Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1915-08-12
CHAPTER I.
The Happy Girl.

1.-THE stage line which ran from
Williams TO Bear Tooth zone OF
the most authentic then TO be
l. found In all the vest possessed
at least one genuine Concord coach,
so faded, so saddened. so cracked and
so spintered that its passengers en-
tered 1t under protest and alighted
from it with thanksgiving, and yet it
must have been built by honorable
men. for In 10 it still made the run
Of 120 miles twice each week without
loss Of wheel or even so much as mott
ing scrap Of paint
And yet whatever it may have been
In its youth it was in its age no longer
a gay dash OF color in the landscape
On the contrary, ii fitted into the dust
brown and sage green plain as de
fensively as a beetle in a dusty path
Nevertheless it was an Indispensable
part Of a very moving picture as it
crept, creakng and groaning (or ii
may be it was the suffering passenger
creaking and groaning, along the hill
side.
After leaving the Grande river the
road winds up pretty high divide
before plunging down into Ute park.
as they call all that region lying be-
tween the Continental range on the
east and the Bear Tooth plateau on
the west. 1t was big spread of land
and very far from an eastern mans
conception Of a park. From Dome
peak II seems a plain; but, in fact.
when clouds shut off the high sum
mits TO the west this valley" becomes
q veritable mountain land, 4 tumbled.
lonely country. over which an coca
sional horseman crawls, a minute but
persistent insect IL Is, 10 be exact,
succession of ridges and rayines, sculp.
tured Gn some far off. post glacial
time) by floods of water, covered now.
rather sparsely, with pinons, cedars
and aspens. dry. forbidding but ma
jestic landscape
Ia late August the hills become iri-
descent. opaline with the translucent
yellow Of the aspen. the coral and
crimson of the fire weed. che blood red
Of huckleberry beds and Che royal pur-
pie OF the asters. while flowing round
all. a solvent and neutral setting. lies
the gray-grcen of the ever present and
ever enduring sage brush.
Through this gorgeous land Of mist.
Of stiffness md of death a few years
ago a pale young man Seated beside
the driver rode one summer day In a
voiceless rapture which made Bin Nc
Coy weary.
IF you'd had as much Of this as /
have you'd talk of something else" he
growled after half dozen attempts
at conversation. Bill wasn't much to
look at. but he was good driver, and
the stranger respected him for IT,
Eventually this simple minded horse
man became curious about the slim
young fellow sitting beside him
What you doing out here anyhow
fishing or just rebuilding a lungT
Rebuilding two lungs" answered
the tourist.
well, this climate will just about
put lungs into a coffee can," retorted
Bill, with Official loyalty to his coun-
try.
To his discerning eye "the tourist
now became "a lunger." Where dc
you live when you're to homer
Connecticut"
II knew It."
How did you know it," The youth
seemed really interested to know.
Il drove another fellow up here last
fan that dealt out the same kind Of
brogue you do"
Bill was prevented at the momen
from pursuing this line Of inquiry by
the discovery Of couple OF horsemei
racing from distant ranch toward th'
road. II was plain, even to the stran
car. that they intended to interceni tn