Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-05-16

girl i want to go there right away"
And this was the train Of events
which wrought the change. Behold
the young lady astride of a horse for
the first time in her life in a divided
skirt, that fashion prevalent elsewhere
not having been accepted by the best
equestriennes Of Philadelphia. She
was riding ahead of a lum bering noun
tain wagon surrounded by other rid
ers, which was loaded with baggage,
drawn by four sturdy broncos and fol
lowed by number Of obstinate little
burros at present unincumbered with
packs which would be used when they
got further from civilization and the
way was no longer practicable for any
thing on wheels.
Miss Enid Maitland was clad in a
way that would have caused her father
a stroke Of apoplexy if he could have
been suddenly made aware of her
dress, If she had burst into the draw
lng-rOOm without announcement, for
instance. Her skirt was distinctly
short, she wore heavy hob-nailed shoes
that laced up to her knees, she had
on bright blue sweater, a kind of
cap known as a tam-o-shanter was
pinned above her glorious hair, which
was closely braided and wound
around her head She wore a silk
handkerchief loosely tied around her
neck, knife and revolver hung at
her belt little watch was strapped
to one wrist, a handsomely braided
qu1rt dangled from the other, a pair
OF spurs adorned her heels and most
discomposing fact of all, by her side
rode handsome and dashing -caVa-
lier.
How Mr.. James Armstrong might
have appeared in the conventional
black and white of evening clothes
was not quite clear to her, for she
had as yet never beheId him in that
obliterating raimenC, but in the habit
Of the west, riding trousers, heavy
boots that laced to the knees, blue
shirt, his head covered by a noble
"StetsOn," mounted on the fry FESTIVE
broncho which he rode to perfection,
he was ideal. Alas for the vanity OF
human proposition! Mr.. James Arm
strong, friend and protege these many
years of Mr.. Robert Maitland, mine
owner and cattle man on a much
smaller scale than his older friend,
was desperately in love with Enid
Maitland, and Enid, swept off her feet
by a wooing which began with pre-
cipftant ardor so soon as he laid eyes
on her, was more profoundly moved
By his suit. or pursuit, than she could
have imagined:
Omne ignotum pre- magntficol
She had been wooed in the ccnven-
tional fashion many times and oft on
the sands Of Palm Beach, along the
cliffs of Newport, in the romantic glens
Of Mount Desert, in the old-fashioned
drawing-room overlooking Rfttenhouse
Square. She had been proposed to in
motor cars, on the decks of yachts
and once even while riding to hounds,
but there had been a touch of same
ness about it all. Never had she been
made love to with the headIong gal
lantry, with the dashing precipitation
Of the west. 1t had swept her from
her mornings. She found almost be-
fore she was aware of it that her past
experience now stood her in little
stead. She awoke to a sudden realiza-
ton Of the fact that she was practical
Iy pledged to James Armstrong after
an acquaintance Of three weeks in
Denver and on the ranch.
Business of the most important
and critical nature demanded Arm
strong's presence east at this juncture,
and will-he-niIl-he there was no way
he could put off his departure longer