Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-05-25
CHAPTER \
Epoehal

At the other extremity of the trajec-
| tory Of Grislow's telltale fieIdglass
| BrOuillard was summing himself luxu-
riously on the porch step at the Mas
| singale house and making up for lost
| time-counting all time lost when 1t
| spelled absence from the woman he
| loved. But Miss MassingaIe was in
a charmingiy frivolous frame OF mind
That Is the fourth different excuse
you have invented for cutting me out
OF your visiting list, not counting the
| repetitions," she gibed, when he had
| finally fallen back upon the time de-
| mands Of his work to account for his
| late neglect of her. "lf l wanted to
| be hateful l might insist that you
| haven't given the true reason get"
Il see," he nodded "All going out
and nothing coming in. But the money
Is all here, safely stacked up in the
ore bins. You'll get it all out when
the railroad comes"
Perhaps l will give it before go"
| he parted. But Just now I'd much
rather talk about something else. Tell
me about yourself What have you
been doing all these days when |
haven't been able to keep tab on your
Flirting-fiirting desperately with
| Tig, with Mr.. Arson and Mr.. Grislow,
and that nice boy Of yours, Herbert
| Griffith, and with---no, not with Mr..
| Leshington; he scares me-makes a
| 70
Little girl, you need a mother-or a
| husband; | haven't made up my mind
| which When he does make up his
mind I'm going to shrek and run
| away"
And you firt!" he protested re-
proachfully Now tell me about the
Little SUSAN is the Bluegrass farm
looming up comfortably on the eastern
edge Of things?"
In a twinkling her frivolous mood
| vanished.
| "Oh, we are prosperous, desperately
prosperous. We have all the improve
ments you can see and a lot that you
can't see. And our pay roll-it fairly
| frightens me when make it up on the
Saturdays"
THAT is another thing-a thing
haven't dared tell father and Steyie
When l was in Mirapolis this morn,
ing l heard that the railroad wasn't
coming, after all; or, rather, Tig had
heard it and he told me. We were dig.
ging for facts when you met US on
Chigringo avenue-trying to find out If
the rumor were true"
1T means a great deal to you
| doesn't it," he said evasively.
1T means everything-a thousand
times more now than it did before
His quick glance up into the sud.
denly sobered eyes Of the girl stand,
ing on the step above him was a voice
less query and she answered it.
1--WE had no working capital, as ]
think you must have known. Once a
month father or Stevie would make up
a few packsaddle loads Of the rich,
est ore and freight them over the
mountains to Red Butte. That was
how we got along. But when you sent
me word by Tig that the railroad com.
pany had decided to build the extern.
sion, there was there was ga
chance
Yes" he encouraged.
"A chance that the day of little
things was past and the day of big
things was come. Mr.. Cartwright and
some of his associates had been trying
to buy an interest in the Little Susan
Father let them in on some sort of q
stock arrangement that l don't under.
stand and then made himself person
ally responsible for a dreadful lot OF
borrowed money"
Borrowed of Mr.. Cartwright? p
Queried Brouillard.
No; of the bank. Neither Stevie
nor knew about it until after it was