luxury to forget the house on the knoll,
II only for an hour or two, and here was
this news. very probably OF no moment,
yet enough TO remind me of my thrall-
dom, to drag me back to a realization of
the fact that Lamar had the first claim
upon me. OF course, he would have TO
be told of the incident of The suspicious
stranger, AID told IT once, with the pos
sibility quite within rcason that he
would decide to seek a new ASYLUM
without delay. In that case might
find myself bidding Mrs. Loring nd her
niece an unceremonious adieu, or 1
might be left behind with my chief
source Of revenue cut of In either
event 1 should be heavy loser. And,
worst of all, could devise no way in
which to shake off my helplessness A
hint as TO the identity of the stranger
had suggested itself as soon us Carpcn-
ter attempted TO portray the man. So
far as it went. his description fitted the
new farmhand-just us it probably fit
ted half the tramps in that region.
While the Etory threw surpicion upon
the fellows motives, and might prove
most useful as n warning, ii was not, OF
course, in itself sufficient TO warrant n
demand for his discharge. The out
come of all of these unsatisfactory re-
Elections was n determination to lay the
matter before the person most interest
ed, and TO abide wholly by his judg.
ment.
Early in the evening. anxious TO be
done with bad business as speedily as
possible, visited Lamar and told him
all / had heard or surmiscd. lie listened
to the story with the closest attention,
asked n few questions MS 10 the appear