The Press. (Stafford Springs, Conn.) 1883-1935, 1904-08-31
.HerI1esson

By c. q. LEWIS
Copyright. 1901, by c. B. Lcwts


There was but one passenger to
ahght at Snow Hill, on the Southern
Pacific road, and in the cattle and In
dian country, and that was Miss Bessie
Vaughn Of Chicago. Her schoOlmate,
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 person would
meet Bessie at Snow Hill with buck
board and bring her safely to the
ranch. The person proved to be a
young man of twenty dressed as
q cowboy, but having rather distin-
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, Mss Bessie
suddenly decided that he ought to be
snubbed.
This is Miss Vaughn of Chicago. l
preSumeY he said as lie lifted his hat
and smiled a welcome.
What right had he to presume? BY
what right did he smile q welcome and
seem ready to shake hands? The girl
looked coldly at him and slightly nod
ded her head, and that was snub No. l.
The young man took 1t SO; but, though
he colored up, he did not lose his smile.
''YOu will give me your checks,
please. and ! will put your trunks
aboard, and we will be off,
There was touch of authority 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. 2 had followed fast on the
heels of snub No. 1.
I'VE 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.
mo" -..
"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, it was
not more than five minutes before a
voice which had a touch of the paternal
In 1t remarked: .....
you don't look overwell, and cou-
pie of months of this bracing atmOs
phere will do you a world of COOL"
''Sir, are you practicing physician?'
asked Miss Bessie as she turned to
look the young man square in the eyes.
"Well, 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 it hung the young
man up for the next ten minutes
When he spoke again, however. 1t was
as IL nothing had happened.
"It 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."
T Miss Bessie deliberately turned to
look in the opposite direction, and she
felt that he was smiling as he con-
nnued:
/; "One of the boys was killed, but they
killed twelve Indians and held their
ground all day"
: What was 1t to her whether one or
the whole four cowboys were killed?
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 even find
their boots" >..a
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 and ten
feet deep last May? We lost thou
sand head of stock in that flood"
Still no reply. 1t was snub after
snub, and she meant to tire him out
This time the silence lasted for fifteen
minutes. and she it was who broke 1t
at last. The horses had SHE'D at
coyote lodging for cover and started
away on tearing gallop. The young
man kept them on the trail, but made
not the slightest effort to check the
pace. On the contrary, he hummed
popular air as they laid down to their
work. The visitor stood it as long as
she could, and then turned and ex-
claimed:
Cant you see that the horses are
running awayY
Il have seen it for some time past"
he quietly replied.
'Then why don't you stop them?'
II will If you SO wish, but run of
a few miles won't hurt them an. -
She did wish it from the bottom Of
her heart, for the vehicle was jumping
like 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 prefer
the request. The horses ran for three
or four miles and then sobered down,
and the young girl felt that she had
snubbed the young man again by not
being afraid.
"WhO is that man you sent to the
depot after me-" she asked of her
schoOlmate almost before she had tax
en- of her hat.
"WhO? Why, that's Tom. I'll for-
mally introduce you some day"
you needn't mind. 1 found him
rather presumptuous ond had to snub
him."
"Tom presumptuous? Why, he's the
nicest"-
And then she suddenly skipped to
some other subject, and Tom was for
gotten till the next day, when he was
bold enough to approach Miss Bessie
as she was alone for a moment and
ask:
What sort Of gait do you prefer