Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1902-02-20
Belle of Bear
| City ~ - - y
~ WI. PERRY BROWN.
1.-TWO YEARS without sight of .
woman7 What Q hfel II one

womsn7 What Q hfel II one
could have two years without sight
of q man, now"
She glanced at Sterling meditatively
from the hammock, as he swung one
long leg over the arm OF his chair and
twiddled raw gold nugget doing du-
bious duty a. q watch charm.
"Could you imagine such horror r.
he quixzed.
ut would be hesvenly. Men grow
wesrisome when they fancy them
selves in love.
IAN OF them-0. most sweet sati-
etyr
"N-m-tell 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 hrss, the
gold dust and-yes, there was one
thing else which became 70 me, at
least, more satisfactory than all the
rest OF our meager comfortA."
This last with a steady, admiring
stare that caused Miss Lamar TO slow
ly droop her eyelids, as ~ the long
lashes might veil the faint blush that
seemed 70 ripple beneath the white
down Of the rounded cheeks below.
'And what was this eminently dssir-
able thinS?" she continued. impsri-
ously.
I'VE called her the Belle Of Bear
City. Funl" he chrckled 80 himself.
"You would have thoughtit eiExily abb
surd could you have seen Us line up ev-
cry morning and make our bows. We
even reserved our smartest small talk
for hcr-seemsd ~ II she could hear,
you know"
why not. unless she was 'dixsily'
deAf7 So the most dsAirsbls thing
turns out 20 be feminine after all. !
might have guessed ". II there was q
get-atablc woman inside the arctic
circle. What was shs--some EAqui-
maup" This last - sort OF dsbotivs
challenge.
mot on your life. Neither was abe
siwssh, Chileat-nor any other Alas
kan monstrosity. Ali how We did
adore that grill"
well, rsallyi" Here Miss Lamar
evinced sundry dignined symptoms Of
rising How do you reconcile thiA
withyour staying two years In that hor-
rad hole without seeing a woman2"
1T 10 . solemn. lugubrious fact" hs
gravely asserted, "thAt we did"
"wit Is one thing. Mr.. Sterling" "said
she. adding hauteur TO dignity. Men
dacity IL quite another. Even actress
ss are supposed TO know that"
She rose. darting N him ANAL
glance, neither meditative nor dsba-
tive. Had he not seen her look that
very way at the unsuccessful suitor In
Hearts Are Trumps," her iatest stage
success, Was she really going1 Ap-
palled lest he had offended. yet thrilled
indshnably that anything he might say
could be OF more than rsphyrlike i'm.
portance to move her. Sterling timidly
put out OBTAINING hand.
please don't CO." he vsntursd. "I
had no idea of-of-you see. M was
only picture, after ALL"
Miss Lamar paused tentatively, with
her hand on his chair back.
"Yousesm overburdensd with conun.
drums to-day" she oommsnted. "why
not solve them yourself?"
"But, do you not understsnd2"
II am poor hand at guessing. Ne.
sidsA, II is too much troubls.- This
with sort OF dry wearinsss which,
however, seemed 60 impel her TO forget
her previous intention and sink Ian.
guidly back In the hammock.
Sterling grasped his opportunity by
linking his hands together around one
drawn'up knee and gazing sleepily into
vacancy, a. II still mesmsriEsd by the
magic memory OF the elusive Belle Of
Bear City.
There were seven OF VS. fellows cagsd
In one large cabin that winter. MoAt
OF US, being college bred, We hsrded
together-birds OF a feather, You know.
II WAS a dreSry time. No sun At all
for three months, the mercury 50 de-
sress below or worse. with an ever
believing surf grinding the mush Ice
along shore, and not q scrap OF news,
nor woman nIrer than Nome City,
100 miles away"
always excepting the mysterIou.
Belle Of Bear Ctty," .he hnterpolated,
suppressing a strictly artificial yawn.
Poor thingl Alone among all thos.