Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1906-02-22
"sALLyof
OURS"
BY CLAUDE PAMARES
copsrigW. r'oS, bs Mcclure, Phillips & G

| At the railroad ealing house ut flnc
| Hill they called her Our Sally and
sally of Ours" Pine Hill was a small
and the eating house was for the cen
yenience OF the freight train crews ana
the few mechanics kept in the shop
| there to make repairs. 1t was Mother
Walker who kept the Eagle Eating
House, but 1t was Sally of Ours" who
got most of the credit She was a
young woman OF twenty eight, rough
and uucultured and by no means good
looking, but considerable and kind heart
came to know that she had seen trou-
bic and they We're careful not to in
dulge in remarks TO hurt her feelings.
1t was always Our Sally" who bound
up their hurts or was ready with a
remedy ut the first sign Of mountain
fever
1t was a little community. seldom
added to or detracted from, and 1t was
quite an event when one day new
freight brakeman appeared among
them. He was q man of thirty, and it
was at once apparent that he was out
Of his element. He had the bearing
and speech of gentleman.
Within an hour of the arrival Of his
train the new hand was nicknamed
Gentleman George and no one at Pine
Hill ever learned that he had any other
name. He dropped into his place
among the rest, was In time called a
good fellow, and things went on rs be-
fore.
Not exactly, however-not with Sal
ly Of Ours" Every man of the crowd
was in the habit of speaking to her
kindly, but there was something be-
yond that IN the attitude of the new
man. In a dim way she realized that
he was above them in birth and social
standing. She had made friends with
the ordinary trainmen as an equal. but
she feared and respected the new man.
She heard 1t whispered that disappoint-
meut in love or some family matter had
made q wauderer OF him. and that add
ed to the romance.
Within a month sally of Ours" was
in love with Gentleman George" but
not for worlds would she have given
her secret away. For woman who
had no social training she was good
dissember and, although some of the
boys winked and nodded at times, none
Of them knew the depth of her feeling.
Only once during the cgSe months the
| new man was on the road Was her Sc
| cret IN danger. That waa when q
switch was thrown and dozen freight
cars were piled in a heap. She actually
led the reScuing party, and II was her
hands that helped to dig out Gentle
man George" from the wret, and
when 1t was found that he was badly
bruised the other men saw tears in her
eyes
Two mouths after the accident the
victim OF the wreck took Il partner and
set off among the mountains on pros
pecting trip.
The boys saw the two off with fare
well, ana Gentleman George" spent
| five minutes looking for Our Sally" TO
| shake hands with her. He did not find
her until he had penetrated to the
| kitchen. Then she pretended that the
| tears in her eyes and her flushed face
| were caused by smoke, She was so
nervous over the handshaking that the
young man looked at her IN surprise.
| The idea that she might care for him
| was one of the things of which he had
never dreamed Had she confessed ii
| he would have smiled first and then
| been hard put To 1t to turn she matter
off without hurting her feelings.
"And what's the meaning of this, I'd
| like TO know" asked Mother Walker
! as she entered the .,tchen few min
utes after the prospectors had disap
pcared UP the trail and found her help
err with her head on the table.
'Tve got got the toothache," was the
wailing reply.
"Umr said the other II didn't know
! but that you'd been silly enough Il
| think of love. Well. drop n little pep
permint into your tooth, and then wei
go to work and clear up these dishes"
When two months had gone by tht
| return of the pruSpcctors was looked
| for daily Winter threatened 10 set IA
| early The days went 10y aud the shows
came ma The men did not return.
one evening when the first blizzard o.
the season was bowling around Pin,
IElll Jack Ruthven came crawling In
He was the partner, and he was Sc
knocked about aud exhausted that |
was twcuty-four hours before they go
statement from him. The pyospector
han had poor luck ana had delayed IN
I'll the last moment in hope of hetterln!
it. hcN came IA unlocked tor eSlA2a
ity. "Gcudcman Georg had been tahel
in, and within thirty-siX hours lie deyel
opcd a ease OF smallpox.
"Aud you left him there 70 die alonei
demanded Sally "Of course.
1--WE hal no food, no medicines. An,
what could | do2" he asked,
shane On you forever, In twenty
four bouts the blizzard viii have pass
cd what then? ask YOU Jack Rush
ven. ANA ask every othcr man pre5en
heve what then|'
NJ one answered her The parme
| al .