Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-01-23
~wbo made the cha rge,"

OU0 OF tue clergy men, anO tueu W.
| common talk among the rough men Of
the town."
"But she's my mother!" walled the
| girl. coming back to the central fact.
''She has sent me money-she has been
kind to me. What am I to dor She
needs me. and yet the thought Of stay.
ing here and facing her life frightens
me-"
The rotten board walks. the low
rookeries, the unshaven. blear eyed
men sitting on the thresholds Of the
saloons, the slattern squaws wander
ing abroad like bedraggletl hens. made
the girl stare with wonder and dis.
may. She had remembered the town
street as highway filled 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 here?
You're not a western man?"
mot In the sense Of having been
born here" he replied. II am. in fact
q native Of England. though I've lived
nearly twenty years Of my life in tho
States"
She glanced ut his badge. Glow did
you come to be ranger--what does 1t
mean? It's all new to me-"
1T is new to the west" he answered
smilingly. glad of chance to turn her
thought from her own personal griefs.
! ''It has all come about since you went
east. Uncle Sam has at last become
prOvident and Is now conserving his
resources 1 am one of his represent
atives. with stewardship over some
10000 acres of territory. mostly for
est"
| She looked ut him with eyes Of
changing light. You don't talk like
an Englishman. and yet you are not
like the men out here"
Il shouldn't care to be like some of
Them" he answered. My being here
Is quite logical. | went into the cattle
business like many another and
went broke. served under Colonel
Roosevelt in the Cuban war and after
my term was out naturally drifted
back. L love the wilderness and have
some natural taste for forestry. and |
can ride and pack Il horse as we'll as
most cowboys: hence my uniform.
Pm not the best forest ranger in the
service, I'll admit, but ! fancy I'm
fair average"
tree?"
Eyes. and am proud Of it. Some Of
the fellows are not. but SO far as am
concerned l am glad to be known as a
defender Of the forest. A tree means
much to me. l never mark one for
telling without sense of responsible
ity to the future"
Her questions came slowly. like
those Of child. "Where do you live:"
Directly up the South Fork about
twenty miles,
What do you do?'
He smiled. Not much. 1 ride the
trails. guard the game, put out fires.
scale lumber. burn brush. build bridges.
herd cattle. count sheep. survey land
and few other odd chores. It's sup
see it that way
do you live alone?"
Eyes. for the larger part Of the time.
I have an assistant. who Is with me
during part OF the summer months.
Mostly l am alone. However, l am
supposed to keep open house. and /
catch visitor now and then"
"Do you expect to do this nlways:"
He smiled again. There you touch
my secret spring. ! have the hope of
being chief forester some time-l mean
we all have the prospect of promotion
to sustain us. The service is SO new
that any one with even a knowledge
of forestry is in demand. BY and by
real foresterS will arise
She returned abruptly to her own
problem. Il dread to so back to my
mother, but l must. Oh. how I hate
that hotel: l ioathe the hies. the
smells. the people that eat there. the
waiters-everything! She shuddered.
| MANY of the evils you mention
could be reformed. except OF course.
some Of the people who come to eat.
fear several of them have gone be-
You'd reformation"
AS they started back down the street
she saw the motor stage just leaving
the door of the office. THAT settles
one question" she said. II can't get
away till tomorrow"
"Where would you go If you broke
camp back to the east:"
mo. My mother thinks there Is
place for the in Sulphur City"
''Your case interests the deeply.
wish l could advise you to stay. but
this Is rough town for a girl like
you. Why don't you talk the problem
over with the supervisors" His voice
became firmer. Mrs. Redfeld is the
very one to help you
"Where does she live:"
Their ranch lies just above Sui
phur. at the mouth of the canyon.
May l tell him what you've told me?
He's good sort. is Redtield-much
better able to advise than am"
| Cavanagh found himself enjoying
the confidence OF this girl so strangely
thrown into his care. and the curious
comment of the people in the street
did not disturb him EXCEPT rs It bore
upon his compc MONS position In the
| town.
| At the door Of the hotel some half
dozen men were clustered. AS the
young couple approached they gave
way but n short powcrful man whom