Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1911-05-17

that she might support widowed
mother-because she had applied
again and again to the R. G P. road
for a observation-disclosures the road had
had five different agents and opera
tors at Fedora Junction in a year
they sent Miss Gladys Shaw to fill
| the place.
A shanty hotel, store or two,
three gambling bells, and country
SO Godforsaken that even the gamb-
lers would not stay for long. A
shanty of a station with only two
rooms, and Miss Shaw could cook and
eat and sleep in the smaller or board
at the hotel. She chose the former
course.
The arrival of a girl at Fedora
Junction-"a starving-looking girl
was an episode. 1t was more than
| that 1t was an event-an epoch.
Gamblers, cowboys and all others
walked down to see her She was
greater than the president of the road
in his private car. AS she stood in
the door of the depot the men gath
cred in single line and marched along
and each asked for a shake of the
| hand and got it-and a smile in the
bargain. When the last man had
passed the girl was given three
cheers and a tiger, and it was Mon
tana Bill who stood on the platform
and said to the crowd below:
No funny business will go here
The kiote that tries, it on gets rope
and limb If l don't treat her as if
she was my sister then I want to be
the first one to swing!"
That settled the status of Miss
Gladys Shaw. When there was far
edge to civilization in the great
west, there were knights among the
toughest of men. No matter how
many notches their pistol butts car
ried, each standing for a dead man,
they were gallant men to good wom-
en-. 1t was SO until there was no
more far edge. Miss Shaw was safer
at Fedora Junction than in the
streets of New York or Chicago.
We'll give her a week" they
said at headquarters, and as month
passed and her work gave perfect
satisfaction they wondered about it.
| Every night some gambler came
down to the depot to see that no
tramps were hanging about Every
morning some man who had a repu-
tation for being lightning on the
draw came down to walk into the Of
flee with his hat in his hand and re-
spectfully ask:
is everything all right this morn
ing, Miss Shawl"
Eyes, all right, thank you"
Can | get anything from the store
for your"
Thanks, but I have just tele-
phoned my order"
Maybe you want some one hustled
out of town or shot?"
oh, no, no, MOI"
IF you do, just say the word. and
it's done"
Cowboys came in from the ranches
30 miles away, ''jest to get
good look at that girl" They would
come to the depot and ask about
trains and shipments with sober
faces, but the girl knew the real OBJ
ject and smiled at and talked with
them.
She sometimes asked questions to
draw them out as to their lonely
lives and hardships, and there was
never a day that she did not make
new friends. After three months she
had her salary raised, and learned
long afterwards that it was because
of petition that was sent in from
the town, with a threat to tear I'D
the rails for mile if the increase
was not granted.
One day there came into the office
stranger, who was different from
the other strangers she had seen
about. He had a manly face and fig
ure, and she liked his appearance and
voice at once. She sized him I'D for a
college man. His tan-his caIlous
hands-his rough suit bespoke the
prospector.
The man asked for a telegraph
form, and stood at the rude desk and
filled 1t out and read it over to tear
it up and do the same with a second.
The third he handed to her over the
railing and asked
Would you send it or not?"
1t was addressed to a prominent
man in Boston, whose name she had
frequently seen in the papers. It
read:
1T has turned out as you said. I'm
failure, and have got to walk home
unless you pay my fare. Gilbert"
Holding the telegram in her hand.
Miss Shaw looked at the young man
for a long minute before replying:
you graduated as what?"
"A geologist."
and disagreed with your father?"
HE wanted me to become a broker
and banker"
And you came west Toto
ITO geologic among the mountains
and find gold and silver" he replied.
with a laugh. 1--WE found about