Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1915-07-09
CHAPTER |.
The Happy Girl.

THE stage line which ran from
Williams to Bear Tooth Zone Of
the most authentic then to be
a found in all the vest possessed
at least one genuine Concord coach,
so faded, so saddened, so cracked and
so splintered that its passengers en-
tered it under. protest and alighted
from it with thanksgiving, and yet it
must have been built by honorable
men, for in 80 it still made the run
of 100 miles twice each week without
loss of wheel or even so much as mott
ing a scrap of paint.
And yet whatever it may have been
in its youth it was in it's age no longer
gay dash of color in the landscape.
On the contrary, it fitted into the dust
brown and sage green plain as de-
fensively as a beetle in dusty path.
Nevertheless it was an indispensable
part Of very moving picture as it
crept, creaking and groaning Tor it
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 it seems a plain; but, in fact,
when clouds shut off the high sum
mits to the west this valley becomes
a veritable mountain land, a tumbled
lonely country, over which an occa,
sional hOrseman crawls, minute but
persistent insect. 1t is, to be exact a
succession of ridges and ravines, sculp,
tured lin some far off, post glacial
time by floods of water, covered now
rather sparsely, with pinons, cedars
and aspens a dry, forbidding but ma
jestiC landscape.
In late August the hills become iri
descent, opaline with the translucent
yellow of the aspen, the coral and
crimson of the fire weed, the blood red
of huckleberry beds and the royal pur
pie of the asters, while flowing round
all, as solvent and neutral setting, lies
the gray-green of the ever present anC
ever enduring sage brush.
Through this gorgeous land Of mist
of stiffness and of death a few years
ago a pale young man Seated beside
the driver rode one summer day in q
voiceless rapture which made Bill Nc.
Coy weary.
eff you'd had as much of this as
have you'd talk of something else" he
growled after a half dozen attempts
at conversation. Bill wasn't much t
look at, but he was a good driver, ant
the stranger respected him for it.
Eventually this simple minded horse
lman became curious about the slim
young fellow sitting beside him
what you doing out here anyhow
fishing or just rebuilding lung?"
nCpulIuihB i"o IuuBS, uDSWcIt'
the tourist
"Well, this climate will just abou
put lungs into coffee can," retorte,
Bill, with official loyalty to his coun
try.
To his discerning eye 1.-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 you'll
seemed really interested to know.
Il drove another fellow up here las
fall that dealt out the same kind o
brogue you do"
Bill was prevented at the momen
from pursuing this line of inquiry b
the discovery of n couple of horseme
racing from q distant ranch toward tn
road. 1t was plain, even to the strai
ger, that they intended to intercept til
stage, and Bill piled the lash wit
sudden vigor.
IN siye 'em chase" said ;
grimly.
The other appeared little alarme'
"What are they, banditsT'
anandttap, anaarad Rill 0Your py