Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-08-02
Slip of the Pen.
, Ohm THOMAS saddlcd


road. The last of the beef -gatheri
to do but ride the pastures and wal
for spring. That Is, most Of them
John had lot to do, as he would have
told you himself, for he was to BIO mar
ried on Christmas day, and that is why
he was so regularly riding twice @
week to the postofiicc.
Over at Antelope, the telegraph-oper
ator, who acted also as station agent
and postmaster, was sitting alone In
his little ofiicc-except the section
house, tn only house In sight
thinking of home and Mary
Brand. Homo was away down
East, and Mary Brand whs just q
black-cycd girl who did not care fol
him one bit, as he well knew. for he
had asked her about 1t before he started
West. But there is no law against
thinking Of n girl even IL you cannot
get her, so the operator thought of
Mary Brand and believed himself to
be very miserable, and piled more
Goals on the fire, though the little stove
was already red-hot. And he smoked,
and swore softly that 1t was Il horrible
country and the superintendent had
given him the worst station on the
whole line He was n good boy, but
he had not been West long enough tc
get his head hard. As he smoked, he
noticed that his meerschaum was color
Ing up first rate, and he was much com
forted.
Just when darkness succeeded the
dull daylight, snow began to fall, and
with the first flakes came John Thomas
He got his letters and sat down by the
operators fire to read them. He was
q big, comfortable fellow, in marked
contrast 10 the Observation-Disclosures
telegrapher, and SO the latter thought
for he broke the silence with:
81 say, you seem pretty well satisfied
with yourself. How do you manage IL
IN q hole ike thisT
young fellow" said John, '.the
plains is the finest place on earth, and
the only place left where a man can
get a start. Look at me; camo out
nine years ago without a cent, worked
four years on the tra''@--l three for
old Baxter, learned ry bran4.
N my 'chal.~4-sza,-to rope an4
thing my horse could catch, and now
I've got place of my own and an in
terest in a trail-herd What's the mat
ter with me?"
You're all right" admitted the boy,
but you couldn't do 1t again, now
Tom Adams has got his maverick bill
through the Legislature"
Don't fool yourself" said John. any
maverick my horse can catch Is going
to get my brand on. Do you know
how many mavericks were sold for
the benefit of the school fund on the
fall roundup in this district? Ill tel
you. One. He fetched seventy-five
cents Oh, the law is all right"
The operator was interrupted In his
smoking by the click Of the instrument,
and when he had taken n train order,
the pipe was out Picking up an en-
velope John had thrown down, he
thrust IL into the Goals; and US 1t fiared
up, he noticed the postmark.
"Hullov' said he; Bangor Is my
town; do you know anybody in Ban
CORR
You bet do," said the cowboy. "Pm
going to marry the incest girl in that
whole town. and her name is Mary
Brand"
If old Hornet outside the door had
not got tired of standing there, elgh-
teen miles from his supper, SO that
John ut that moment made a rush to
catch him, the operators dismay would
not have escaped notice. His jaw
dropped, and the beautiful pipe fell to
the floor.
John caught his horse and headed
away toward the ranch through the
falling snow. The operator went to
the key and tclegraphed for pipe to
be sent up on the first train. Then he
went to bed. Ee had bad night.
John hummed tune as his horse
ambled along through the dark. Not
an operate mir, but one Of those hymn
tunes all cowboys use on dark nights
He was certainly happy. for he didn't
hurry his horse, nor spur him when
he stumbled. One of those letters was
from Mary Brand. She wrote she was
leaving Bangor for her uncle's home in
Denver on that day, and that John was
not to come down until Christmas
Eve, because there was much to dc
and he would be In the way" The
other letter was from broker in Den
ver, and said: "rhink we have n Gus
toner for your trail cows, and have
engaged for you to meet him here some
day next week. VIII advise further
eoon." Snow was still falling when
John reached home and turned in re-
Gecting upon the futility of all NAV
erfck laws
Snow was still falling next day. The
railroad was blockaded and he could
not get to Denver on the day appointed
The wires were down. so there was
no telegraphing. Christmas was spent
II the tclegraphcr's Office, and for once
John looked as discontented as the Op
orator. The latter took no interest In |
coloring the new pipe and wrote out ,
his resignation ready to dispatch as
soon rs the line should be open, an
that he was going back to |
Maine by the first train.
One of the first things sent when the |
line was open was Johns message to |
Mary Brand, at Denver, to the effect |
that If the railroad wash't shoveleG
Dut very soon, he should start down on |
foot.
That operator was good boy, and
ne sent the message straight, and when
IN hour later he was called up by thr
Denver Office to receive the following
message to John ThOmas about his
rail cows: "You need not come down.
Engagement off. Culver Bros" be
vas still without guile. But his heart