Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1910-12-22

A Red Tag
By CLARISSA MACKIE
Copyright. 1910. by Associated Literary Press

ting daZedly beside the track while
crazy fox terrier leaped upon him
with velvet pink tongue and short,
excited yaps of joy. The chain dan
Cling from the collar tapped in the
sagebrush and from a ring in the
collar hung a red tag.
1t was all over and a miracle had
happened! Evelyn had been on that
train. She was the girl who had
stood in the baggage car and of
whose face he had had a feeting
glimpse as the train dashed away!
This crazy fox terrier, who had rec
ognized in him former master, was
| none other than Evelyn's dog, Flip.
He gathered the wriggling little beast
in his arms and rocked him lovingly.
The red tag bore number and
| most precious name-Evelyn's-
the destination, Los Angeles. He
stored it away in his pocket
He related the incident, shorn of
| its personal details, to the wondering
| party of water carriers when they
came back to camp, and they accept
ed the addition of Flip with hearty
good will.
Several days passed while Dan
marveled that no inquiry had been
put In motion by the railroad people
| for the absconding bit of baggage.
Late one afternoon he rode over to
the Springs; there was no mail at the
postoffice. and when he had finished
| his business he mounted his horse
| and rode slowly out of the town back
to the camp; Flip gamboled about
the heels of the horse.
The way led among sand dunes
standing like hooded monks along
the trail; he stopped once and, half
| turning in his saddle, looked at the
sunset. 1t REDEEMED his bronze face
and glinted on the damp rings of hair
on his forehead. He pushed back his
hat from his head and listened.
The steady beat, beat Of hoofs
grew nearer; some one was coming
from the town-perhaps one of the
boys had been in-but he had left all
| of them at camp. He waited for the
| rider to catch up with him. The
horse was a strange one and the rider
did not resemble any of his friends.
A broad hat tapped up and down.
Dan Kennett's heart went up and
down, up and down, as a girls lovely
face was revealed under the broad
brim of the tapping hat; 1t stopped
altogether when the rider resolved
| into Evelyn Lane herself, coming
toward him with tremulous smile and
pleading eyes. Flip raced crazily
| toward her
DAM" she called, and 1t woke him
| from his stupor of surprise. In an
| instant he was on the ground and
| holding out his arms, and she slipped
down from the saddle and into his
embrace with the happiest sigh Of
| content in the world.
Perched on a sand dune, after
long period of bliss, she told him how
she came to be there.
She had loved him, but had doubted
her own heart; and he had gone
away so quickly. II he had waited
little! Then things had been very
dull and she had decided to spend a
year with an aunt in Los Angeles.
She and Flip had started. and the day
| tnS II uau oboppSu SiiO he'N bSSA
visiting the terrier in the baggage
car. When the chain slipped from
her hand, she had caught an instant's
glimpse Of her lover
At the first stop she made use OF
the information gathered as to the
stopping place in the prairie; had
taken local train to the nearest
point to Horse Lick Springs; had
taken a stage to the Springs and from
hotel window had seen Dan Ken
nett.
She had called for a horse and
followed him and-here she was!
Dan took her back to the Springs in
the afterglow, and the next day he
accompanied her to a railroad sta
tion where she could resume her jour
ney westward; he would join her as
soon as his work was done and then
they could be married. Before they
parted Dan solemnly tore the red tag
in two pieces and gave one to his
sweetheart. 'If il hadn't been for
that. Evelyn" he murmured, this
might not have happened"
Browning was relating a glimpse
he had had of Dams meeting with his
sweetheart. 81 say. fellows" he con.
cluded. II never saw chap so glad
to see his rich uncle in my lifei"