Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1915-08-18
/. CHAPTER !.
The Happy Girl.

r.. r.
i:"HE stage line which ran from
gsss Williams to Bear Tooth Zone OF
the most authentic then to be
30: - found in all the west, possessed
/ at least one genuine CONCORD, coach,
90 faded, SO saddened, so cracked and
so splintered that its passengers en-
tered 1t under protest and alighted
from it with thanksgiving. and7yet it
! must have been built by honorable
men. for in 10 it still made the run
Of 100 miles twice each week without
loss Of Wheel or even SO much as molt-
ing q scrap Of paint. .s.,...,,...-. "a. {, 81,
And yet whatever it may have been
Y in Its youth it was in its 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 beetleeein dusty path.
Nevertheless 1t was an Indispensable
part of very moving picture as 1t
crept. creaking> and groaning Tor it
may be twas the suffering passenger
creaking and groaning,, along the hill
side. ~. 5.S N
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 It was a big spread of land
and very far from an eastern mans
conception Of a park. From Dome
peak 1t seems plain; but. in fact.
when clouds shut OF 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, a minute but
persistent insect 1t Is. to be exact.
succession Of ridges and ravines. sculp-
tured On some far OF, 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 rhuckleberry beds and the royal rur-
pie Of the asters. while flowing round
ali. as solvent and neutral setting. lies
the gray-green Of the ever present and
ever enduring sage brush. VI
Through this gorgeous land of mist.
Of stiffness and of death few years
ago pale young man SEATED beside
the driver) rode one. summer day In
yoiceless rapture which made Bill Nc
Coy weary s....,..s.. 49,. ~. ~
IF 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 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 lung?"
Rebuilding two lungs" answered
the tourist. < }s 81
We'll. this climate will just about
ut lungs into coffee can" retorted
Bill. with official loyalty to his coon-
try.
To his discerning eye "the tourist"
now became "a lunger." Where do
you live when you're to homer"
Connecticut" 49, = !.
II knew it." =, s.. .. :.
"How did you know it," The youth
seemed really interested to know. III
Il drove another, fellow up here last
fall that dealt out the same kind OF
brogue you do"