The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1909-03-12
THE MAN WHO
WASN'T
GOOD ENOUGH
BY ]. RUSSELL WARREN


Watawa station, should be. workin' up
here an ornery boundary rider
"Oh; it's a long story!" said the
other man, struggling his shoulders.
81 heerd as you was going to marry
old man McKenzie's little gal?"
$50 l was"
did you hev dust-up, them"
Stevens smiled.
mo; I" He shifted uneasily in his
saddle, and relapsed into silence.
The musterer said nothing, but went
on munching damper. Presently Ste
vens broke the silence.
"Its like this, Jake: l wasn't good
enough for her; not by long way.
/ didn't care two cents about her real
ly. At least, don't think so. I'm a
bit of backyard, Jake"
The musterer shifted disdainfully.
He abhorred this sort of modesty.
81 settled down on that station"
went on Stevens, '.and feathered my
nest pretty well. The men all liked
me-would do almost anything for me,
believe. Old man Mackenzie told me
he thought heap of me. So did his
wife. And Dorothy Well, I'm not
trying to pile it on, but anyone could
see she really did care for me, poor
kid! And, up till one night, l only
looked at it my own way. AS soon as
we were married | should have been
pretty near running the show-one
of the richest horse-rearlng stations in
North Queensland. That was enough
for me.
But one night, as came across the
room singing. The lamplight was
streaming out across the grass, and l
could hear her voice and the notes of
the piano coming down on the wind.
l went up and crept along the veranda,
and stopped by the window, looking in.
"She was sitting at the piano, play
ing softly, and singing. She often did
that in the evenings. Her hair was
glowing in the lamplight-such pretty
hair it was, Jake; yellow, with a
touch of red in it-and her big blue
eyes were looking out into the night.
| Sort of seeing what wasn't there, you
know.
And then it seemed to kind of hit
me. l knew what BLACKBOARD 1 was.
1 wasn't half good enough for her. So
| lit out for the up-country somewhere,
right away. Found myself up here in
the Yapper, and took on this job, SOS
to give her chance to forget me.
Savvy?"
He stopped. Jake twiddled the lash
of his stock-whip for few minutes,
and then said, ruminatively:
Reckon you've got the spike. De-
preston, the doctors call it, don't
they? Never knew a man yet with
the Imagination of a jack-rabbit that
didn't get like that sometimes up in the
BUSH"
you don't savvy, Jake. I'm low
down beggar all through. Well, you
know, anyway, I've led a pretty rough
life and a pretty wild 'un, don't your"
"So's many another chap, and been
a real good sort with it ALL quoth
Jake, with sturdy loyalty. Like all
the rough fellows up-country, he
idolized Fred Stevens. And what's
past is done with, amt it,"
Yes. But l should have been play
ing it low, old chap, to have married
her when l felt didn't care for her,
and I'd got such black record back
of me. l couldn't do it. It's not fair
on girl when she's fair in love with
you, and you don't care. 1 wish I'd
| never gone there now!" he added,
! with sudden vehemence. 81 can't get
her face out of my mind!"
The musterer gazed at the distant
blue hills. He didn't exactly follow
his companions feelings, but he under
stood vaguely.
Poor devil!"' he murmured, which
| was his superlative of sympathy.
They rode on towards the hills in ST.
lence for some time. Then the mus
terer looked up suddenly.
There's chap riding up" he said.
Comm on at no end of pace, too"
/ Stevens shaded his eyes with his
hand and stared across the plain. In
the mist rising from the rain soaked
ground he could just make out the
dark form of horseman coming rap
idly nearer and nearer.
wonder what he's after, now?"
queried Jake, embellishing his re-
mark, as was his wont, with refer
ences to the Deity, his Satanic majes-
ty, and the internal regions.
/ The figure came nearer still. 1t was
unacceptable so far. Stevens didn' t
know the horse; and blue shirt, a
pair of moleskin trousers, and a flop
hat are too frequent in Queensland to
be mark of identification.
And then the newcomer raised bis
arm and gave ringing "Co-e-ee!"
Stevens started.
Its Mullins!" he said.
Who's he7"
Zone of the men down at Watawa
Particular chum of mine"
He smackN bis nag across I'll
tanks and 4 off to meet Il
newcomer is flung himself on
of the saddle IS le came up.
Say, Mr.. Stevens, you've got to
right back to Watawa!" he below,
Get away right now"
why, what's up?"
Miss Derry. She's fair lit out f
dying. You're the only chap that c,
save her. six keerx ,.s or
How's your nag? Pretty iresh?"
"But what's the ma Ter with her.
From Mora comes story of sugar
beets more than two feet long and