Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-11-10
:HerLesson
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
By c. B. LEWIS


Vaughn OF chicago. Her ScnOOImate,
Nettie Long, whose father owned and
managed the big Long ranch and who
was now living with him out in the
wilds, had written that a person would
meet Bessie at Snow IIill with a buck
board and bring her safely to the
ranch. The person proved to be
young man of twenty i've, dressed as
a cowboy, but having rather a distn-
guished look about him. While he
was Fastening along the platform and
yet thirty feet away the girl acknowl-
edged to herself that his features were
good and that his face showed charac-
ter and ambition. Perhaps it was for
these reasons that, while he was COW
ering the other thirty feet, Miss Bessie
suddenly decided that he ought to be
snubbcd.
This IS Miss Vaughn of Chicago, I
presumeT he said as he lifted his hat
and smiled Il welcome.
What right had he to presumel By
what right did he smile welcome and
Geem ready to shake handsH The girl
looked coldly at him and slightly nod
ded her head, and that was snub No. l.
The young man took IT so; but, though
he colorcd up he did not lose his smile
You viii give me your checks,
please and l viii put your trunks
aboard, and we Will be Aff."
There was a touch ofEuthority in his
tones that nettled the girl, and she
turned away and delivered up the
checks with her own hand. She would
also have loaded the trunks on the
vehicle if she had been strong enough.
Snub No. . had followed fast on the
heels of snub No. l.
1--WE have fifteen miles to drive, and
the road is rather rough" observed the
young man as they got seated.
No reply. Snub No. 3.
81 take it that you have never visit
ed this section before" was remarked
after the silence had lasted for mile.
NO"
"But | trust you will find novelty
and pleasure"
Miss Bessie looked straight ahead
and shut her teeth hard. What was
it to one of Colonel Longs hired men
whether she enjoyed the west or not?
The man was presumptuous, and she
meant her silence to be another snub.
Whether 1t was so taken or not, II was
not more than five minutes before a
voice which had a touch Of the paOernal
in II remarked:
You don't look oyerwell, and 10 cou-
Of he ,f a atplnl-
phere VIII DO you world OF good
"Sir, are you a practicing physlcianT
asked Miss Bessie as she turned to
look the young man square In the'eyes-
We'll, no." he slowly replied
"Then you need not bother to take
charge of my health"
That was what the boys would have
called a settler, and 1t hung the young
man up for the next ten minutes.
When he spoke again, however, it was
as If nothing had happened.
1T was on that hill over there," he
quietly said, as he pointed with his
whip. that four of our men were sur
rounded by fifty Indian warriors two
years ago
Miss Bessie deliberately turned to
look in the opposite direction, and she
felt that he was smiling as he con-
tlnued:
"One of the boys was killed, burthey
killed twelve Indians and held their
ground all day"
What was 1t to her whether one or
the whole four cowboys were killedf
Indeed she found herself almost wish
ing that all had been wiped out. She
hadn't the slightest interest in. the
affair-not that day.
And over there in that valley is
where a drove Of steers ran over and
! trampled the life out OF two Of our
men last spring. We didn't evem find
their boots"
Miss Bessie looked straight ahead
and made no reply.
"And you wouldn't believe, would
! you. that this insignificant creek we
are crossing was a mile wide ana ten
feet deep last MayI We lost a thou-
sand head of stock In that food"
Still no reply. II was snub after
snub, and she meant to tire him out.
! This time the silence lasted for fifteen
minutes, and she II was who broke II
at last The horses had SHE'D at q
coyote lodging for cover and stttrted
away on tearing gallop. The young
man kept them on the trail, but tnads
not the slightest effort to check the
pace. On the contrary, he hummad o
popular air as they laid down to their
work The visitor stood It as loItg as
she could, and then turned ami ex-
claimed:
Cant you see that the horses are
running awayT
Il have seen it for some ttmepest,"
he quietly replied
Then why don't you stop theHT"
II will if you so wish, but run Of
Il few miles won't hurt them any,
She did wish it from the bottom OF
her heart, for the vehicle was jumping
like a goat, and it took both hands TO
hold her hat on her head, but she grit
ted her teeth and decided TO be smash
ed into jam before she would Refer
the request The horses ran for three
or four miles and then sobered down,
and the young girl felt tnat she had
snubbed the young man again hy not
being afraid.
"Who is that man you sent tQ the
depot after mei" she asked of her
schoolmate almost'before she had TAX
en- off her hat.
"Who? Why, that's Tom. III for
mally INTRODUCE you some day"
''YOu needn't mind. | founf him
rather presumptuous and had toi bnub
him"
Tom presumptuous? Why, hes the
nicest'-
And then she suddenly skipped TO
some other subject, and Tom wfRs for
gotten til the next day, when hf was
bold enough TO approach Miss Bessie
as she was ahuc for momerF' and
ask.