The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1912-11-22
Stranded
3, VERNON ARNOLD

II . 8. III
Ned Franklin was the son Of a man
who had graduated as a pIainsman.
drtfted east and made money. Ned
went west to see what his father had
seen. He had been gone just two
weeks when his father received the
following telegram from him:
Stranded. Telegraph mone for return.
When he got home he told them of
his weeks adventures in the land of
the spurs. the revolver and the rifle.
1t was as follows:.
He found Denver, which his father
had known as a small town, a large
city and pushed on westward. When
he came to the end Of the rails he
took coaches. He was now in the
land where travellers talked about road
agents. where those In the towns spoke
incidentally Of the last gun fight, or
how much money had been won or lost
by some prominent citizen at faro.
Ned. who believed the only way to
learn the manner and customs of a
people was to make their %acquaint-
ance. told everybody that he had come
out to see the country and meant to
see it thoroughly. He had no stuck
up notions about him; not he. He felt
az much It home with a stage driver
as he would with the. veriest dandy at
home. The consequence of this be-
havior was that he made friends in
stanter.
One evening at the A~ntelOpe-a tav-
ern. gin mill and gambling house COM
bined-it was suggested by a man who
was showing Ned the town. that he
invest a few dollars at faro. just to
see how it worked. Ned looked at his
friend. smiled. slapped him on the
back. winked and said:
mot much. I'm a young man from
the city. and you can't come faro on
me-"
You're dead right. pard.' said the
other, 'but what | meant was to invest
81 to see the game. just as you'd spend
the same for a round Of drinks"
The man left Ned. but after awhile
! returned and asked IL be proposed to
go west in the stage the next morning.
| Ned said he did; whereupon his friend
asked If he would mind taking charge
of a young lady. Ned remarked that
he would be only too happy to do so.
He was seeing a good deal Of the men
| of the country. but had thus far met
few of the women. He was assured
that the young lady. Miss liver. was
the daughter of a wealthy ranchman,
and had been to Denver on a shopping
tour and was returning to her home.
This pleased Ned very much. and he
anticipated a bit of a Irritation with
Miss liver. How it would surprise bis
father If he should marry a ranch
mans daughter and turn ranchman
himself.
Ned was introduced to Miss liver at
the coach door by the man who had
asked him to escort her and vas
somewhat disappointed In her, Her
=! walk was awkward. and her voice was
not refined. However, she was a wo-
man of the country, and he was Curl
GUS to learn all about her. He asked
her If she wouldn't like to sit outside,
but she declined on the ground that
the sun freckled her, 81 they entered
the coach, Ned taking a seat beside
her.
The young woman was disposed to
be quiet and uncommunicative during
the early part Of the journey, but as
one by one the passengers left the
coach. none others taking their places.
| she thawed and took pleasure in CIV
ing her escort Information about the
country, occasionally pointing out OBJ
jects Of interest. Ned. warming up.
began to pay her compliments as he
had been used to paying them to girls
at home. but she was not used to
| them, or did not seem to know how
to take them: but she evidently vas
trying to make it appear that she had
been paid compliments before.
She told Ned that she expected her
father to meet her at the junction Of
the stage road and another leading to
the ranch. When the coach reached
the junction Ned expected to see Il
four mule team and a four seated cOun
try wagon. But he saw nothing. Mel.
Their did the young lady. She looked
very much troubled. Ned asked her
what she would do. She said she sup
posed she would have to wait. For a
young woman to wait at a crossroads
with no house within miles seemed to
Ned little short Of madness. The
%stagecoach must go on. and Ned tried
to persuade his fair charge to go on
too. But she said her papa would be
awfully worried when he arrived aud
did not find her.
There was nothing for Ned to do, es.
pecially since she had been placed in
his charge. but to remain with her.
She declined to permit him to make
the sacrifice unless he would promise
to spend his time till the coach passed
the next day at her fathers ranch. In