Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1908-09-17
CHAPTER xIv.--continued.

p " STIFNT IEn
On the morning of the day of days
Gideon returned from his long alb
sence. Stella knew nothing of his
w~anderings save the little told in his
infrequent letters; and she was quite
u%nprepared for the Gideon who pre-
scented himself before her. The change
she saw in him was mysterious, al
most uncanny. Something about him,
his clothes, his bow, his voice, an at,
mosphere she could neither define nor
understand, made her feel as if a char
acter before unknown had stepped out
of a book to meet her. She was glad
there was no time for him, that she
could plead the pressure of work for
the evening.
He had hardly gone when Vic Wah
poked his yellow face into grand
ma'am's room, where in spite of Au-
gust heat, four women were plying
hurrying needles in last preparations
for the evening.
Charley Clocker, he come now pitt
ty soon"
"Cut my shoestrings! Extras, Vic;
and hurry" Sally B. rolled up her
work with one hand, smoothed her
hair with the other and was out of the
room before the cooks reply was
finished.
you callee me Vic Wah! Sabe?
All light. Extlas plenty gosh quick.
| damn hully," he called after her as he
ambled to the kitchen, his words fol
lowing her flying form to the office
door.
Standing in the open doorway Sally
B. began a voluble welcome to her dis
tinguished guest while "he was yet a
great way off" her high words carry
ing like arrows from a taut bowstring.
Not to the public wash basin and
ali-serving roller fowl, but to her fas.
tidiously clean best room, kept for
such emergencies, Sally B. conducted
Mr.. Crocker for "a wash-up n hair
brush" Without actual need of the
ceremony, he was too tactful to de
cline it, but used Sally BIS home
wrought co%nveniences with an appre
ciatiye thoroughness that brought
broad smiles to her face as she stoot
by, serving him, and retailing well
selected railroad gossip the while.
The dinner served to the superinten
dent, seated apart in a corne of thu
dining room, testified to Vic Wah'
fine understanding of the laconic or
der, extras" The fiag-draped, fir
trimmed walls, and a stage at the EN-
of the room, aroused Mr.. Crocker's Gu
riosity; and Sally BIS description o
the show to be held there that nigh
fur the benefit of Jim Sackett's wid
der" was so eloquent that Mr.. Crocke
put in her hand the first five dollar
for "a reserved seat" he said.
At six o'clock came a message fror
Alfred to Stella. "My train is ordere
to the Front. You'll have to postpon
the programme till l come, Set ther
to dancing, and get Sally B. to e.
plain. She's hostess; it will com
properly from her. I'll be there a
soon as possible. 1t will be after ten.
The dispatch met Stella as sh
went in to supper, early tonight an
contrary to her custom.
Transfers, trainmen, shopkeeper
saloonmen, gamblers, employees Of Il
gram, Finn & Gould's Fast Freigl
wagon train to leave in a day or
for the desert, the three musician
from Auburn, a travelling minister
it was an odd companioning of Draw
brain and guile there at supper und'
the yellow kerosene lights in Sal
BIS hotel. No table-talk served as
sauce to meat; no ceremony grace
the daily meal. Men did not eat, the
fed-three times a day, II work c
lowed.
A quick transformation from dinir
room to theater was followed loon |
the arrival of the audience from she
and shack, from saloon, camp, distal
ranch-a human mosaic. Sally ]
made an effective speech Of WELDON
and explanation; and the ball bega
The iare and dip Of candles twi
king in the green's; the twang Of 4
die. the scrape of heavy boots in "bc
and swing" the few well-mat'
couples that whirled in the dizzyin
o~ld.fashioned waltz, winning time fro
fae tiredf7nusicians because Of the