The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-06-05
WILD BILLS ROSE.
From San Francisco Evening Post.

The sun was SITTING on a sea of rain
DOW hues behind the tall. gray-peaked
mountain tops. whose somber Jagged
ness. here and there, glinted brightly
Where the golden shafts of diaphan-
GUS sunbeam kissed them. The lurid
glow Of the light Of the setting sun
filled the atmosphere with wierd, fiery
haze; the grayish yellow sand of the
earth cleaned more golden, and the
dark olive Of the outrageous trees
shone Of brighter green. A group of
men are clustered loungingly about the
door Of Gruff Rock tavern.
1T amt nuthin' to none of u.s." one
Of the miners is saying, "exceptin that
what hurts Bill hurts u.s."
eff Master David means wrong by
the girl" another says, and his fists
clinch incidentally.
Hold on, Buck" some one interrupts
him. eff in all the white-faced aristo-
cracy there's one gentleman, it's Mas
ter David.
Gosh! wonder if Bill knows?"
Shut UP, comrades; here he is
A form, uncommonly tall, Stalwart as
an oak, straight as a pine, advances to-
ward the group. He strides to a vacant
chair in silence. There's nothing pre-
possessingly handsome about this gruff
Westerner excepting the gentleness
that turks about his mouth. Bill had
perceived the seemingly mutual par
TALLY Of his little Rose and the pale
faced stranger. Yet, why had every
ono perceived it?
When young Lodding a stalwart
STRIPPING, had come to Pawnee Bill TO
tell in his honest, faltering elouuence
Of of Ia
Bill shook the boys hand with kind
heartedness.
"Lod," Bill said, 'I love my little gal
better nor anything else on earth, but
you're worthy Of her, lad. Go ask the
chit, and my heart and godspeed go
with YOU
Lodding never preached the subject
to Bill afterward, but his eyes lower
ed and his lips twitched painfully
whenever the great blue eyes of Bill
met him. Rose never mentioned Lod s
name row, while there was time when
she would run to Bill with a merry
laugh to exhibit the rare mountain
| stone or brace Of game that Lod had
given her. That was before there had
been question of love, but now well,
now it was different.
Among the miners all conversational
gagged with his own thoughts, seems
rot TO be conscious Of the long silence.
Some distance eastward, silhouetted
against the transparent blue of the
evening sky, two forms are visible,
wandering slowly along the rocky
powders ard low-lying cliffs. The fig
ure of a girl, from the wide rim of
whose hat floats a tangle Of sunny
curls. A smile lights the comeliness of
her youthful countenance as she places
one slender hand in that of her COM
panion, who offers his assistance from
where he stands on a jutting rock
little beneath her.
His lips part in a genial smile, as
though he had said something anus
ing or pleasant, and the girls smiling
face breaks iEto nipples of laughing
+ smiles. Pawnee Bill has turned and
gazes at the tableau in silence. He ut
ters no word-rising silently, he moves
slowly from the still companionship of
his comrades. AS he moves from his
! comrades, they look at him in silence.
What harm could come to Pawnee
Bills Rose? What would that aristo-
crat be in Pawnee Bills hands? A
helpless atom, a reed-why nothing at
all.
'e9o let us stop here. Fmstired. Mas
ter David
"Rose. why do you persist in calling