The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1907-11-02

as soon as ever could. Rn2w'd you'd
be a pretty sight goin' into town If |
didn't.
There" he said obviously, crum.
pling up a large page and thrusting 1t
toward the young man, you clean that
side, and I'll 90 at this; and wen soon
have her in some sort of decent shape"
He squatted beside the girl and began
scrubbIng the spots as though he were
polishing harness.
The man looked at the girl, the girl
looked at the river, and neither moved
a muscle, though the man looked
sheepish with his big wad of paper
and bit helpless and quite good deal
forlorn.
"GlrIs IL strange critters" specialized
the old man, beginning on another spot.
"AIIus dom what they amt got no call
to do and jumpin' the traces when you
least expect 1t. Funniest part Of it is
they don't allow as they ought TO get
their come-uppances neither. II you
tell 'em not to do a thing they go
straight and do it, and If they get into
trouble they expect some one to yank
'em out. Here, you" he called sudden
~ to the young man, "set to and rub
out them spots-near as you can"
T-Tm afraid 1t won't do much
good" he said, obviously eying the
girl rather than the tar smears.
The old mans eyes cleaned mis-
chievously, Haven't you been intro
duced yet? Well, now, that's an over
sight! Young man, this il girl that
read that there sign about no trespass-
/ In on these premises and decided right
off to come In and make me call.
| That there barb wire fence is enough
to keep ordinary trash out, but you
/ can't never reckon on a girl. Girls
mostly needs keg o. tar, too, and she
! got both"
The old man backed off and squinted
his eyes. mighty fine skirt to get
scratched up. But then, girls is skit-
fish. I'd sooner break sixteen colts one
winter than try bringin' one girl to
time" And he grinned illuminatiIgly
up at the young man from the safety
/ of the back breadths of the gray skirt.
The girl shook herself impatiently.
THAT will do. thank you" she said,
moving quickly forward. 1T "a grow.
ing late. must be going"
/ But the old man had a firm hold on
the skirt, apd she stopped short. He
continued to rub away--he had never
stopped.
HAD a little experience o. that my
self" he said reminiscently, when /
was courtin' Mandy. Swore she
wouldn't ever have gol burned thing
to do with me-just cause held Tahi-
tina jumpers hand one sleighin' party
to see If Mandy cared. Tickled plum
crazy For the first time the old man
ceased to rub, and, half crouched, the
! dirty paper crunched in his hand, he
gazed out across the river. "Queer how
kind a-durned happy fellow can be
just cause skittish girl shows him
she cares" he muttered.
"Who-Oo-oo! Who-oo-oo" A shrill,
reckoning call foated across the wood
lot.
The old man let the tarry paper fall
from his big hand.
'It'sS Mandy" he said, springing up.
II guess you'll have to manage now
for yourselves. Supper's waitin'" With
a quick sidelong movement he was off
through the low hawthorn.
Both the man and the girl stood and
looked at the place where he had dis
appeared until the last leaf ceased to
fiutter, then slowly she turned to the
man before her. Their eyes met and
fingered for a long moment fraught
with questioning. What they answered
could not be told in words, so the man
fell on his knees and began-oh SO
gently!--to rub a spot Of the precious
gray skirt. She stood looking down on
his broad shoulders, his big blond
head touched gold by the setting sun
Then her eyes wavered to the crude
sign, mo 'rrespassing," directly il
front. With quick movement she
reached down and ran her slender fin
gers through his hair, stopped an6
touched his face caressingly with hers
'Beware Of the dogs" she said In {
voice that choked. but ended In 1
laugh.
The Snow Flower.
A traveller in Siberia tells us about {