The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1901-12-06
Copyright, 1901, By Authors Syndicate,

hTWO YEARS without sight of
woman? What a life! If one
could have two years without sight
of a man, now"
She glanced at Sterling meditatiVely
from the hammock, as he swung one
long leg over the arm of his chair and
twiddled a raw gold nugget doing du-
bious duty as a watch charm.
Gould you imagine such horror"
he quizzed.
ct would be heavenly. Men grow
wearisome when they fancy them
selves in love.
"An of them-O, most sweet sati-
ety?"
''M-m-teu me about your life up
there" she said, briskly. "Of course
the cold must have been terrific, and
with no news, no papers, no women,
no-er-"
mo anything desirable, you might
add, except the grub the fires, the
gold dust and-yes, there was one
thing else which became to me, at
least, more satisfactory than all the
rest of our meager comforts"
This last with a steady, admiring
stare that caused Miss Lamar to slow
~ droop her eyelids, as if the long
lashes might veil the faint blush that
seemed to ripple beneath the white
down of the rounded cheeks below.
"And what was this eminently desir-
able thing?" she continued, impeEi-
ously.
eve called her the Belle Of Bear
IL II
you would have thought it dizzily alb
surd could you have seen US line up eV-
cry morning and make our bows. We
even reserved our smartest small talk
for her-seemed as if she could hear,
you know
''Why not, unless she was 'dizzily'
deaf? So the most desirable thing
turns out to be feminine after all. I
might have guessed it, if there was .
get-at-able woman inside the arctic
circle. What was she-some Esqui-
mau?" This last as a sort of debatiUs
challenge.
''Not on your life. Neither was she a
Siwash, Chilcat-nor any other Alas
kan monstrosity. All! how we did
adore that girI!''
"Well, reaIIy!" Here Miss Lamar
evinced sundry dignifed symptoms Of
rising. How do you reconcile this
withyour staying twoye in that hor-
rid hole without seeing a woman?"
ut is a solemn, lugubriOus fact" he
gravely asserted, chat we did,
'Wit is one thing, Mr.. Sterling" said
she, adding hauteur to dignity. 'Men-
dacity is quite another. Even actress
81 =
She rose, darting at him a final
glance, neither meditative nor deba-
tive. Had he not seen her look that
very way at the unsuccessful sutton in
Hearts Are Trumps," her latest stage
success? Was she really going? APP
Palled lest he had offended, yet thrilled
indefnably that anything he might say
could be, of more than zephyrlike i'm
Portance to move her. Sterling timidIy
put out OBTAINING hand.
PLEASE don't CO." he ventured. 81
had no idea of-of-you see, it was
only picture, after ALL
Miss Lamar paused tentatively, with
her hand on his chair back.
Youseem OEerburdened with conun
drums to-day" she commented. 'Why
not solve them yourseIf?"
but, do you not understand 2"
am poor hand at guessing. Be
sides, it is too much trouble" Thi!
with sort of dry WEAKNESS which
however, seemed to impeI her to forge
her previous intention and sink Ian
guidly back in the hammock.
Sterling grasped his opportunity b.
linking his hands together around ont
drawn-up knee and gazing sleepily int
vacancy, as if still mesmerized bv tn,
magic memory of the elusive Belle O
Bear City.
There wereseven of US fellows cage,
in one large cabin that winter. Mos
of US, being college bred, we herde
together-birds of a feather, you know
1t was g dreary time. No sun at a
for three months, the mercury so dc
grees below or worse, with an eve
believing surf grinding the mush &C
along shore, and not scrap of new
nor woman nearer than Nome Cit
100 miles away
Always excepting the nvsterSou
Belle of Bear City" she interpolate,
supPressing strictly artificial yaw7
poor thing! Alone among all thor
men-what did you say was the pop
lation?"
i did not say, but there must hay
been a hundred showed In under Il
Tundra Bluffs, and every me TIERS Sc
Of rs q man." He grinned fe ebIy.
Always except she be- yan agai
vixen his eyes eaused her togrelent.