The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1912-07-31

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placency upon her. confident and sat.
listed that his prescription was work
ing we'll. Nor was he the only one
who looked at her that way. Marion
and Emma, his two daughters, wor-
shipped their handsome Philadelphia
cousin and they sat one on either side
OF her on the great log lying between.
the tents and the fire. Even Bob
Junior condescended to give her ap.
proving glances. The whole ,camp
was at her feet Mrs. Maitland had
been greatly taken by her young
niece. Kirkby made no secret OF his
devotion. Arthur Bradshaw and Henry
Philips, each 'tenderfoot" OF the ex.
tremist character. friends OF business
connections in the east, who were
spending their vacation with Matt.
land, shared In the general devotion;
to! say nothing of George the cook and
Pete, the packer and horse wrangier.'
u Philips, who was an old tacquaint-
ance of Ends, had tried his luck with
her, back east and had sense enough
to accept as final his failure. Brad
shaw was q solemn young man with.
out that keen sense OF humor which
was characteristic OF the west. The
others We're suitably dressed for ad-
venture. for Bradshaw's idea OF an up.
propriate costume was distinguished
chiefly BY long green felt puttees
which swathed his huge calves and
excited curious inquiry and rribaid
comment from the surprised denizens
Of each mountain hamlet through
which they had passed, to all OF which
Bradshaw remained serenely obllyious.
The young man. who does enter espe.
cially into this tale. was yestryman
OF the church in his home in the
suburbs. of Philadelphia. HIS piety
had been put to a severe strain in the
mountains.
: That day everybody had to work on
the trail-eyerybody wanted to for
that matter. The hardest labor con.
sisted In the driving Of the burros.
Unfortunately there was no good and
trained leader among them through
an unavoidable mistake. and the camp.
ers had great difficulty in keeping the
burros on the trail. To Arthur Brad
shaw had been allotted the most OBJ.
stinate. cross.grained and determined
OF the unruly band, and old Kirkby
and George paid particular attention
to tnstructing him in the gentle art
OF manipulating him over the rocky
mountain trail. " :
Wall" said Kirkby with his some
what languld. drawing, nasal voice,
that there burro's like ship witch
often seed 'em wen was kid down
east afore I come out to Gods ,coun.
try. Nature has pervided 'em' with q
kind of hellum. ! remember II you
wanted the boat to go to the right
you showed the hellum over to the
left. Sta'boad an port was the terms
as I recollects ''em. It's Jest the same
with burros, you takes 'em by tho
tiller, that's by the tail, GIT a good
tight twist on 1t an Of you want him
to head to the right, slew his stern
sheets around to the left, an you got
to be keerful you don't git no Kick
back witch ef It lands on you is worse
n the ree.coh of a mule"
Arthur faithfully followed dlrec-
tons, narrowly escaping the outraged
brute's small but sharp pointed heels
on occasion. His efforts not being
productive OF much success, finally in
his despair he resorted to brute
strength: he would pick the little ami
mal'up bodily, pack and all-be was q
man of powerful physique-and swing
him around until his head pointed in
the right objection; then with prayer
that the burro would keep 1t there for
a few rods anyway. he would set him
down and start him all over again.
The process oft repeated became mo-
notonous after awhile. Arthur was o
slow thinking man. deliberate in ac-
ton; he stood 1t as long as he possibly
could. Kirkby. who rode one horse
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