The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1902-08-23
By II. s. CANFlELD
CHAPTER II.

&2ttor Of "A MAID OF THE WEST" ''FERdY,
copyrighted, 1901. by D.
CHAPTER II.
In the Land of No Twilight.
Long days and nights OF railway
faveI; visions of wide brown fields,
aEu1-houses, with smoke-c0ils. nestled
1noag the hills; the roar of large
&stes in which soft coal was burned
a.d the air heavy with pestilential
'<sars; even the sunshine growing
sarTner and the sky, seen in little
through the car-window, growing
sssser; ever change of faces among
dsfSow passengers and an occasional
ARange of train-crews; ever a success
d0n OF flashing landscapes and eye
taEEs strained with gazing at them;
fVer the clank and rattle and roar and
Arob and jar of the moving monster
vlIeh bore her; then wider fields,
Saich were prairie, and darker woods,
|hich were forests, and Lois English
tad crossed the Texas line into a coun-
Gy as dissimilar from that in which
'ss1e had been reared as if it had be-
IE1ged to another world. ALI railway
2avel, after a time, becomes alike
0oaotonous and depressing, a weari-
<ess to the flesh.
On the fifth day after leaving Gray
.sSough she stepped from the dusty
ala to a little station platform more
l1ao a hundred miles west of San An
zaio- Around her, far as the eye
-:rass- Near to the station grew half
.ueszen discouraged cottonwoods. There
<seEe a we'll and MINDLESS, little
Eane-house fifty yards away, about
Shzch wandered score of tired chick
Rss three or four bridleless, riderless
<k1nkeys, apparently eating dust; on
he Tar western horizon a thin line OF
rees, marking a water-course; over
Aead a brilliantly intensely blue sky
tRtRSnated by a glazing sun. The air
cas- thin and dry and cool, however,
.zAd the girl felt a certain exhilaration
r1En it as she stretched her tired limbs
~ a rapid walk up and down the plat
~,ruz. The station agent and telegraph
operator, shirt-sleeved and smoking to-
Aasoco rolled in a corn-shuck, came to
l.: 2er and said with mild interest:
You are Miss Lois English, amt
:. Suwr'
She said she was.
WELL" he went on, II got a tele-
gam last night from Fort Clark, sent
sg Mr. Glynn, the BALCONIES boss, and
ce Cold me to tell you that the mules
VIII be after you to-day"
1.-The mules?"
yep. The ambulance, you know
cEfse rancho trav'lin' rig. 1t had orter
show up pretty soon Won't you walk
auer to the house? My wife's there.
Been married most year,
Thanking him, but declining this in
uEta1on, Lois resumed her walk. Her
three trunks were piled at one end Of
the platform and as she passed and re-
passed them she noticed that they were
eraeach worn and battered. Evidently
sozne of the men up St. Louis way had
heen In a hurry. After half-hour of
exercise she began to feel hungry.
Then away to the eastward her eve was
attracted by small cloud of dust. So
faint that 1T was scarcely discernible.
Il. grew rapidly larger. Fifteen min
uttes later it resolved itself into a large
vehicle, with a canvas top and sides.
8Eawn by four mules. On the front
seat was a Mexican driver doing moth
sag- BY him sat a slender young fell
tuw who held the reins carelessly in
oze hand while the other swung a whip
with a long lash. His feet were braced
afd his elbows were squared. He was
S-tDoting" the outfit in approved Lon
dnn fashion. The mules dashed up to
the platform at swinging gallop, half
1Ieeted and came to a dead stop the
ambulance not q foot from the boards
THE young fellow shifted his whip to
the left hand. raised huge gray SOM
aseco, heavy with silver tinsel. and
aHswed gravely. There was a flush If
pleasure on his face Mr.. "Tom" Al
Syn, OF Devonshire, rather fancied his
driving Lois returned the bow. AL
ready she liked the dash and swing Of
the arrival and the frank blue-eved
caoe of portentous gravity which
looked at her from under the somhraro
e was all so unlike Grayborough At
tEnzs moment the station agent rean.
asared and ANNOUNCED that "the
s1zsfses'' had come. Seeing that all fon,1
Ct them were within twenty feet of her
EGts looked at him moment in aston.
ss1ment, then thanked him gushine1v
Gn: the Information. The young fell.
enw with the reins laughed gaily and
tnssed them to one side of him. The
sleepy Mexican had sprung to the head
at the leading pair of. animals and held
chem by The bits. Allyn leaped to- the
ground, remarking: "That's one on you
Esa2some. Bear a hand with these
ErQsaks, will you?" Together the lug
ssse was piled into the rear end of the
vehicle and the tail-gate put In place
1nHy then did the director of ceremon-
hes turn to Miss English, remove his
haf and hold out his hand with frank
smiGe, and look Of unconscious ad.
ta1Eration in his eyes: Y X. s~.43"< ~5.>
am DELIGHTED tO3welcOma Won Miac