Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1903-10-15
ON THE BITTER
GREEK RUN
BY w. PERI FOSTER
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

ity, you will get your hands and face
all smut, and-think Of your clothes,
Evier'
But Evelyn was not to be dissuaded.
Write me the order, Lester she com
manded. "What Is the good of being
the daughter of n man who owns a
railroad and the sister Of boy who
thinks he owns the Bitter Creek divi-
sion If l can't ride in the cabi'
"Yut Jim Lestrange"-
mir. Lestrangc is nothing whatever
to me. Merely because we used to
know him when we We're children
makes no difference. He is only the
engineer
"Humph, Member when he and you
tried to elope together In his goat
wagon and with a pound of crackers
and some cheese that mother had sent
you to the store for, EVE? Lessee;
you were about five then, weren't you"
Evy,yn's glance would have withered
anybody but an older brother. She
go>rched away with the order address
ell to the engineer of the western spe-
cial, her head In the air and deepened
color in her cheek.
The fact that Jim LeStrange had been
playmate of her extreme youth did
not freeze Miss Eyylyn Grantham. She
remembered that her mother had
soundly spanked her for the escapade
Lester had mentioned, and with the
smart of that chastisemelt her interest
in Jim had expired.
In fact, soon after that Hateful day
the Granthams had gone east. Only
during visits to the town of her birth
did Evylyn hear of jim. The Gran
thams went up the social and financial
scale by leaps ana bounds. Jim Lee
strange, with pair of strong hands
and some brains, had, to Evylyn's
mind, scarcely risen at all.
Certainly the sooty faced fellow in
greasy cap and overalls who took her
pass when she reached the platform
beside which Ninety nine and its long
train of vestibule cars stood would
have made strange figure in the par
lors of her eastern friends. And to her
mind his Good morning, Miss Evie,"
was extensively familiar She stepped
aboard the painting locomotive without
answering and heartily wishing she
had not come.
But what an adventure to tell the
girls of when she went back, The
crack flier of the Bitter Creek livision
was becoming popular. Some of her
friends had been through the canyon
and seen its marvels from the windows
of parlor ear, but no girl in her set
had dared ride from Logger to McMa-
hon Station, the towns guarding the
entrance and exit of the canyon, In the
cab of big Ninety-nine.
You better sit over on this side.
miss" the fireman said respectfully,
nlotioning to his own side of the cab.
But Miss Evylyn thought him oflicous
and crept in behind the lever and
squeezed into the engineers seat. she
did not know much about the huge ma
chine on which she was to ride and
considered IT 4 personal affront when
Jim Lestrange swung himself aboard
and stepped up in front Of her. OBJ
structing her view of the landscape
from the front window Of the cab
Under his tight fitting jersey she
saw the muscles of his shoulders and
arms slip back and forth--lille the CON
tracing of the tigers tendons under
its tawny hide-when be stretched his
left hand back to seize the lever. He
waited CHANGING ahead, for the con-
ductor's signal. There was something
fascinating in his tense though easy
pose. The compressed air signal spit
overhead. Instantly the hand on the
lever frightened. There was scarcely
jar rs Ninety-nine, taking deep breaths,
pulled out of the Logger station,
There is little in the Bitter Creek
canyon TO please the eye Of tourists,
but it certainly awes them. Sheer
walls rise so high that only for an
hour at midday Is the bottom of the
gorge flooded with sunlight. Through
this the single track OF the division
weaves its way crossing ana recross-
ing the whitened torrent upon trestle-
work. Around these piles the water
roars when mt its full. seeking to tear
down the distractions man has placed
in its path.
"Iou should have chosen a pleasant
err day for your ride. Miss Evie." Jim
said casually. It's been raining this
morning and the creek will be HIGH
And | shouldn't be surprised il we got
more Of it before long The canyon
Will be dark"
She sat suflly upright in her corner
Of the narrow seat ana made no reply.
But the rain cane ere the western