The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-05-31
THE EVENING STORY
A Red Tag Day.
(By Clarissa Mackie. }

! When Evelyn Lane refused to marry
| him, Dan Kennett quietly pulled up
stakes and got as far away from New
York as his limited supply of money
| pened to be in charge of the survey of
the government tract near Horse Lick
Springs, Mont.
He had worked off the first bitter
sting of disappointment, but there still
remained the heartache and the grow
ing conviction that never could be an
other girl in the world for him.
In May the surveying party was
within a stones throw of the rail-
road whose shining rails flashed from
east to west across the flat, gray
prairie. Each day at noon the steel
rails quivered under the thunder
hind whose plate glass windows there
was fleeing glimpse of faces before
| the train became a mere speck In the
| distance again.
| Dan Kennett had learned to long
for its coming; there was always the
possibility foolish and vain one.
| indeed-that some day it might come
| flying out of the east bearing the girl
he loved to some other destination;
his dreams were always that he might
| catch a glance of her eye or see her
face-just once. And yet it never
had happened; but there was always
the hope!
| All things are probable when one
is thousands of miles from home and
| surrounded by flat stretches of gray
| prairie. But several weeks ago he
had read in the society columns of
Sunday paper a paragraph about
! EVELYN Lane. She was preparing to
/ go to California to be gone year
among friends.
| So Kenneth had watched the trains
now with some real hope that ne
might see her passing, and he had
calculated to a pitiful nicely the
| chances that she might, after all,
have a chair on the opposite side of
the train.
shone mercilessly down on the little
camp; the sagebrush cracked crisply
| under foot and a great and underlying
thirst seized the whole crew.
Were going to give up for the rest
about 10 O'Clock; its too blamed hot
to do another stroke of work."
VERY WELL" returned Dan listless-
| ly; I'm pretty well done up myself
/ Guess I'll turn in for awhile"
| ''We're going to ride over to the
| Springs and load in some water-the
| casks are getting low; it's lots cooler
| fussing around the water than rus
Ting around here. Better come
"Perhaps I'll ride over little
later" evaded Dan, turning into his
| tent.
ing for the express, I'll bet a cookie!
| If you were a girl, Dan, Ia say you
had crush on the conductor OF tnat
| train, the hungry way you look at IL.
YOU'D be hungry looking, too, II
/ you were looking for your rlcn uncle
retorted Dan coolly.
| "Get outi" shifted Browning, strid-
ing off. "Well expect you after your
uncle arrives, eh?''
doorway of the tent tingling with an
| anticipation that he could not under
stand. Perhaps it was because Brown
ing had put some. of his thoughts
| into words Orwell, nothing would
/ happen today. Probably Evelyn had
| gone by another route-it would be
| just his luck.
AS noon drew near he wandered
about the deserted camp and along
| the railroad, with his watch in his
hand. And then, just on time, he
heard the distant humming that an
nounced the coming of the train. 1t
| grew louder and changed TO roar ana
| then to thunder.
/ He stepped back, the better to
watch the windows when they should
| flash past, and then-wonder OF Won
ders-as it approached the camp the
| train slowed down almost to a stand
still. A man dropped down from the
| engine and ran to the forward driv-
ing wheels and the clank of ham
mer on metal rang though the noon
| stiffness
Kenneth walked eagerly along, look
ing up at the windows where stranger
| faces peered curiously down at the
! tall, strong figure clad in khaki with
a broad hat pulled over his forehead,
so eagerly inspecting the passengers.
| When he reached the open door of
| the baggage car the engine was ut
tering preliminary grunts and thick
| black smoke drifted back, half OBJ
securing the doorway. There was the
barking of several dogs and among
them a sharp insistent yelp that
seemed vaguely familiar.
| The smoke swirled aside and he
| caught a glimpse of the interior of
4 the car and several crates containing
| dogs in different degrees of content
ment. They seemed Joined in protest
against the liberty allowed pretty
fox terrier who danced delightedly at
the end of long chain held by a girl
whose head was turned aside.
| The train plunged forward, the fox
terrier uttered one shrill bark and
dashed through the doorway, striking
| Kenneth fairly in the chest and knock
/ ing him over backward. Then the ex-
press gathered speed and Numbered
away, leaving Kennett sitting dazedly
beside the track while a crazy fox ter
rier leaped upon him with velvet pink
| tongue and short, excited yaps of Joy.
The chain dangling from the collar
| tapped in the sagebrush and from
| ring in the collar hung a red tag.
| It was all over, and 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 fleeing glimpse as the
| train dashed away The crazy fox
terrier, who had recognized 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 a number and a
| most precious name-Eyelyn's@an
! the destination, Los Angeles. He stor-
! ed 1t 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 accepted
| the addition of Flip with a hearty good
| will.