News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1909-12-22

| HIS cudlr was painted SQuurely &c
exclude all others. Orde surveyed the
situation with good humor.
Going to keep the other fellow from
getting a chance, / see."
Yes, indeed"
Orde bent over and, with great ease
lifted Incubus chair and all, and set
him facing Mignonne Smith and the
croquet ball
Here, Mignonne," said he, "I've
brought you another assistant"
He returned to the lamp to find the
girl, her dark eyes alight with amuse-
Sent, watching him intenty.
walter is a very bright man in his
own line" said Orde, swinging for
ward a chair, but he mustn't be al
lowed any monopoies."
How do you know ! want him so
summary removed?' the girl asked
him.
We'll" argued Orde, 81 got him to
say all he ever says to any girl. Yes,
ndeedv so you couldn't have any more
conversation from him. Besides,
want to talk to you myself
DO you always get what you want"
inquired the girl.
Orde laughed.
ANY one can get anything he wants
| if only he wants it bad enough" he
asserted
Some people," she amended. How
| ever, | forgive you / will even flat
ter you by saying am glad you came
You look to have reached the age Of
discretion. venture to say that these
| boys idea of a lively evening is to
| throw bread about the table,
Orde flushed a little The last time
he had supped at Jane Hubbard's that
was exactly what they did do
They are young, of course, he said,
"aud you and are very old and wise.
Now. tell me. what do you do?'
What do | do?" asked Orde, puz-
zIed.
"Yes. Everybody does something
out west here"
I'm river driver just now"
"A river driver?" she repeated.
"Why. I've just been hearing a great
deal about you from Mrs. Baggs."
OH said Orde. Then you know
what drunken. swearing, worthless
lot of toughs we are, don't you?"
There is HeIl's Half Mile" she re-
minded him.
"Oh, yes" said Orde bitterly. there's
Hell's Half Mile. Whose fault is that?
My rivermen s-my boys? Look here.
| suppose you couldn't understand it if
you tried a month. But suppose you
were working out in the woods nine
months of the year. Suppose you slept
in rough blankets on the ground or in
hunks. ate rough food. never saw a
woman or book. undertook work to
scare your city men up tree, risked
your life 4 dozen times a week in
tangle of logs, with the big river roar
ing behind just waiting to swallow
you; saw nothing but woods and river,
were cold and hungry and wet and so
tired you couldn't Wiggle. And then
suppose you hit town, where there
were all the things you hadn't had,
and the first thing you struck was
Hells Half Mile. Say, you've seen wa
ter behind a jam, haven't you? Water
powers a good thing in a mill course
where it has wheels to turn, but be-
hind a jam it just rips things. Oh
what's the use talking? A girl doesn't
know what it means. She couldn't I'M
derstand."
Il think begin to understand a lit
tle," said she softly. But they are
heartless class in spite of all their
courage, aren't they?"
"Heartless" exploded Orde "There's
no kinder lot of men on earth. There
isn't a man on that river who doesn't
chip in five or ten dollars when a man
is hurt or killed. and that means three
or four days hard work for him. And
man at all. Why
whats all the excitement? drawl- |
ed Jane Hubbard behind them. Cant |
you make it to be continued in our |
next? We're most starved"
Eyes, indeed!' chimed the Incubus.
The company trooped out to the din |
ing room, where the table, spread with |
all the good things, awaited them.
TO Orde'S relief no one threw any |
bread, although the whole hearted fun |
grew boisterous enough before the |
close of the meal.
In spite of her half scornful refer |
ences to bread throwing Miss Bishop |
joined with evident pleasure in the |
badinage.
After the meal was finished Orde, |
with determination, made his way to
Miss Bishops side. She turned to
the piano, struck a few chords, and
then, her long hands wandering idly |
and softly up and down the keys, she
smiled at them over her shoulder.
Song followed song, at first quickly,
then at longer intervals. The girl still
sat at the piano. her head thrown
back idly. her hands wandering softly
in and out of melodies and modula-
tons. Orde finally saw only the SHIN
mer of her white figure and the white
outline of her head and throat At
last her hands fell in her lap. She sat
looking straight ahead Of her.
nrda 90 mo to her