Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1908-04-09
ALLIES ASPIRATIONS
Copyright. by Daily Story Pub. Coz
By ANNA HELLMAN

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was not to be broken up in a few days,
nor weeks, as he discovered. And the
next month he went back to Colorado
alone, in anything but a cheerful
frame of mind.
Allies father expostulated mildly
once or twice, and her sister Henri.
eta lectured her s%oundly, for she
knew that it was not every day that
the right man falls in love with a girl.
Henrietta's handsome young hus-
band had closed his eyes forever on
this world during the springtime OF
their lives, and although electing to
) travel life's journey henceforth alone,
she desired for her sister the happi-
ness that had been hers for so brief
a period.
After Roberts departure Allie did
not appear to find the usual pleasure
in her various fads. Somehow they
seemed less important than formerly,
and her plans for remodeling the
world were in danger of falling
through, when one day as she returned
from delivering a lecture on Higher
Ethics before the Ladies' Aid society
her father entered the DON with a
newspaper in his hand and asked her
If she could be brave.
Instinctively her thoughts flew to
Robert, and she held out a shaking
hand for the paper.
1t contained a short article with
glazing headlines, telling that the
mining camp of Cripple Creek, Col,
had been almost entirely destroyed by
fire. Several lives had been lost and
many lay at the point of death.
The fire department had proved in
adequate to contend with the flames,
and the miners had turned out bravely
to help. One, the superintendent ;of
the Anaconda mine, by the name of
Robert Hobson, while trying to rescue
some children from the second story
of the Palace hotel, had fallen through
and was carried ont almost lifeless.
That was all. Not a word to tell
whether he died after that or not.
my God, ave him and forget mel"
gasped the girl, sinking to the floor
and burying her face in the couch.
A moment later she was on her
feet again; her ayes heavy, miserable,
but resolute.
Father, / am going to start for Col
orado tonight! If you caLnot go with
me, Henrietta will"
And Henrietta did. In a few hours
they were In a Pullman on a west.
bound train. They left it for a stage
at picturesque Manitou on the mor
ing Of the third day, but Allie had no
eyes for the grandeur of the moun-
tains; the long journey vas a tragedy
to her.
All day, long the stage, going at a
moderate pace, BETTING the severe
grades Of the primitive road, literally
climbed into the recesses of the Rock
les; ~traversed deep canyons, and
chung to narrow shelves cut on the
side Of the rocky barrier. Toward
evening it dashed noisily down the
side of a steep mountain and rolled
into a charred, blackened, smoldering,
forsaken-looking place, with only a
few isolated cabins left to mark the
once flourishing town of Cripple
Creek.
In the tent which served for the
stage office, the sisters learned where
the invalids were being cared for, and
thither they went. When they
reached the entrance of the shack AL
lie sank down on the rough step. II
cannot go another step, Henrietta"
she said.
1t was not necessary, for just at
that moment the door opened, and on
the threshold stood a tall young man
with a bandage across his forehead, a
scar on n cheek, and his right arm
In a sling-a pitifullooking object
truly.
Allie sprang to her feet. "Bob!"
she cried.
Henrietta strolled away to inspect
the ruins.
Dearest" Hobson said, when earth
and heaven had once more assumed
their proper relationship, "your aspi-
rations will be realized after all. I
am badly in need of a nurse, and as
soon as I'm able to travel we will
take Henrietta with us and visit the
Philippines-on our wedding trip, you
know"