The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1914-04-09
Daily Short Story
ON COUGAR HILL.

-. - @i1ns Tor her JcGnncttc
another pound Of crackers and a-ked
-er uiet. --ceut stamps. a. was after .
nov ana the trip around IRE riountain
teoA 1NS hQurs- Pete ~4s beginning a.
move restleszly around the httcnins
psi outside and paw the ground. l..
shs silent Iisurs sitting patiently On the
W step never budEcd
She wondered N hcshsd heard that sue
a. golnE asaN. A it'll. wave Of r.Eret
swept over hsr a. .he looked out 81 IN
rama Of mountains. AcrO-s the rsiiroad
tracks the river fioNed a. the foot a
the slope No steamer had ever Travelled
on ~ huge zubnersed stumps and
TRUNKS OF trees projected from the water
ne protesting arms Sometimes when
she rode down after mail and proVisiot.s
not the ttrnid wspit OF the upiands hu.
some thick set. brown buck that seems
70 DEFY pursuit as he went over has Oh
Ana Walt Roberts had been a part or
Al thi- 10 her. lust a. much a part A.
tne spirit OF Par ~as TO the mountAina
first when he would stsik out % the for
- 70 stand az her door and ask th1
privilese OF cutting logs Tor her fire
place That had oesn la the late fall
Nov II Was summer. Isut ali through
the lonely winter he had come every
aay TO see that she ws- standing tns
But through IL all h had nevcr s.cn
snything TO ncr except a half-Wild spiri.
OF the hills He hsd never told her 90
hinlseu. she knew he was still In fhe
twenties. and he could talk when ne
pleased OF things that went 60 make VI
her world outside.
Down at the store old Packard told
, her Wait had come 20 CouKar Hun tva
years before. lie had built himself q
shack five miles M the mountain sidc.
and he seemed 10 have rome reason ror
not coins hack 10 wner~ people cougr.-
Eated. rte received M mail. and sent
none He seemed TO have money enough
al M
jeanette felt oddly disturbed Just
why she should feel responsible FOR Walt
ROBERTS peace OF mind she could not
see. and stin she dreaded going out and
meeting his eyes
-Gettiug late for you. isn't Il Miss
Tyler. asked Packard. cheerfully. Its
n softer lonesome trtT for YOU alone n
Is You. I'D get Walt To- ride up with
me. The boys say there's cougar signs
around"
I've got revolver with me- Jean
nette answered ab~ently. drawing on her
gloves. And petrs never afraid"
He'd bolt all right if he felt acouE-
creatures do They crouch along "A limb
anu ponnce down ON ponvs hack and
on the pony you Est hurt hrst. see -
Amt many around any more Most OF
,hem skipped farther north up into
British Columbia when the settlers
opened un this land Going are youg'
Jeanette smiled aud nodded. Outside
sne had q" ua-s the figure GA the steps
aud he ~tond ug. hat on. to look al ner.
somehow All the splendid Joy % living
had died out Of his face IN Just n da -
-, ' i,.s u ilushins under that direct
~, u &C aNiiE SAFE. old Packard STOOD
ln the doorway watching them a. NOV
rode away. Pete in the lead. with Waits
hltch pony AZ his flAuks
seems like the two OF them been cut
itt91in thr same piece Of goods" he unused.
N az = got some sort Of ghost riding
.l- Noui. and is driven him an to this
forsaksu place 20 1--we. shes come alons,
/. to nans on 20 her rarccl 81 land and
lfoFy ~ her claim, and she's wearyin'
nov Tor the back east nfe. and ne can't
hnlu her and ia DC willing 10 bet nv
yS.nn %oat asglnst next winter that he
III you giVe Walt his letter. 10. -,
c3llcd Mrs Packard from the back room
,.a,, stuSA ~ up over the looking glass 30
'"h . Gown. lts the nrst he ever had
Forget it said Joe. simply. "T'u
take u up later. There's cougar signs
ing" sums "uht-
Jeanette rode steadily ahead. nonoom-
mIttal anu half on the defensive. They
ieached her shack Juss as the first da n
ness was setting down over the hills In
lhe west the tight Law in long RAYS OF
rose and amber.
Walt built her IRE a. usual In the
wide rock fireplace. The nights prcrc
cool. ana She liked one. Jeanette sat
I before ~. her chin on her palms star
ing down into the blaze
. rrhhat an 4, can do he asked. finally
Tor while It, been long winter
. get starved Tor my own people and nv
own hte. III come back in the fall
little white d"
lrgiy. N''e
Joe said once nobody ever lived nm
mere unless they have 10 came h.
cause was sick and discouraged and
We doctors told me I would die down
thcre: hut you're not sick
sun ne was silent Jeanette bent for
ward, looking up az him almost earerly
tie sat down ON the oak bench he had
made besid" TIE IRE and stared down
into tho blaze
~ Killed a man on. not intentional
~, he rHtd. bitterly. "Tut h., 4ied ~
cause lost my head. I was n~sigtavf
hHufe phA stefan az the city Io.pif.I
down tu my home town. AuE 4uI.es--.
was going to my head D neglected the
W"rk and vent In for the society ra,,c
And one night they bruu-ht THIS t,,,l
devil In. crushed iu street raIiyxa,-
wreck J was q case OF quick work and
' ll-i my head. I had been out me
10 dinner. / hungled the thing and
more. uudcr the other. the fellow died
Nobody blamed me. but ! blamed NV.
self. , knew. { knew why my hand
shook ana Why 7 had let that lie siip
out INTO the unknown. That IL wbv i
am here. What good am ] down yonder
IN the world or men who DO things and
keep - their ideals p"