Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-01-23
Cayanagh,
!, j. Forest !.
The Great Conservation
Novel
By HAldL1N GARLAND
ceSyziala. 1910. ~ lsaaiin casaaaA
CHAPTER n.
ERE ToRxsT RANCID.


PEE VIRGINIA was awakened ne1t
morning, by the passing Of some
one down the hall calling Ut each
- door. "Six O'clock!" She had not
uaspt at all tin after L She was lame.
hart weary and dismayed, but she
puse and dressed herself al neatly AZ
before. She had decided to return to
Sulphur. II cannot endure this" she
had repeated to herself q hundred
hines. Il oiN notr' :.
Hearing the clatter Of dishes. she
ventnred with desperate courage into
the dining room. which was again
elled with cowboys, coal miners,
sanchers and their tousled families
and certain nondescript town loafers
e tramp-like appearance.
Slipping into seat at the end OF the
table which offered the cleanest cloth,
lee Virginia glanced round upon her
neighbors with shrinking eyes. All
we're 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
y and whose table manners betrayed
I higher form Of life. One Of them
was a tall man with a lean red face,
lxainst which his blond mustache lay
IKE 4 chalk mark. He wore cordu-
roy Jacket cut in Norfolk style. and In
he collar Of his yellow shirt green
lie vas loosely knotted. His hands
we're long and freckled, but were man
1estly trained to polite usages.
The other man was younger and
browner and of compact, athletic fig
are. On the breast of his olive green
eoat hung silver badge which bore a
pine tree in the center. His shirt was
IAN eolored and rough, but his head
was handsome. He looked like
youne officer in the undress uniform
Of the regular army. His hands were
strong, but rather small. and the lines
Of his shoulders graceful. Most ut
tractive of all were his eyes, so brown,
20 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
imeS to time she raised her eyes to
seir faces.
they were aware Of her also, and
heir gaze was frankly admiring as
we'll as wondering. and in passing the
ham and eggs or the sugar they con-
trived to show her that they consid-
cred her lady in rough place and
that they would like to know more
about her.
She accepted their civilities 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 it today, Ross" said the
older man. ~ wish ] could. but one
meal Of this kind Is all I can stand
these days"
Mrs. wetherford. selling the mo-
ment, came down to do the honors.
"You fellers ought to know my girl.
virginny, this Is Forest Supervisor
Redfield. and this is Ross Cavanagh.
his forest ranger In this district. You
ought to know each other. My girls
JUST UdCk SC0OOl, anu SAAS w.
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. Il
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. don't know but 1t
was a mistake. Looks like she's
grown little too fine haired for us
doughies out here"
$50 much the worse for u.s." replied
Redfield.
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-
thized with her-pitied her from the
bottom Of his heart. He perceived that
he was chance spectator Of the first
scene in a painful domestic drama
one that might easily become trag-
edy. He wondered what the forces
might be which had brought such
daughter to this sloven, this virago.
To see maid Of this delicate bloom
thrust into such a place as Lie Weth-
erford's "aotel" 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"
sfYou find great changes here?''
''Not SO great as in my mother It's
alp She stopped abruptly, and he
understood.
Lie being drawn hack to her cash
register, Red1eld turned 10 say: my
dear young lady, don't suppose you
remember me. but I knew you when
you were a tot Of Eve or DIX. I knew
your father very we'll"
s'Did your" Her face lighted up.
sYes, poor fellow; - went away
from hero rather under q cloud, you
knew"
81 remember . little of It.. I was
here when the shooting took place"
so You were Well, since then much