Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1905-02-04
THE WRONG MISS SMURTLEFF.
EEH3
\ EALLY Clifford was not at all
to blame for it, Anybody might


M
~ have made the same mistake.
Clifford was short and fat and new to
the big woods. He had been in camp
week and had spent most of the
time lying in a hammock and reading
a novel while the other men tramped
the trails and rowed eight or ten miles
through Eagle Greek to Virgin or Lake
Julia. Everybody said that Clifford
was too fat and lazy ever to make
woOdsman.
But that was before Miss Shurtleff
and her mother came to the camp.
They had a log cabin next to the big
cook shack, and it was announced that
Mr. Shurtleff would come up to join
them later The young woman was
tall and athletic looking, full of life,
and eager to see and to do all there
was to be seen or done within twenty
miles of Big Lake.
Perhaps it was intentional-at any
rate Clifford got mixed up on the in
Productions. But that was nothing
against him. Anybody might easily
have made the same mistake.
Clifford fell desperately in love with
the younger of the two women at first
sight. And his new love transformed
him. He became all at once the most
enthusiastic oarsman and wood-tramp
er in the party. 1t made a hero of
him. What would have terrified him
before he now gladly undertook.
One evening when everybody in
camp was sitting under the birch trees
watching the sunset, curious animal
as large as a small dog ran stumbling
down in front of the shack and tried
to hide under pile of logs. Clifford
and Gifford's Irish terrier, both entire
ly new to the woods, were up and af-
ter 1t in minute.
ooh, what in the world is it?' cried
Miss Shurtleff. do you suppose it is
dangerous"
Clifford would show her he knew not
the meaning of fear. He ran directly
towards the beast, which, badly fright
ened as it was, made but poor progress
over the sand.
Giffords dog was even before him.
1t attacked the animal with open
mouth. But it made but one bite and
then began to roll over and over, yelp-
ing with agony. Look out" called
one Of the guides. ITS a porky hog.
Better not touch it."
But with Miss Shurtleff looking on
Clifford would have tackled raging
lion. He raised a club he had picked
up from the ground in his right hand,
and with the other grasped the beast
by the back. But like the dog, he did
not keep his hold. His hand felt as
If it were full of red hot needles, and
from his heroic lips came a groan of
pain.
But even that was worth while, for
his sufferings called such expressions
of tender sympathy from the red lips
of his divinity that Clifford would glad
ly have embraced another porcupine.
Tommy, the guide, pulled barbed quils
out of Clifford, who bore the pain like
q Spartan, and then performed SINH
lar operation on the dog, which for the
remainder of it's stay in the woods abb
solutely refused to go within reaching
distance of anything that had life.
Doubtless Clifford would have dis
covered his mistake earlier if the two
women had not insisted in always re-
naming together. Doubtless also there
was a conspiracy to keep him in ig-
norance of his mistake, though no one
believes that either Miss or Mrs
Shurtleff was a party to it. And the
fact that the two women called each
other by their first names-Anne and
Julia-prevented his making the dis
covery in that way.
With his left hand done up in q
bandage to soothe the pain of the por
cupine quilts, Clifford became more
than ever the slave of the young WON
an. She, on her part, was kind enough
to him, though she seemed anxious
that he should pay attention to the
older lady rather than to her. AnC
Clifford obeyed her commands anC
waited on the ancient person assidu
ously. Once the old lady announced
that she would like to drink som,
milk, fresh and warm from the milk
ing, and Clifford, at a look from Mis-
Shurtleff, volunteered to get up ever,
morning at four o'clock, when Tommy
MIXED. and get the milk for her. Tha