The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1900-11-30
November 80. 1900
through his beard and he put spurs to
his horse.


self SO that he would be invited to eat
turkey at Yoe's ranch. This was be-
fore he had reached Bixby's where he
looked over his mail while he ate his
breakfast. The process of looking over
the mail was always interesting to
Titus. Folk did not have so many
letters in those snowbound solitudes
but that all took an interest in their ,
going and coming; and Titus was
honestly anxious to learn what Nancy
Higgins wrote home from Ouray to
her mother; and he waited till old
man Sessions had opened Franks let
ter from New York that he might find
out how the boy was getting on and
how he liked his job. So when he saw
letter addressed in masculine hand,
addressed to Miss Claribel Yoe and
bearing Cincinnati postmark, he
knew just as we'll if he had read it
that the handsome young Anderson
had magnifcently concluded that she
would ''fit in" to his comfortable
life and surroundings, and had written
to tell her so. Titus cursed him for a
puppy. He hated a man who made
condolences, and any man so loose of
soul as Anderson, who blabbled his
affairs to any chance companion,
seemed to him something less than a
natural -
"But she's bound to like the pretty
boy" he thought. "He's the kind
that takes a woman. Somehow, the
nicer woman is the bigger fool she
marries. -
And he said to himself that he would
make no effort to eat turkey at Yoe's.
But it may have been that his morse
was fond of turkey-no, that is
wrong, for there we're two relays be-
tween Bixby's and Yoe's. Indeed, up
on reflection, it is absolutely impos-
sible to tell just why it was that
Bucking Titus drew rein at Yoe's
ranch at high noon of Thursday and
blew his horn like warder of an an
Gent port.
Ten faces appeared at the front
windows and the door. There were
the there dogs, and the two Cinnamon
and Danny Cummings from over the
range, and Evans, the Methodist mis-
sionary, and Quivey, the engineer, and
Voc, blond and lowing as Olaf and
Claribel, with mountain berries in her
yellow hair and smile of welcome in
her violet eyes, Bucking Titus turn
ed trife giddy and reeled as he tried
TO walk to the door-but that, no
doubt, was because of the cold Yoe
brought him hot glass of goodly
drink.
you've hit it in the nick o time, -
cried he. "The turkey is just coming
out of the oven, and it's been sizzling
mad these last two hours because you
wasn't here to help eat it. -
Savory scents and hot-oven sounds
emanated propitiously from the
kitchen. Bucking Titus tried to be
gay, and made good deal of noise
as he got out of his bear coat and I'M
buttoned his leggings. But his heart
was trembling like an aspen in storm
and he felt sick-like a man who
hears the hammer that makes his
gibbet. He delayed pussillanimously
for about five minutes before he pulled
out the letters. There were two for
Voc and the fatal one for CIaribel
He tried not to look at the girl
while she read hers, but finally he had
to steal an upward glance. Her face
was flushed little and she was smil-
ing. An invisible hand of iron came
from somewhere and griped the mail
carriers throat. He leaned his head
upon his hand.
After minute the girl came over
and sat near him, her letter in her
hand.
"You seem really ill.," she said,
softly, looking at him with glance
of friendliness that almost broke his
heart. "Was t SO very cold2''
"Not so very cold. You'd better
write the answer to that letter before
1 go so can take it on with me. Or
you can fix up a message and I'll wire
if you like"
"You are uncommonly good Mr.
Titus, but there is no haste. The ac-
cent was dry.
"Eh2' grasped Titus, stupidity.
The girl broke into radiant smile.
care you so anxious to get rid of
me2' she whispered
Good God, no. Are-are-you-''
"Am I going of my own free will?
No; so there''
The mail carrier leaned back in his
chair with sigh of indescribable re-
lief. The Chinaman brought the tur-
key in. 1t was lordly bird, and the
hungry mountaineers rose at its en-
trance-one rises when king enters
Anything else you want to
know2" whispered the girl archly.
Her eyes were dancing, her lips parted,
her cheeks crimson She was tempt
ing past resistance.
"You know there is something else
want to know came back the
whisper. He caught her hand with a
cruel clasp. "Do-do you-Claribel,
do you ever think of met"
Sometimes. Thursdays Thurs
day was mail day.
He dropped her hand, and with