The Irish standard., 1906-10-27

bred young woman to whom sentiment
is as the breath Of life can regard a
man who ID quite devoid of 1t, she wae
still far enough from the thought Of
effacing him. '..t
To this expedient there was an un-
hopeful ALTERNATIVES: namely. the send-
ing, by the Reverend Billy. or, in the
last resort. by herself. Of a warning
message to Winton. But there were
obstacles seemingly insuperabls. Sho
had not the faintest notion of how
such warning should be addressed:'
and again. the operator at Argentine
was a Colorado & Grand River en-
ploye. doubtless loyal to his salt, in
which case the warning message would
never get beyond his waste basket.
Getting too chilly for you out heres
want to go in?" asked the Reverend
Billy, when the scenic enthusiasm be-
gan to outwear itself
mo; but am tired of the sentryNgo
part Of item steps and turn" she
confessed. Cant we walk on the
track little way"
Calvert saw no reason why they
might not, and accordingly helped her
owe: to the snow-encrusted path be-
tween the rails.
eve can trot down and have look
at their construction camp. II you
like" he suggested, and thitherward
they went
There was not much to see. after all,
as the Reverend Billy remarked when
they had reached coign of vantage
below the curve. A string of use-worn
bunk cars; 'dinkey" caboose serving
az the home on wheels of the chief Of
construction and his assistant; a
crooked siding with gang of dark
skinned laborers at work unloading q
car of steel. These in the immediate
foreground: and a little way apart.
perched high enough on the steep slope
of the mountain side to he out of tho
camp turmoil, small structure, half
plank and half canvas-to-wit, the
end-of-track telegraph Office.
1t was'Virginia who first marked tho
boxed-up tent standing on the slope.
What do you suppose that little
house-tent is for?" she asked.
IL don't know" said Calvert. Then
he saw the wires and ventured guess
which hit the mark. VS..
81 didn't suppose they would have a
telegraph Office" she commented. with
hope rising again.
"Oh, yes; they'd have to have Z
wire; one of their own. Under the
circumstances they could hardly usa
ours"
NO. she reloined, absently. She
was scanning the group of steel han
dlers in the hope that young man
in a billy-cock nat and with a cigar
ette between his lips would shortly
reveal himself.
She found him after a time and
turned quickly to her cousin.
There Is Mr.. Adams down there by
the engine. Do you think he would
come over and speak to us If he knew
we were here?"
The Reverend Billy's smile was Of
honest admiration.
"How could you doubt It? Wait
here minute and I'll call him for
you"
He was gone, before she could reply
across the ice bridge spanning one
of the pools. and up the rough, frozen
embankment of the new line. There
were armed guards here, too, as we'll
as at the front, and one of them halted
him at the picket line. But Adams
saw and recognized him. and present.
ly the two were crossing to where Vir-
ginia stood waiting.
'Eheu! what a little world we 1ive
in, Miss Virginia! Who would have
Shought Of meeting you here?" said
the technologian. taking her hand at
the precise elevation prescribed BY
good form-Boston good form.
1.-The shock is mutual" she laughed.
Il must say that you and Mr.. Winton
have chosen highly unconventional
environment for your sketching field"
I'm down." he admitted, cheerfully:|
please don't trample on me. But
really, 1t wasn't all db. Jack does do
things with pencil-other things be-
sides maps and working pronles, =
mean. Won't you come over and let
me do the honors of the studio?" with
grandiloquent arm-sweep meant to
include the construction camp in gen.
eral and the "dinkey" caboose In per-
ticular.
4 1t was the invitation she would have
angled for, but she was too wise to
assent too readily. /
/ "Oh, no; think we mustn't. I'm
afraid Mr.. Winton might not like it,
mot like 1t? If you'll como hell
never forgive himself for not being
here to Shoot up the camp for you in
person. He is away, you know; gone
to Carbonate for the day"
Ought we to go, Cousin Billy?" she
asked, shifting, not the decision, but
the responsibility for 1t, to broaden
shoulders.
why not, If you care TOT" said the
athlete, to whom right-of-way fights
were mere matters of business in no
wise conflicting with the social ameli-
orations. ST.