The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-02-04
CHAPTER II.
TUE FOREST RANaER.

TUE FOREST RANoER.
ZEE VIRGINIA was awakened next
morning 10y the passing Of some
one down the hall calling at each
4A door. six o'clock she had not
slept at all till after l. She was lame,
heart weary and dismaycd, but she
rose and dressed herself as neatly as
before. she had decided TO return to
sulphur. II cannot endure this" she
had repeated to herself a hundred
times. 81 cill not!
Hearing the clatter Of dishes, she
ventured with desperate courage into
the dining room, which was again
hlled with cowboys, coal miners,
ranchers and their tousled families
and certain nondescript town loafers
Of tramp-like appearance.
Slipping into seat at the end OF the
table which offered the cleanest cloth.
Lee Virginia glanced round upon her
neighhors with shrinking eyes. All
were shoveling their food with knife
blades and guzZlIng their coffee with
bent heads. Their faces scared her,
and she dropped her eyes.
At her left. however, sat two men
whose greetings were frank and man
ly and whose table manners betrayed
higher form OF life. One of them
was tall man with lean red face,
against which his blond mustache lay
like a chalk mark. lie wore cordu-
roy Jacket cut in Norfolk style. and In
the collar OF his yellow shirt n green
tie was loosely knotted. His hands
were long and freckled, but were man
ifestly trained TO polite usages.
The other man was younger and
browner and of compact. athletic fig.
ure. On the breast of his olive green
coat hung n silver badge which bore a
pine tree In the center. His shirt was
tan colored and rough, but his head
was handsome. He looked like
young officer In the undress uniform
OF the regular army. His hands were
strong. but rather small, and the lines
Of his shoulders graceful. Most at
tractlve OF all were his eyes. so brown,
so quietly humorous and so keen.
In the rumble of cheap and vulgar
talk the voices OF these men appealed
to the troubled girl with great charm.
She felt more akin to them than TO
any one else in the room, and from
time to time she raised her eyes to
their faces.
They were aware OF her also, and
their gaze was frankly admiring as
well as wondering, and in passing the
ham and eggs or the sugar they con
trived to show her that they consid
cred her a lady in rough place and
that they would like to know more
about her.
She accepted their civilitles with
gratitude and listened to their talk
with growing interest. 1t seemed that
the young man had come down from
the hills to meet his friend and take
him back to his cabin.
81 can't do 1t today, Ross" said the
older man. 81 wish | could, but one
meal OF this kind is all can stand
these days"
Mrs. Wetherford, selling the mo.
ment. came down to do the honors,
GU lelleIS ouEut W KNOW my RlIl'
virginny, this Is Forest Supervisor
Redheld, and this is Ross Cavanagh.
his forest ranger in this district. You
ought to know each other. My girls
Just back from school, and she don't
think much of the Fork. It's a little
too coarse for her"
Lee flushed under this introduction,
and her distress was so evident that
both men came to her rescue.
The older man bowed and said, ~
didn't know you had daughter, Mrs.
Wetherford," And Cavanagh, with .
glance OF admiration, added. "We've
been wondering who you might be-"
Lie went on; II thought I'd got rid
Of her, She's been away now for
about ten years. l don't know but 1t
was mistake. Looks like she's
grown a little too fine haired for us
doughies out here"