Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1913-11-22

hunted me through the WOODS IKE
bear I doubt II 1 remember all that
happened 1 must have been crazed
with pain and fear until suddenly
woke up on boulder by that awful
river, and saw him drift past me.
caught in the rapids. drowning
would have shouted 1 was SO glad.
until he saw me. and dying as he was.
looked at me with Lonel's clear sane
eyes.
I tainted, and when. i awokes again
in the dusk. Jesse bent over me-
That night and. for three weeks aft
erward, lay delirious. At the ferry
mans cabin he made me a bed OF
pine boughs, until my household stun
and the Chinese servant could be
brought down from the ranch He
sent SurIy Brown to bring Doctor Nc
Gee. and the Widow O'F1ynn as my
nurse, while her son Billy was hired
to do his pack-train work From that
time onward the pack outfit carried
cargoes of ore from the mine, and
loads from Hundred Mile House of
every comfort and luxury which
money could buy for me. When got
well. I found that Jesse had spent the
savings of years, and had not dol
lar left.
When at last 1 crept out of doors
to bask in the autumn sunlight, the
cottonwoods and aspens were changed
to lemon, the sumac to crimson. the
fallen needles of the pines clothed
the slopes with orange, and a mist of
milky blue lay in the canon.
Jesse had arranged with lawyers for
the probate of Lioners will. and set
| Element of his debts. which would
4 Ac 20
knew, 1 was penniless. and to this
day have never dared acknowledge
that, secured from the extravaganza
of my late husband. I have capital
bringing in some seven thousand five
hundred dollars a year. Jesse sup
posed me to be destitute and when 1
| spoke of returning to my work in
| Europe, offered to raise the money for
| my passage. Knowing his ranch to
| be mortgaged already to its full value.
1 wondered what limit there was to
| this poor mans valor. Yes, 1 would
| accept, assuring him of swift repay
ment, yet dared not tell him the
| wages offered me at Covent Garden.
| 1t seemed indecent that a woman's
voice should be valued at more per
week than his heroic earnings for a
year.
1 sang to him, simple emotional mu-
sic: Orfeo's lament, the finale of III
| Trovatore," the angel song from Cho-
| pins "Marche Funebre.'
| I wonder why women make it so
important that man should propose
1t needed no telling that Jesse and
| were in love. 1t seemed only natural
that we should marry. and any pre-
| tense of mourning for the late Mr..
Trevor would have been distasteful.
] Although born in the Labrador;
Jesse had been a cowboy in Texas
! for half his working life. AS a stock
| man, he was to wed a rancher's
| widow. Was he ashamed of his bust
ness? No, proud as Lucifer! Was
he ashamed of the dress of his trade1
Not by a damned sight! Soldiers and
sailors are proud to wear the dress
of their trade when they marry sc
are COW punchers." said he, with his
| head in the air. "S'pose we ride tc
Cariboo City, and get married in thai
little old log church.
He managed to persuade me; and
consented also to a hunting trip. in
stead of the usual honeymoon.
When 1 was well enough for the
journey. l rode my colt, and Jesse
1
val, 1 think except that dreadful
bear, in his affections Two pack
ponies carried our camp and baggage
and each night he would set up {
little tent for me, bedding himsel
down beside the fire. At the end o
five days journey. we rode at dusl
into Cariboo.
Captain Taylor, of Hundred Mil,
House, and Pete Mathson, the carga
dor of the Star Pack-train. two OLE
stanch friends of Jesse, witnessed ou
marriage in the quaint log buiIdin,
which served as church and school
house
Captain Taylor is a retired nava
officer. pioneer of the gold mines
magistrate, a man to trust, ant
when he gave me his heartfelt con
CALCULATIONS, it was not withou
knowledge of Jesse's character. HI
and Pete. the cargador. rode with Vi
to the camp of his Star Pack-train
; | ~ NN ~ - - e