Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1902-12-23
AT THE
ROPES END

Copyright. 1901, BY L. c. Paschdl

Look out, girls! Don't go that way
here's the trail" Rattlesnake Jack,
the big guide, handed each maid of his
convoy over the rocks toward Inspira-
ton point as If she were Dresden
china shepherdess and might break
any moment.
Il do wish you wouldn't be so careful
of u.s." pouted one little lady. Il am
quite able to take care of myself"
And she tossed herr pretty head with
its tumbled name like colt FESTIVE
under the curb.
miss Spofford desires the dignity of
her position to be maintained" de-
claimed normal class miss from the
platform of bowlder just ahead.
"She has been out from parental. high
school and city authority for n whole
year, during which time she Has sue
cessfully filed the position of in
structor in the Black Tail school, dis
trict of Basin, state of Montana. Signed,
sealed and delivered by me this 18th
day of August, 1898. Martha e.
Nickel" And she pompously rolled UP
an imaginary certificate, took from her
small, freckled nose pair of invisible
eyeglasses and glanced benignly around
upon her giggling audience.
II don't care" Ella Spofford's
piquant face was flushed, though she
smiled with the rest over Martha's
chatting. After you've done the order
ing yourself, you don't want to be
always under somebody else's order.
And, besides" she added, Il want to
get a snapshot of the lower falls from
below Red dock, and Jack never let's
me go where want to. l want to
have a good time and see everything.
What are we in the Yellowstone park
for, anyway"
ITO secure valuable information on
geological strata" came in sonorous,
didactic tones from the bowlder. TO
obtain the latest views In snapshoot-
ing, that we may thereby be qualified
to train the young idea how to shoot
the shoots of learning
A hailstorm of pebbles interrupted
the speaker, who descended and
walked on with great dignity. The
others followed, their cowboy guide
bringing up the rear.
II beg your pardon, Miss Ella" he
was apologizing redly to the rebellious
lamb in his flock. When he was embar-
raised or excited, his cowboy vernacu-
lar fell from him like the thin veneer it
was, and he dropped, as back to ma
tive tongue, into the Harvard lam
guage," as his ranch friends termed 1T.
1T is exceedingly dangerous around
these rocks. They are shaly and slip
perry, and / have seen more than one
go down to death just because they did
not realize the danger See that long
line of danger rope stretched along
down there to keep tourists on the up
per trail?"
She nodded.
sThat very place. he continued,
where you wanted to take your kodak
picture on the other side Of Red rock,
is the spot from which minister fell
to the bottom of the gorge. over LOCO
feet, last year. We could not even get
down to bring back the remains. 1t
was awful! He was dashed to pieces.
His wife stood here She almost went
insane over it."
II know, but he was probably ten
derfoot fresh from the east'-this with
all the western scorn of eastern igno-
rance of mountain climbing. I'm a
mountain girl"
"Yes, / know" he assented eagerly,
land plucky and sure footed as well,
but I promised your mothers that /
would bring you all back safely from
this camping trip through the park.
and intend to do so even though it be
against your own sweet will"
There; now will you be good r.
laughed Martha Nickel. after that
touch Of masculine masterfulness =
'Bogy man III catch you if you don't
watch outr" she hummed wickedly as
she passed them. "And remember how
one bogy man changed his title from
Gentleman Jack to Rattlesnake ditto
down on his cattle ranch in Gallatin
valley. That was when be was still
fresh from the east too-but that's
another story, as Rudyard says"
Jack looked sheepish, as he always
did when this piece of his prowess was
mentioned.
"Oh, tell me about it." asked Ella,
her grievance forgotten. You lassoed
the RATHER, didn't your
He nodded. THAT'S all there was to
it." he said shortly.
Except the trifing detail of the child
whose life you saved by it and who
would have been bitten otherwise she
answered.
''The chief benefit l derived" - he
smiled reminiscently-"w my promo
ton in the estimation of the cowboys
from a mere college tenderfoot to a
genuine cowboy, a long stride in eyolu-
ton
BY this time they had come up with
the rest Of the party, who were at the
Castle ruins, gazing out, awestruck,
5ver the Grand Canyon of the Yellow
stone. Only the roar of the river 1000
feet below. hushed by distance into q
whisper, mingled with the cries or the
young eagles in their eyries on the
crags. Three mixes away to the right
the white fake of the Upper falls could
be seen. but the greater Lower falls
were invisible from their foothold on
the topmost turret of the castlelike