Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1903-04-23

7 PHYLLIS fenWIckes Adventure,
Redskins seemed to be all the rage with
English folk when Buffalo Bill was in
England with his Wild West show, and
the ladies especially appeared to invest
those considerably tanned specimens on
view at West Brompton with u sweetly
sentimental, romantic interest which l
fancy they would scarcely have been able
TO feel If they had ever been forced to face
the Redmen at fearful odds in their ma
two haunts.
was fated to undergo this agreeable
experience once, in the good old days when
the now almost extinct bison roamcd the
Wild West in vast herds, whilst the Indian
and the white invader were ut continual
enmity, the former then being about us
civilized rs the coyote and as friendly ms
the dreaded 'grizzlies.' Nevertheless,
the white man established himself in the
land and on the whole lie prospered.
The time of which i am speaking was
the beginning of the gold fever and my
brothers had been so bitten with the pre-
valent mania that they used all their in
tlucncc to persuade my father to give up
the Ok, farm in Hawkeslale and go to New
California.
Perhaps their arguments had more
weight with my father because he was
shrewd enough to see that farming was
even then becoming a losing game, while
the auriferous prospects held ont to him
appeared unusually tempting by compare
son.
i, Phyllis, being only girl, did not of
course count for much in these fanlily ar
rangemcnts: yet. in sense, because was
the only daughter and my mother was
dead, ! did count very much in my fathers
eyes, and he would, verify believe, have
stayed ut home sooner than leave me be-
hind. But was rs venturous in DISPOSE
ton rs any of my brothers, and looked
forward to the new life with immense i'm
terest, all the deeper perhaps because l
was SO utterly without experience.
1t wes finally arran sed that my fnther
should take up some land in Hope Valley,
Ell Dorado county, and there, with Char
lie Ripley's assistance, start stock farm-
ing, whilst my three brothers tried their
luck at the '',ligeingsH in the same county.
If ! had been going to the must luxurious
home in the finest part of our own favored
land, | could not possibly have been more
eager or enthusiastic over our future pros
poets 1t was enough for me that my lover
was to share our fortanes: and what more
could a romantic girl whose acquaintance
with real hardship hatl not yet begun de-
sirc9
'l,a,,c L. 81
and Ripleys ut the Birkets for more gem
crations than can count; the two farms
lay side by side and Charlie and l had
been little playnlates and child sweet
hearts ever since can remember: whence
Hawkesdale considered it "sccmly"
thing. and Chat wcwere only fulfilling our
destiny, when we grew up and blossomed
into real lovers who were soberly and SER
ioasly engaged.
Naturally enough, since the course OF
true love, we know. never does run smooth,
fate must put her finger %.to the pie, to
import spice of romance into a love af-
fair, that threatened to be so decorously
dull as ours; and this element of interest
was, 1t seemed, destined to be supplied at
the eleventh hour by the sudden illness of
old Mr.. Ripley.
To my dismay and Charles grief, his
father was taken i'll early in February,
and died before the end of the month.
Now my folk had decided to start during
the second week In March, and to defer
our departure would have been equally
useless and impossible, since we discov-
cred, to our chagrin, that Mr.. Ripley had
left all he possessed to his wife during her
lifetime, and it was afterwards to be
equally divided between Charlie and his
sister Alice. 1t was out of the question
that the only son, to whom the widow
now looked for everything, should go
,way, leaving matters in SO unsettled a
state and his mother to the mercy of hire
lings. Obviously the duty that lay near
manage the farm for his mother ana slsteef
till some permanent arrangement could be
made for their benefit.
1t was a heavy blow for us-the heavier
because 1t was SO unexpected; but Charlie
did his best to cheer me and himself by
steadily refusing to relinquish the hope Of
coming out to join us some time within q
year or SO; and at nineteen when one Is
full of health and life, a year does not seem
so very long to look forward to-
My lover came with us as far as Liver
pool, in order to be with me until the last
possible minute and defer the inevitable
agony of separation.
There's just the ghost of a chance, you
know, Phyllis darling, that l sha'nt be
tied down to the old country so long as
your father seems to fancy he said, try
ing to speak lightly.
We We're standing on deck, hand in
hand in quiet corner quite alone, whilst
fhn In G tc lodi 1yy
tears chased one another rapidly down my
pale cheeks. This farewell to my native
land was by no means what had antici-
pated, and the difference between my rose
colored visions and the sad, stern reality
was too terrible just then for me to make
even a pretcxt of cheerfuness
81 don't see how you can ever come"
returned, disconsolately: there are tho
Grating all these terrible obstacles with a
little smothered sob.
~ s, dear heart; but you must remem.
Der there is also Hugh Dalton. He and
Alice haven't settled matters yet; still
they understand each other; and, if l can
but get him to see his way clear, | know
may safely intrust my mother and sister
to his care. Hugh likes to see his way
you know, Phyllis, he's sure and steady,
honest as the day. If can work round
Hugh and get ON the right side of him, I'll
come, my darling. But well say nothing
to the others; this is only tiny bit of hope
for your heart and mine to feed upon when
we two are parted"
There We're just few more last words,
aud then the long-dreaded moment came.
j felt my lovers arms close about me, and
the Very last pressure of his lips to mine;