Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1905-04-06
REWARDED
By
CLAIMING POLLOCK
"

|
what she most needed. In point Of
fact, however, what she most needed
was the love of the young bookkeeper
who had dropped his pen week be-
fore with the avowed intention OF rus
tcating at Red Bank
The ordinary, sensible woman Of thlr-
Miss Marshall. probably would not
have sympathized with her much con
cerning this requirement. Ewing was
| just twenty eight, and his gray mat
ter" was not gray because of maturity
or overexertion. He was exceedingly
good looking exceedingly tall and
| broad and debonar, and these virtues
| had appealed ut once to little Miss
Marshall, whose eyes were accustomed
TO grayness of mind and of other
things.
Ewing liked Miss Marshall, too, In
patronizing sort of fashion, his regard
having been deepened considerably by
the discovery that she was mistress
Of double entry" and not Mt all averse
to double labor. His affection never
melted into words, ana it was sufii-
GENTLY adjustable to permit Of being
put quite out of the way when It's pos
SCISSOR met so fluffy and alluring per-
son rs Nellie Carruth.
Frank Ewing's gone with your girl
again." Miss Marshall beard an idler
| remark banteringly to another as she
climbed the steps Of the Globe hotel
She stopped to tumble handkerchief
out of her bag.
"Who? Nellie CarruthY inquired the
youth addressed Looks as II | was
cut out, doesn't III"
That he was not the only individual
"cut out" Miss Mashall learned I'M
mediately upon the return of the pair.
| Fluttering about the piazza, she dis
| cerned them mt the end of the street,
| the bookkeeper hanging on the words
of his companion as no amount of mere
appreciation of wisdom ever made man
hang on the words Of woman. Ew-
Ing was greatly embarrassed. too when
he saw Miss Marshall although she
| tried to seem uninterested alike In ms
presence and In his attention to the
| blue frocked girl to whom he present
| ed her.
Ewing was acting quite within his
rights she told herself later, obeying
! the impulse that babe her Justify him
even to herself He had mode no pact
! with her Mt least no verbal pact and
she knew that few men recognized the
validity of unspoken contracts. Why
should a fine, strong fellow whose life
was before him he tied to neutral
tinted woman who already realized
that her future was to be only her past
stripped of its Illusions? If Frank
Ewing wanted to marry Nellie Carruth
1t wasn't any of her business.
| Nevertheless while presenting an inn
perturbable front to that part of the
world located Mt Red Bank she suffered
kecnly the next few days. Miss Car
ruth and her widowed mother occupied
a cottage near the river and between
| walking, riding and boating she and
| her new admirer We're together almost
| constantly. Ewing glanced at Miss
| Marshall once or twice assured him
self that she didn't care and was glad
| that he had not committed himself.
| Ewing was not a bad sort of Il man; he
was just a man.
| This was the state of affairs when a
fire Mt the Carruth cottage upset Red
| Bank and permitted to the boollkeeper
display of courage which seemed to
write "hns' to his romance. The blaze
broke out n dead Of night ana gained
such Roadway in the front part of the
| dwelling that there appeared scant
probability that the two inmates could
| be rescued Red Banks volunteer fire
brigade propped its ladders against the
veranda before the bedroom windows,
but very wisely refused TO mount them
through the blast furnace of the blaz
| ing porch, Ewing went up one of them
| like toy monkey on Il stick and car
ried both women to places of safety.
Miss Marshall, who thought 1t risky
to be among the spectators ut fire,
| did not witness this deed, but she
| heard of It. and her heart swelled with
| pride She had known all along that
Ewing was capable Of just such hero
ism. Forgetting her previous reserve,
she FASTENED TO congratulate him,
bringing III speeches. and fearful be
fore the couch on which he lay nursing
| Il banduged burn on his cheek
This burn the result OF contact with
a falling brand, kept the bookkeoper
wrapped In darkness and oil silk for a
| fortnight lis right eye had been en-
/ daHgelei and had 70 be treated care
fully Miss Marshall forfeited a con.
siderable amount of salary and remain
| cd az Red ! ank She really WAS need
ed after Miss Carruth, to whom the
| fire soon became only an imperSonal
occurrence which made good material
for story telling, found rowbost
| shared viii her earlier admirer rather
! preferable TO stu(fy room shared with
her later sutton ana the odor Of iolo
! form
The injured man missed her greatly
and inquired of Miss Marshall concern
ing her Miss Marshall. with bravery
In the feminine gender OF that which
he exhibited MT the fire replied that
she supposed Miss Carruth much occu-