Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-05-23

to decide that It could never be, ana
then I'd go off and fight it out"
Leave me to myself" said the girl
earnestly for little while; it's best
so; I would not take the finest, noblest
man on earth"
And l am not that"
Unless l loved him. There is some
thing very attractive about your per-
sonality; 1 don't know in my heart
whether it is that, or"
Good" said the man, as she hest
tated That's enough" He gathered
up the reins and whirled his horse
suddenly in the road. q am going
back I'll wait for your return to
Denver, and then"
That's BEST" answered the girl.
She stretched out her hand to him,
leaning backward. If he had been a
different kind Of a man he would have
kissed it; as it was he took it in his
own hand and almost crushed it with
a fierce grip.
Wen shake on that, little girl" he
said, and then without a backward
glance he put spurs to his horse and
gaIIoped furiously down the road.
No, she decided then and there, she
did not love him, not yet Whether
she ever would she could not tell. And
yet she was half bound to him. The
recollection Of his kiss was not al
together a pleasant memory; he had
not done himself any good by that
bold assault upon her modesty. that
reckless attempt to rifle the treasure
Of her lips. No man had ever really
touched her heart, although many had
engaged her interest. Her experience
therefore was not definitive or con-
elusive. Y she mad truly loved James
Armstrong, in spite of all that she
might have said, she would have
thrilled to the remembrance Of that
wild caress. The chances, therefore,
were somewhat heavily against him
that morning as he rode down the
trail alone.
His experiences in love affairs were
much greater than hers. She was by
no means the first woman he had
kissed-remember suspicious reader,
that he was not from Philadelphia
hers were not the first ears into
which he had poured passionate
protestations. He was neither bet
ter nor worse than most men, perhaps
he fairly enough represented the aver
age: but surely fate had something
better in store for such a superb Wom-
an. A girl of such attachments and
such infinite possibilities, she must
mate higher than with the average
man. Perhaps there was a subcon-
seriousness of this in her mind as she
silently waited to be overtaken by the
rest of the party.
There were curious glances and
strange speculations in that little
company as they saw her sitting her
horse alone. A few moments before
James Armstrong had passed them at
a gallop, he had waved his hand as
he dashed by and had smiled at them,
hope giving him a certain assurance.
although his confidence was scarcely
warranted by the facts.
His demeanOr was not in cOnsOnance
with Ends somewhat grave and some
what troubled present aspect. She
iii Z" OlL A1SA ~ OCSNLpS~IAOA4 lis SGLA4 SAJ
and easily, however, and joined read
lily enough in the merry conversation
of the way.
Mr.. Robert Maitland, as Armstrong
has said, had known him from a boy.
There were things in his career OF
which Maitland did not and could not
approve, but they were Of the past, he
reflected, and Armstrong was after
all a pretty good sort. Mr.. Maitlands
standards were not at all those of his
Philadelphia brother, but they were
very high. His experiences of men
had been different; he thought that
Armstrong, having certainly by this
time reached years of discretion, could
be safely entrusted with the precious
treasure of the young girl who had
been committed to his care, and for
whom his affection grew as his knowl-
edge of and acQuaintanceship with her
increased.
AS for Mrs. Maitland and the two
girls and the youngster, they we're
Armstrong; devoted friends. They
knew nothing about his past, indeed
! there were things in it of which Matt
land himself was ignorant, and which
had they been known to him might
have caused him to withhold even his
tentative acquiescence in the possibili-
1 ties.
Most of these things were known
to old Kirkby, who with mastery
| skill, amusing nonchalance and amaz-
ing profanity, albeit most Of it under
his breath lest he shock the ladies',
fooled along the four nervous, excited
bronchos that drew the big supply
wagon Kirkby was Maitland's oldest
! and most valued friend. He had been
/ the Iatter's deputy sheriff, he had
! been a cowboy and a Iumberman, a
/ mighty hunter and successful miner,
/ and now, although he had acquired a
/ reasonable competence, and had nice
little wife and a pleasant home in the
I mountain village at the entrance to
1 the canon, he drove stage for pleas
/ ure rather than for profit He had
/ given over his daily twenty-five mile
/ haunt from Morrison to Troutdale TO
/ other hands for a short space that he
might spend a little time with his old
/ friend and the family who were all
/ greatly attached to him on this outing.
Enid Maitland, a girl Of a kind that
/ Kirkby had never seen before, had
won the old mans heart during the
weeks spent on the Maitland ranch.
He had grown fond of her, and he did
! not think that Mr.. James Armstrong
/ merited that which he evidently Sc
overwhelming desired. Kirkby was
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ct and, with a grand flourish, handed
it to the spokesman, who was profuse