The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1903-02-27

brighter. "Aftcr ALL" she thought,
81 guess a living hc.h-and- blood girl.
saved from helpless suffering, i, a
good deal better monument than one
Of white marble"
A week later. when Josephine
reached home one evening. after sue
had been TO the hotel with her ber-
ries, she Jaw an express wagon under
the birches. A couple of big trunks
were in it. Josephine recognized
Hosea Atkinson's rig. Hosea hauled
the luggage of the hotel guests to and
fro from the station. josephine
thought he vas likely on his way to
the station now TO catch the night ex-
press. She wondered what he had
called for.
As she opened the sagging little
gate and hurried up the path. Hosea
came through the hall to the front
door.
Here she is" he shouted to some
body behind him. The next minute
Hosea was pushed out of sight and
another man stepped out. He IA
tall and bronzcd. with n soft. brown
beard and pleasant face. Josephine
did not think she had cycr seen him
before. yet therewas something about
him that seemed curiou,ly familiar,
lie held out his arm. to her.
"Josie!"
Then Josephine knew him.
"Brenton!' she gaspcd. and her face
became as white rs the day lilies. She
would have fallen If he had not
caught her.
1--WE scared YOU he said. peni-
tcntly. "llosca told me YOU thought
| wa dead. Id ought to have been
more careful. There, there. it, all
right, josie
Josephine was crying and laugh
ing together. Her first audible words
were: ooh, Brcnton. YOU don't need
a monument now"
Brenton threw back his head and
laughed heartily "Notmuch. | don't.
Never felt less in need Of one! But
must pay oil Hosea and get my
trunk. in before ] begin to talk"
While he was out Josephine found
her way into the house. As yet she
was dazed. She heard Brcnton's
shout Of laughter out in the lane rs
he and Hosea dragged the trunks in.
"Just fancy if I'd had that monu
mcnt up" she said, HISTORICALLY.
When they were alone Brcnton
skotchcd his experiences briefly.
"Whcn | got TO Dawson City ! had
hard luck at first. ! was too late.
There were hundreds there next door
to starvation. After a pretty tough
time ! fell in with n party that were
going prospecting away up north,
clear Of vel the fringcs Of civiliza.
ton. They were all desperate like
myself. went, too. ! wrote you
before | started, but the letter must
have gone astray. All the advcn-
lures | went through would ill a
book. There wasn't no way Of writ
ing to you. We had hard timcs. But
We struck luck at last, and just as
soon as ! could | started for home.
! haven't made a fortune, Josie, but
I've got enough TO buy the Morrison
farm. It's for sale, too, Hosea tells
me-"
"To think | didn't know You at
first!' said Josephine. brcathlcssly
Its that big beard of yours. But
how did that story Of your death
Gomez"
well, | can't be sure because
never knew 1t until | got home, hui
! guess il was this way. When left
Dawson there was a man named Bur.
ton Kennedy there sick with pneu.
monia. lie didn't seem TO have any
friends to speak Of, | left Dawson
pretty quiet and sudden, and he must
have died and they mixed him NJ
with me Jerusalem! You should
have seen the folks at the station
stare at me! They thought ! was q