Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-02-26

dreams since that wonderful day. r
winds along the banks Of the Swan.
nanoa for twenty miles, always climb
| Ing higher and higher until the river
becomes limpld trout stream. We
stop at the old rond hOuse, stay all
night and next morning take the bride
path with the funny pack horses and
climb to the first mountain top, still
following the little stream.
"Fine. Jimmy. tlne!" she cried, with
girlish mockery. Your geography les.
son was perfect! You can walk home
with me after school:
Stuart looked at her and broke into
a laugh. Again they were boy and girl.
and the only change he could see was
that she was more splendidly Beautiful
at thirty-one than she had ever prom
Used to be at fifteen. &
you remember how shocked you
were in this same seat, Jim, that day
In the sweet long ago when the old
coach threw me into your arms "
Eyes, felt that was taking mean
advantage of YOU" H. i. j.
II thought you were an awful fool
not to accept more gracefully and
thankfully the providence which threw
a pretty girl your way" -. i - =
The coach gave a sudden iurch and
threw her into Stuart's arms again.
"And now?" he cried laughingly. as
he held her firmly for moment to
prevent her falling.
She blushed furiously, threw the ring
lets Of dark hair from her face and
drew back to her position. :
Nov. of course. it's unlawful" she
i answered with sober playfulness..
The man watched her slyly for the
next half mile She was very. very
quiet.
They spent the night at the same
old roadhouse and slept on feather
beds. He hadn't felt the touch of a
feather bed in years. He dreamed
that he was at school again, a man Of
thirty-five. playing marbles with q
crowd Of towhSaded boys. and they
were beating him at the game while
Nan was standing near. her long plait
/
laughing at him because ne was bare
footed. -
They started next day at o'clock
with the pack horses to make the Grip
kong the dim bride trail, fourteen
miles up the sides Of frowning cliffs
and over the tops Of balsam crowned
peaks to the summit of Mount
Mitchell.
Nan led the way, mounted on q sure
footed young stallion, and Stuart fol-
lowed her on little black mule he
had selected from the barn for his
exact likeness to one he had raised
as pet when a boy. The youngsters
came struggling after them, mounted
on an assortment of shaggy, scrubby
looking animals that knew the noun
tain path as rabbit knows his trail
In the jungle.
At l o'clock they passed through the
first series Of clouds and out into the
sunlight beyond. The next line of
clouds was dark and threatening and
suddenly poured rain. Slowly but
surely the horses picked their way up
the mountain side through the storm
and suddenly walked out into the
sunlight again; they looked down on
the smooth fat surface of the clouds
through which they had passed
1t was dusk when the party reached
the summit. The horses were loosened
to Craze in the open field and the
guides hurried to build fire in front
of the cave made by projecting ledge
Of rock beneath which the party was to
sleep.
The bed of balsam boughs was too
sharp contrast to Mans million dollar
room to permit Stuart much sleep. Be-
sides. the youngsters were giggling
and laughing and joking most of the
night. Only a big log marked the par.
titfon wall between the mems and
women's part of the cave. The space
was so limited it was necessary to sleep
close together The girls and boys new,
er grew tired cracking silly jokes about
the magnifcence of their sleeping quar-.
tiers. In vain Nan begged for quiet. II
was O'Clock before they were still at
last and she fell into deep sleep.
Stuart rose. sat before the log fire and
watched the regular rise and fall Of her
bosom as she slept like child. On q
distant mountain side he heard the
howl of lonely wolf. Sixteen years
ago the mountains were full of them
and they came quite close. He was re-
minded of the narrowing strip of the
savage world, fast disappearing before
the march Of civilization. Somewhere
inside Of him he heard the lonely cry
of another wolf.
"She's mine-mine: Nature gave bel
to me in the morning of ltfe-I was 8
fool l should have taken her by force
If need be, and she would have thank
ed me in after years. She has complied
with the conventions of society anl
trampled the highest law of life. Why
not smash convention now at the cal
nj fhok II ~,