Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-01-05

SartWrIght-Miss Prissie, the kids call her
Shes the schooima am, from somewhere
GOWN east, and she boards at Jepson's
w my s soo,1 gosh. 1 s'posed you ali knew
what TOOK Harry over there He's dead
gone on her-in plum up to his ears
But farry was not in" he was on!y
longing 10 be, longing to take the plunge
ana dreaded 1t more and more as time and
better acquaintance paced off tho terrin,e
Instance between this dainty loW-yoiced
eastern product of good breeding and cd11-
cation; and a rough young fellow who
Knew how to get the most out of a hi, ton
Wheeler-and knew little else Nofwjfh
standing he had met her every other even
iEs an summer, he still found il difIicuIt
10 TAX TO her, even with the 1919 for a
theme. "
1 thought maybe you'd like to see her.,
ne was saying. That's why / asked Won
10 ride over. Isn't she a whaie?''
MISS Cartwright laughed approximately.
Some of your railroad figures of snesch
are just too apt for ANYTHING" She safd
1 thlhk never saw such tremendous;y
noticed?" W ii'' ei
oh, l don't know" laughed Harry
year"
Are they" she said. And then: Don't
YOU 1eei terribly afraid of it sonnet mes?:
Harry laughed again. No. | haven't
come to that yet: not even with the loI.,
tEough she has scared out good many OF
the boys" "a
Scared them out?" said Miss Cartwright
with an uplifting of the brows that made
Harry shiyer and then turn hot with love
for her Il don't understand"
ne explained, giving the story of the
loi9s dlabolisms: and she shuddered In
~ course, there is nothing to the SUPER
stltion.' she said but still / should thing
you would be afraid"
ITS my business not to be afraid. and.
after all. she's nothing but q bigeish bunch
IKE To see how she rides? I've got to run
OUT on the " and turn around"
Miss Cartwright caught her breath and
said she wouldn't dare: but she ended nv
letting Harry help her up into the cab.
Inc little spin around the "Y" was the
merest taste of locomotive ride, but /:
aWoke hitherto dormant appetite in the
school mistress.
1T is simply inspiring" she declared with
uhfelgned enthusiasm. Il wish 1 were
going to be here longer; I'd come over eyerv
little while and ask you to let me do II
Harry's jaw dropped. Are you going
away, Miss Prisse?"
Yes. I'm going back home Didn't tell
you! This is only summer school, you
know, and we close next week"
Harry helped her down from the cab and
up INTO her saddle without a word And on
all the long days run to the Butte the fire
man remarked that he never laughed once
week later Harry had another interview
with the superintendent.
You said awhile back that you'd like to
put the 10 on the mail" he began.
SO l would If didn't have a set of su-
perstitious fools for runners" snapped old
man Bence. N
We'll, I've been thinking it over, and I'll
.ry H. II you want me to-" said Harry
Then he made condition. 'Td like to
put In the rest of the week on the accom-
mediation, IL you don't mind"
The rest Of the week. carried him mast
the close of the school in the swale beyond
the Jepson house. and as good luck would
have 1t, the closing exercises were on the
THURSDAY evening which was the night
OF his lay-over at Lone Pine So he went
to the little shack schoolhouse, and sat
through the exercises In a dream of bliss
and afterward had the ineffable Joy of
walking back to the Jepson ranch with
Priscilla. -'A
1t was a beautiful night, starlit and "a
still as If the wind had never blown across
the brown wastes; night Of all nights
for the saying of such things as were
clamoring for speech within him And vet
for the life of him he could not saw the
thing he had determined to say Every
time he tried to formulate that unspeak-
able question the terrible distance between
the schoolmistress with a Wellesley diplo-
ma and an engineer with calloused hands
wtdened to a chasm impassable-from his
side. at least. So he took her home and
babe her good night and the thing was left
unsaid Afterward, by way of penance he
scamped his bed breakfast and the morn
ing farewells and went to the station to
sleep what sleep there was for him on the
comfortless cushions OF the day coach.
The mail run was to begin for Spencer
but on Friday the 1905 broke a side rod
and was laid up for repairs. SO 1t came
about that Harry went west on lis fiji ST
mail run Friday noon. passed Lone Pine IN
bound mail two hours late on Saturday.
Lone Pine was not q stop for the mail