The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-02-01
CHAPTER II.
THE FOREST RANGER.

CHAPTER H.
THE FOREST RANGER.
! ZEE VIRGINIA was awakened next
morning BY the passing Of some
one down the hall calling at each
~ door. "Six 0clockE She had not
SLEPT at all TIN after l. She was lame,
heart weary and dismayed, 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. II sciJl notr'
Hearing the clatter OF dishes. she
ventured with desperate courage into
the dining room. which was again
filled with cowboys, coal miners,
ranchezs and their tousled families
and certain nondescript town loafers
Of tramp like appearance.
Slipping into a seat at the end Of the
table which offered the cleanest cloth.
Lee Virginia glanced round upon her
neighbors with shrinking eyes. All
were shoveling their food with knife
blades and guMling 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.
" and whose table manners betrayed
q higher form Of life. One Of them
was q tall man with lean red face.
against which his blond mustache lay
Ike q chalk mark. He wore a cordu-
roy Jacket cut IN Norfolk style, and in
tho collar Of his yellow shirt green
tie was loosely knotted- His hands
were long and freckled, but were man
1festiy 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 a 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 tho regular army. His hands were
strong, but rather small, and the lines
Of his shoulders graceful. Most at
tractive OF all were his eyes, so brown,
20 quietly humorous and 50 keen.
In the rumble Of cheap and vulgar
talk the voices Of these men appealed
to the troubled giri with great charm.
She felt moro 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 - 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 a rough place and
that they would Hike to know more
about her.
She accepted their cfvflfties with
gratitude and istensl to their talk
with growing intere - It seemed that
the young man had come down from
the hills to meet his friend and take
him back to his cabin.
II can't do It today. Ross" said the
older man. II wish could, but one
meal Of this kind is all I can stand
these dayk"
Mrs. Wetherford. seizing the mo-
ment, came down to do the honors.
you fellefs ought to know my girl.
vlrginny, this IL Forest Supervisor
Redfeld, and this IL 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 little
too coarse for her"
Lee flushed under this Introduction,
and hee distress was so evident that
both men came to her rescue
The older man bowed and said, IT
didn't know you had daughter. Mrs.
Wetherford" And Cavanagh. with a
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 don't know but 1t
was q mistake. Looks like she's
grown a little too 6ne haired for Us
doughies out here"
$50 much the worse for u.s." replied
Redheld.
This little dialogue gave the girl time
to recover herself, but as Cavanagh
watched the blush fade from her face,
leaving it cold and white. he sympa-
thised with her-pitied her from the
bottom Of his heart He perceived that
he was chance spectator of the first
scene In q painful domestic drama
one that might easily become a trag-
edy. He wondered what the forces
might be which had brought such a
daughter to this sloven, this virago.
To see maid. Of this delicate bloom
thrust into such place as Lie Weth-
erford's hotel" had the reputation Of
being reused indignation.
when did you reach town. he
asked, and into his voice his admirA-
ton crept
"Only last night"
S1Yo1 6nd great changes herer