The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1904-03-22

rum hdbltty lHUH SluTNdllDH.
We seven got so that we hated the
sight of each other only degree less
than we abhorred the average Bear
Cityite cached in the other cabins.
Fling a dozen society swells into a pig
sty and they viii herd together; not be-
cause they weary of each other less,
but to avoid the pigs"
"No wonder she was popular" Satir-
zeal mphasis-feminine emphasis on
the personal pronoun. How and when
did she arrive?'
I'm an old newspaper some fellow
unexpectedly fshed from his chest.
There she son the front page, photo
gravured to the life. Rare and radiant
she looked to us poor devils socially
starving under the north star. A Til
nook squaw from st. Michaels with her
hair done up in beads and tish oil would
have soothed our eyesight. Imagine
the effectthis rayishing vision produced
upon our esthetic sensibilities, as we
tackled her up on the wall and wor-
SHIPPED. The golden calf of the Israel
ties was nothing by comparison.
Dear me! All this masculine
splutter over mere pcture?" And
such is the divine perversity of the sex
that she seemed vaguely disappointed.
Sure. But such picture! II grew
upon us as Botticelli Madonna is said
to permeate your very being If you
only look at 1t long enough. At least
that was the way ] came to feel"
"Yes?" Miss Lamar's lip curled; for
little as she professed to care for man
in the abstract IL did not seem right
that man as an individual should waste
his alteration on picture, while the
real article abounded in other parts Of
the globe.
YES" he blandly continued. 81 was
the seventh man, you know. That is,
! came into our mess as number seven,
which, being considered a lucky nu-
meral-I sayl" he suddenly sat bolt
upright. "Are you at all supersti-
tious?"
"of course, I am" She shuddered
sympathetically. IF you had been
No. 10 now"
II think I should have given up
lzght there; but being the seventh
man, I said to myself; I will find
the original of this picture some fine
day"
"Ahal" with a chilling accent, as il
to show that her interest in the
Belle of Bear City would relapse in
to indifference If that aggrayating
creature pushed herself beyond the
photogravure stage of existence.
II kept on saying it all winter"
continued Sterling, abstractedly.
Later ON, when we struck it rich
aud the others forgot, would go up
to her ladyship, after a wash and
brush-up, and repeat my vow. Then
the boys would satirically intimate
that our belle had made at least one
permanent mash"
AS Sterling enthused himself over
his words, Miss Lamar became iron
ically skeptical.
This is good enough for a play.
We must consult Fitch" Fitch was
her manager. "But when luck
eyinced itself in more solid way by
making you suddenly rich, | suppose
her ladyship had to take gallery
seat"
ION the contrary, she became my
bright particular more than ever.
| had named my claim Bear City
Bellies, No. T. How the boys did
laugh. But when / began to sluice
out ten dollars to the pan, they said
No. was all right, and that the
Belle was no flirt--"
Here Sterling, with side glance
at the actress, meditatively added:
II have often wondered if they
were right"
II suppose you found that out long
ago, If there was an original to that
photo-or was it newspaper? They
print anyone's picture nowadays;
literally anyone's. 1t is rather dis
tinction to be let alone. Mine, you
ask? Look on the news stands.
Such caricatures!"
"Such divinities!" he interrupted.
eagerly. 81 loved your picture long
before | saw you over the footlights.
Then made myself known"
by prosecuting poor Fitch until
he had to do something to rid him
NttA W YOus
"And now-am 1 not your slave?
Dear Gertrude, if may call you so;
have you not guessed my riddle?
Where are your intuitions? You
know | love you deeply, deyotedly-"
"Alasl Poor Belle of Bear City!"
She raised her arms in mock trag-
ic gesture. "IIas the magic seven
failed her, who brought luck to you?
oh, faithless swami"
He saw that she was not dis
pleased, though it seemed likely that
she had guessed but half his riddle.
Rising, he made sudden dash
through the open window of room
near where they sat on the summer
hotel piazza, but returning almost
instantly, holding out a battered
looking newspaper print, framed in
costly ebony, with an inscription, in
Sterl;ng's script beneath, on which
Miss Lamar studiously fixed her
eyes, while the faint rose tint on her
cheeks deepened into delicate
glow.
"The Original Belle of Bear City"
she read aloud. God bless her!
/