The Delta independent., 1911-01-27
CHAPTER II.
THE FOREST RANGER

|
slept at all till after 1. She was lame.
heart weary and dismayed. but she
rose and dressed herself as neatly as
before. She had decided to return to
Sulphur. ~ cannot endure this she
had repeated to herself a hundred
times. II oiH not!'
Hearing the clatter OF dishes. she
ventured with desperate courage into
the dining room. which was again
filed with cowboys. coal miners.
ranchers and their tousled families
and certain nondescript town loafers
of 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
were 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 aud man
ly and whose table manners betrayed
higher form of life One of them
was a tall man with a lean red face.
against which his blond mustache lay
like chalk mark. He wore cordu-
roy jacket cut in Norfolk style. and in
the collar of his yellow shirt green
tie was loosely knotted. His hands
were long and freckled. but were man
ifestly trained to polite usages.
| The other man was younger ana
browner and of compact, athletic fig
ure. ON the breast of his olive green
coat hung n silver. badge which bore a
nine tree in the center. His shirt was
tan colored and rough. but his head
was handsome. He looked ike
young officer in the undress uniform
of the regular army. His hands were
strong. but rather small. and the lines
OF his shoulders graceful. Most at
tractive of all We're his eyes. so brown.
SO 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
time TO time she raised her eyes TO
their faces.
They were aware of her also. and
their gaze was frankly ndmiring as
well 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 10 their talk
with growing interest. II 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 1t today. Ross" said the
older man. 81 wish l could. but one
meal OF this kind Is all can stand
these days.
Mrs. wctherford. seizing 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 Cavanach.
his forest ranger In this district. You
| ought to know each other. My girls
lust back from school. and she don't
think much of the Fork. It's little
too coarse for her.
Lee flushed under this introduction.
md her distress was 80 evident that
both men came to her rescue.
The older man bowed and said. 81
didn't know you had daughter. Mrs.
Wetherford" And Cavanagh. with n
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 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 a chance spectator Of the first
scene in n painful domestic drama
one that might easily become a trag-
edy. He wondered what the forces
might be which had brought such n
daughter to this sloven. this virago.
To see a maid Of this delicate bloom
thrust into such place us 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"
"You find great changes berc7"
mot so great as I'm my mother. It's
all''- She stopped abruptly. and he
understood.
Lie being drawn back to her cash
register. Rcdficld turned to say: MY
dear young lady, don't suppose you
remember me, but l knew you when
you were n tot Of five or six. knew
your father very we'll"