Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1912-09-21
MRS. |. r. M'BRIDE
OF LITTLE POWDER
Being the Story Of the Powers
and Properties Of a Plate
OF Salad.
BY OLIVE ROBBERS BARTON.

Craig Gillette read the telegram
hastily. gave the Indian boy coin
and said tersely. NO wait" The boy
galloped away on his little pony.
He stood looking after the Indian.
the telegram Tipping In the wind. He
received few messages from the east.
Indians. miners and COW punchers
had been his companions for twelve
years. In fact ever since the family
fortune had gone to smash and he had
left New York forever.
He had said forever" because Lois
Fleming. the girl he loved. broke her
engagement to him when the money
was gone. Disguised with life he left
New York. vowing never TO return
and refusing to see Lois although she
had asked for a last interview.
The Indian boy disappeared In the
distance and Craig read the message
II was from Kirkland Expect crowd
OF us on ninth. Berger. Watson. III.
tie Grayson and some others Girls.
too Going with Dad on inspection
tour over his road. Mother TO chap
eron. DO not wire. We leave to-
night TRULY Kirkland"
The names we're familiar. All had
been intimates OF his. but in twelve
years were almost forgotten. Craig
wondered who the girls would be-
neither the younger. nor the youngest
set when he left home. Twelve years.
They would be decidedly new to him.
They had been the infant set then He
ran his fingers through his thick hair.
He knew there was gray In II.
He walked slowly back to the house,
hardly knowing whether to be glad or
sorry at the prospective interruption
to his rough way OF living. But the
hard life he had led. prospecting and
mining. had been like medicine TO
his sick soul The sting had changed
10 dull ache and the ache was al
most gone now.
He had become rich. very rich The
mine. the camp. the ground were all
his and the mine yielded fortune in
silver every day.
As he stepped on to the rough COW
cred platform of his house which an.
swered for porch he stopped and
looked the place over. Then he went
inside wandering through the four
bare unattractive rooms. and into the
kitchen where Pete. the half-breed.
held sway az cook. Craig looked him
over. too--the soiled blue shirt and
trousers, braided black hair. and
dirty face and hands. His feet showed
bare above low moccasins.
For the first time In twelve years
Craig felt a misfit in his surroundings.
Why had he not noticed before how
was furnished? There was one bunk
in the bedroom. small deal table
and u few chairs in the dining room.
the same in the living room. and the
kitchen a heterogeneous collection OF
Junk
He sat down TO think. II was al.
ready the sixth. Three days y.;.
Jennings the mine foreman could
take the big wagon TO Little Powder
and bring home cots. tents. tables.
chairs. beds and bedding lie could
make two or three trips. for travel
was slow and difficult over the rough
road covered with thick white alkali
dust
Then too he could get a half dozen
extra men TO scrub and clean bit.
Craig frowned. The trouble was
with the cook. Pete, the slovenly
Indian. could never cook for day
probably two or three. for set OF
New York's fastidious diners.
Pete had never heard OF caviar nor
;ruffles, lobster a Ia a hundred things
nor spring duckling in Febrisry-not
that II was winter now. Spring had
advanced almost into summer. The
days were hottie sun scorching
Furthermore. Pete knew nothing OF
glaces and ices. cool salads nor
frozen punch The height OF his cul.
mary achievement was huge hunk
OF roasted beef or pork. perhaps with
potatoes. Setting the table for a
meal usually took him one minute.
throwing on red cover. a plate. cup.
saucer. bone-handled knife and fork
and few spoons. No; Pete would
not do.
Jennings brought wagon load of
things that day Also the Little Pow
der Gazette. In corner OF the sec
ond page OF the paper. Craig's eye
fell upon a tiny advertisement:
Mrs l., r Mcbride
CATERING
Weddings Dinners and Banauets
Drop Card or Phone.
81 Saunder st. LATHE Powder.
The very thing. He would put the
whole thing into the hands OF white
woman who could serve decent clean
meals and serve them correctly.
The next day Jennings. on his sec
ond trip for things. carried TO Little
Powder letter addressed 10 Mrs Nc
Bride. II requested her TO supervise
In person the cooking at Diana mine
for three days and enclosed gen.
erous check for supplies. Craig added
an explanation OF the circumstances
with a request to go ahead and do It
right
BY the ninth. everything at the