The Marshall republican., 1911-03-10

$500 80. W 1.Ns' A.1Ns
"she has sent me money-she has been
kind TO the. Whit am I to doi She
needs the. and yet the thought Of stay.
Ing here and facing her life frightens
me-"
The rotten board walks. the low,
rookeries. the u~nsbaven. blear eyed
men sitting on the thresholds Of the
saloons. the slattcrn squnws wander.
ing abroad like ~bcdrnggled hens. nude
the girl stare with wonder and dis.
may. She had remembered the town
street as a highway filed with splen.
did cavaliers. a list wherein heroic
deeds were done with horse and pistol.
She perceived In the ranger the man
Of the new order. and with this in her
mind she said: you don't belong hcrci
You're not q western mnn3"
Not In the sense Of having been
born here" he replied. IL am. in fact.
a nntlve Of England. though I've lived
nearly twenty years Of my life in tho
States"
She glanced ut his badge. How did
you come to DO n ranger-what does Il
mean? It's all new TO me-"
1T is new to tho west" he answered
smilingly. glad Of n chance to turn her
thought from her own personal gricfs.
at has all come about since you went
east. Uncle Sam has nt last become
provident and Is now conserving his
resources am one of his represent.
atives. with stewardship over some
10000 acres OF territory. mostly for
est"
She looked ut him with eycs of
changing light. "You don't talk like
an Englishman. and yet you are not
like the men out here"
II shouldn't care. TO be like some OF
them" he answered. MY being bere
IL quite logical. I went into the cattle
business like many another. and I
went broke. I served under Colonel
Roosevelt In the Cuban wal and after
my term was out naturally drlfted
back. love the wilderness aud have
some natural taste for forestry. and
can ride and pack q horse al well m
most cowboys: hence my uniform
I'm not the best forest ranger In the
service. Ill admit. bur l fancy I'm q
fair average"
"And thar Is your badge-the pine
treeY'
"Yes. and l am proud Of II. Some Of
the fellows are not. but no FAR as l an
concerned'l am glad to be known nj
defender Of the forest. A tree mean,
much to me. l never mark one fol
telling without a sense Of responsible
ity to the future"
Her questions came slowly. lik,
those OF n child. .where do you liver
Directly up the South Fork abou'
twenty miles"
what do you dor
He smiled. Not much. ride tn,
trails. guard the game. put out fires
scale lumber. burn brush. build bridges
herd cattle, count sheep. survey lane
and a few other odd chores. It's sup
posed to be a soft snap. but I can,
see II that way"
"Do you live aloneT b
"Yes. for the larger part OF the time
I have an assistant. who 10 with NJ,
during part OF the summer months
Mostly | am alone. However, l an
supposed to keep open house. and
catch q visitor now and then"
"Do you expect to do this alwaysr
He smiled again. There you touci
my secret spring. l have the hope ol
being chief forester some time-I NEAR
we all have the prospect Of promotion
to sustain us. The service is so new
that any one with even a knowledg,
Of forestry is In demand. BY and b.
real foresters will arise"
She returned abruptly to her owl
problem. II dread TO 60 back to mi
mother, but ! must. Oh. how ! hate
that hotel. l loathe the fiies. thu
smells. the people that eat there, thu
waiters-everything" She shuddered
'Afany Of the evils you mention
could be reformed, except. Of course
some Of the people who come TO eat
I fear several Of them have gone be
yond reformation" )
Az they started back down tho stree
che saw the motor stage Just leavtnl
the door Of the once. That settlel
one question" she said. II can't Sc
away TIL tomorrow"
'sWhere wouid yor 20 " you broks
~camp--back to the eastf'
mo. My mother thinks there = |