Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1901-07-27
The SAFETY OF NUMBERS.
A Serious Comedy Of the plains.

|
ing the wrong man. In the resulting mis-
cry. the fact Of having plenty Of COM
pany gave her 10 consolation She had
had many suffers. both because she was
the only girl within radius Of half
hundred miles, and because she was a
very nice and pretty one. But only Les
| lie and DennisOn had ever stood
chance. and DeHmson had won out-no
one could quite tell why. Maggie herself
least Of all, probably. Leslie would have
been the better match, viewed financial
~. and looks were in his favor very de-
cdedly.
But Maggie chose Dennison with the
usual wisdom Of her kind: and having no
particular religious preferences one way
or another, went with him to the nearest
adobe town and had herself married by
a padre. as being the easiest and quick
est way ont of it. And thereafter for
three years Dennison had treated her
abominably He made nothing whatever
Of beating her; he 0verwOrkcd her: he
| drank His conduct was the scandal Of
the surrounding country. Knowing Mag
gie's progenitOrs and her own DISPOSE
ti0n, the wonder 10 everyone was, that
She did not shoot Dennison and have
| done with il. Since nothing of the kind
happened, the only possible conclusion
was that she loved him Which she did
| If he had neglected her she might per-
| haps have had recourse to siX-shOoter;
but it is ut least having some notice
taken Of you to be knocked down, and
Maggie frequently was.
The treatment told on her good looks
after while, the more especially as they
were Of the sort that are Of youth alone.
The plains and hard usage age woman
early. So when Maggie was n she
looked ten years older than that
Then Dennison left her. He found
somebody he liked better, one day when
be Went over to the railroad town seven
| ty-hve miles away. and took her away
with him. Maggie had no notion where
ne had gone. else she would probably
| have followed him. Instead she stayed
on the ranch and hoped and pinned. She
carried on the ranch alone. il being one
OF those plain ranches having 10 espe-
cial boundaries, no especial fields or crops
and only a scrawny mich COW or two
| and il few chickens. There were a
couple Of hundred head of stock, cattle
that rOamed the country and were TO sill
intents, wild, and some br0ncos of much
the same sort, These required no care,
SO Maggie spent most of her days sitting
on the sill of the back door of the adobe
and staring off toward the mountains and
/. thinking about Dennison.
The Mexican woman who lived with
her squatted on the ground-in the shade
in summer. in the sun in winter-with a
arettes until the hard soil in her neigh
| borhood was Strewed with Straw-paper
stumps. She had fourteen children.
Maggie had none. There had been a ha-
by. but it had died. A whtewashetl
board fence upOn the ton Of q knoll that
was to he seen from the back door
marked where the grave had been before
the coyotes had torn il up. Besides the
woman aad the fourteen children there
were two 'Sreaser vaqueroS, whose du-
ties were not hurdensome. who ate ierked
Deef and friioes, and helped Maggie wait
for Dennison to come back.
But though she sat day after day with
= her fading eyes looking toward the noun
I tans beyond which was the railway and
from which came the road. no nennison
, appeared. Other people came by at long
Intervals. Twice Leslie had ridden up
! There had been a years space between
the visits. And at the second one Mag
gle had seemed no nearer consolation oil
. common sense than at the first Then he
N had let eighteen months elapsc
!. When he came down the road this time
. he saw Maggie. from affair off. sitting OF
! the doorsill with her chin in her hands
= the Mexican woman hugging narrow
, | strip of shade. for il was near noon, ant
. some chickens and children variously dis
! posed. He Gsmounted with clankins
: of spurs and led his bronco to the water
| | trough.
Maggie rose without haste and wcnt
r over TO MN She might nave seen hin
: hNe minutes before from any sign of sur
. nrlSe or pleasure she made. Hers wa,
the apathy of the woman Of the frontier
I r"lcno; 10 Whoh' ItS Is as hcr outlook
D ~" ny HuuI'" uVa4, iruitieSs ana dry
+ S cue '""k L,m, lhlo the house when thC
\ b"'S WI r",neu eNT TO 10 NaqQero. Ha4
=" n g"rN l "a i,tiIn'sUil; She wanted
o,. "t t6"t sho ioan "INT" SeaionS-S9 Serf
= willow hands cIag"na i'r M"'u WIN hel
o r. She asked Dennis ni,'" tyos d n%5 WI;
, wo. tbat hn b,d n,,,," N .an q'au' II
ho1 t'St ntnrn r', f fro1' =" 'r.t ner; ne
} The Colorado ana to5 ba1 V ',,,. S,G g ol
husband there on;,e NV ', chon ,,v"S VI Ie'
,.r"W ,o" 49,, Nv, VIZ :, ~ name" i.t,
/, whoc thing i'm NV wsn rI - ;'n,,,! lE!' NE he
+ Leslie t0ld her. tinnin~ hocl =, b;s
! chair with his hands rlaSnni b%hind ~; ;s
! fine head, and his bnrk skiD ,,,'0 lc ,.S
a crossed with a swing
, Well" he started. lit was This wav
b you Sec. He lit ont with woman
, bad egg from over Central wov 0|,p'
~ -