Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1913-09-10
IN PLACE OF JIMMY
Mort Rivers Goes to Train to
Meet Girl; Love at First
Sight.
BY cLARlssA MAcKIE.

find Jimmy Hunneford waiting for
| her with that glad look in his eyes
| that shone out of the last photograph
he had sent, bravely handsome in his
cowboy outfit.
Once again she took out Mrs. Hun
neford's letter. written from the Wy
oming ranch to Helen in her Massa-
chusetts boarding house.
Now that you are all alone, my
| dear" wrote Mrs. Hunneford, will
you not come to us? After your long
confinement in the schoolroom and the
sorrows you have undergone, year
! spent here in the open will work Won
ders for you, and we need the sun
| shine of your presence-there is no
daughter in our home and your moth
er's dearest friend needs daughter
| sadly! Perhaps you will like it well
enough to remain here-but never
mind that now. Jimmy is counting the
days to your coming and is planning
all sorts of good times in your honor
and, well, he is just Jimmy"
! Helen smiled tenderly OF course
she understood what Mrs Hunneford
meant by that last sentence. Jimmy
| wanted to marry Helen badly, but
there had been many things to inter
| fere, and Helen had never really CIV
en- him an answer, but her heart sang
within her now as she realized that
Jimmy was just the same. This long
| promised visit to his mother would
| hri oh urho
dared dream about as she made prep
| arations to come west.
Now she was only one station away
| from Jimmy-now they were ap-
preaching Stampede Creek and Jimmy
would be there waiting for her. That
was the refrain of her thoughts.
! The train Kissed to standstill and
Helen gathered up her hand luggage
and went to the platform. She saw
| her trunks bumped down in a pile;
| she saw the station master pottering
around; but no Jimmy was in sight.
She watched the train jerk out of
| sight and then turned to find the sta
ton master watching her speculative
IT,
! He touched his hat brim jauntily.
II reckon you're expectin' to be met"
! he ventured.
| Eyes. Some of Mr.. Hunneford's peo-
ple-I told them would arrive on this
I train" explained Helen.
"Hunneford-eh Here comes some
body now" He pointed to where a
white road trailed across the sage
brush. It's Hunneford's blacks-but
faint Jim at the helm. It's Mort Riv-
ers!"
Helen's cheeks were pink now as
she waited for the yellow blackboard
and the spirited black horses to dash
up to the station and make sweep
Ing curve before coming to a standstill
beside the slender, graceful girl in
| black
No, this was not Jimmy Hunneford
who whirled the reins around the
] Jimmy was tall but this man was
head taller than the hope of the Hun
| nefords; tall and dark and handsome
with grey eyes that looked at the pref
ty girl whose pink lips were CULVER
ing with disappointment because he
was there in place of Jimmy Hume
fordA His black brows knitted i'm
| patiently but he smiled, as he lifted
his hat and showed a row of white,
even teeth.
Miss Dare?" he asked.
Yes" smiled Helen family
Mrs. Hunneford sent the team for
you. l will take your baggage checks.
II you please; the big wagon will come
for your trunks in the morning and il
there is particular one you want to-
night we will carry it along with u.s."
Helen went with him and pointed
out trunk and admired the ease
with which Mort Rivers swung it to
his shoulder and carried it to the
blackboard. Then he helped her in,
waved a hand to the station master
| and away they went in another wide
sweeping curve back into the trail
through the sage brush
The air was soft and cool and the
distant mountains showed a blur of
blue haze against the horizon. Helen
resolved that some day, she would
ride until she came to the foot of the
| mountain what fun that would be If
Jimmy were along, too!
Now when she thought OF Jimmy
she wondered why he had not been
there to meet her and a strange chill
fell over her spirits. Mort Rivers
looking down at the sweet profile saw
the qQivering sensitive lips and be-
cause Mrs. Hunneford had made no
secret of her hopes and plans for jim
my and Helen, Mort muttered some
thing between his set teeth that was
| impolite
Did you speak," asked Helen look
ing up.
NO" he breathed quickly; that is,
/ was talking to myself-a chap gets
into the habit out here on the plains"
Don't you like it?" asked Helen
with interest because this big man
seemed so much part of the wide,