Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-05-30
A Masquerade
BY MARTHA 3. HUTCHINS
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

John Benton worked for ranchman
| and lived in a little cabin with his
daughter Sarah, who was his only com.
| panion, his wife being dead. Sarah
kept house for him. did his cooking.
washed his clothes and i'm the even
| ingS when Il book was obtainable read
| TO him.
When Sarah was nineteen years old
John died All he left her was the
cabin. his horse and his stock of shoot
ing irons. He was buried by his EN-
| ployer and Sarah the night after the
| funeral found herself alone in her
| cabin with the problem Of her future
| before her. Had she been born a boy
she would not have so dreaded trying
to make living, but there was no
work commonly done by girls of her
! class that she cared to undertake TO
become Il cook or a dishwasher was
To her an adherence. Even the only
) legacy her father had Jeft her. his
| horse and equipments, was useless to
| her as a girl.
Sarah settled the problem in this
wise: She would put on the clothing
| her father had left behind him, mount
| his horse, go to a region where she
| was not known and hire herself out
| for cowboy. That night she locked
| her cabin, put the key in her pocket
and In mans garb rode westward till
morning, when. coming TO n ranch she
| found n breakfast and a job. She
| called herself Jack Benton, and no
| one on the place suspected that she
| was Il girl. She rounded up cattle with
| the other cOwpunchers.
Among the women on the ranch was
n pretty girl of her own age, Martha
Swayne, for whom Jack conceived
| so strong n friendship that she i'm
parted to her her secret. Now, it hap
pened that one Of the boys, Ben
Hughes, was in love with Martha and,
seeing Jack Benton a great deal with
her, became Unfortunately jealous. In
vain Martha protested that her init
macy with Jack was Il mere friend
ly one. Hughes would not be con-
WINGED. 1t became evident that Jack
would be obliged either to be dis
graced in the eyes of her associates or
fight Ben Hughes, who lost no oppor-
tunity to provoke her.
Among the boys was n manly young
fellow, ten years Jacks senior, named
Randall for whom Jack had conceived
| an affection. Had Randall reciprocal
ed Jack might have confessed her sex
| and all would have gone smoothly for
both couples. But how was Randall
TO reciprocate an affection of which
he was unaware and not knowing that
Jack was a girl?
AS was natural, Jack confided his
trouble with Hughes to Randall, telling
him that he would be obliged to fight
! for girl whom he didn't love and
who didn't love him.
We'll" said her friend, "all you need
TO do is TO tell him SO and have the
girl do likewise. If this doesn't work
| you'll have to fight"
Martha and Jack put their heads to-
| gether, and the result was that Ran
| dali was commissioned to send a chal-
lenge from Jack to Hughes 1t was
arranged that they should meet in n
| Clump OF trees not far from the ranch
| house. At the last moment Randall.
| seeing that Jack had no relish for such
| affairs, offered to pick a quarrel with
| Hughes and claim precedence and thus
take the affair off Jacks hands. At
| this Jack showed n fright that he had
| not displayed at his own meeting with
| his enemy.
You're queer duck" said Ran
dali. You have all the sensitiveness
of girl and all the pluck OF man."
| Randall put an arm affectionately
around his friend and gave him bit
! OF hug. Misunderstanding? You're
the first man / ever saw do that"
| Jack broke away and running as
! fast as he could to where his horse
stood. mounted him and galloped of.
! Randall. who stood looking at him
with puzzled expression muttered:
Hes q nice boy | wouldn't like to
see him killed"
/ Before the meeting. which was to
take place at sunrise, Jack told his
second that ne would meet him on the
ground Jack had also insisted that
| in order to keep the matter secret
! Randall should act for Hughes as
| well as fOr himself This was not
/ considered remarkable. for Randall
was a friend to both Of them. and an
| affair of the kind i'm that region was
not 10 bc considered as one TO be han.
died under the code ducllo There
fore on the morning appointed Ran
dali and Hughes went together to the
place Of rendezvous
As the two men approached the
clump Of trees, ON which the sun was
pouring his first rays, Randall stopped
Of thought ] saw q woman's dress
fash between two tree trunks"
"By thunder exclaimed Hughes
Of hope Martha hasn't got ON to- the
affair and come to stop &c."
They walked ON. but suddenly stop
ped again. They heard womcn's
voices singing iu unison Pushing ON.
tOfuiuv fp n grOtf0 formed bv Young