The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1916-02-02
THE LOVING LOU
BY HOPE AINsLIE.

CT QennlLe Succ5hs.
Those had been the words that had
sent Ted Rogers West, determined to
win out or die in the attempt. AS
Eleanor said, he had dallied aon for
years. expecting luck to perch on his
shoulder and give him tips on all ere
alton. He had tried one thing after
another when he left college, and had
taken a postgraduate course in min
ing engineering to be sure he wasn't
missing anything he might need some
day.
To the family at large, he was a
perfect prince of indirection. All the
clocks in the world might run down
and Ted would not have noticed it for
several days. He disliked having cal
endars around-said they remindee
him of times limitation. The really
great soul arose above such things,
said Ted.
But when Eleanor Wilkes came to
live at Cedar Grove she brought with
her new spirit Of endeayor.
But Ted had been her most difficult
enterprise. He loved her. This was
evident, and he had won her in a..
quick, arde@t courtship that was char
acteristic of him. He wanted her to-
give up her work and marry him.
"On what, Ted?'
FL have a good allowance from
father. Well get a nice, cozy little
place along the shore and be mighty
snug"
mo, we won't" said Eleanor. "We
won't take any Astle cozy place until
you are capable of swinging it your
self Do you think I'd give up good
income for such an uncertainty, Ted?
OF course, if you wish to make a sort
of business partnership. | will marry
you and keep up my work. Every
one would understand why"
So he had gone West, vaguely at
first, with no objective point, armed
with letters from his father to old
friends in the mining interests. And
even among them ne rambled indefin-
itely, first in one place, then off to
another, until he struck Panther Peak,
Nevada, and the Loving Lou mine.
Therefore it happened that when
Mrs. Chalmers heard from him the
telegram read briefly: Busy, happy,
new interest loving Lou
Telegrams are strange things-dis-
connected, mispunctuated, without
proper capitals. But when Eleanor re-
ceived another similar one the same
day reading, "In luck at last located
loving Lou" she sat back at her desk,
looking perplexed at the sheet. Then
she called up Mrs. Chalmers and told
her all. and Grace, in return, gave her
her own blithe message. Il asked
Phil where Panther Peak was, and he'd
never heard of it. Maybe he'll wire
again"
Ted did. Even if Cedar Grove was
unaware of the location of Panther
Peak, yet there was a single telephone
line down the mountain so you could
send your messages to the operator at
the railroad station, and Ted's mes
sages arrived daily and were full of
spontaneity and suggestive romance.
''Tenderest thoughts engaged loving
Lou"
"Chief advisory engineer stay definite
ly L. L."
Eleanor did not answer the tele-
grams. Out on Panther Peak, Ted
waited yearningly. He was up to his
cars in work and enjoying it hugely.
she owner of the Loving Lou had
taken a fancy to him. Then some
thing happened. One of the new cross
cuts in the mine caved in, with sew
enty-two men behind the mass of rock
and earth and Ted Rogers was with
them.
They wired for help from the near
est town and Tuck Hanson. the owner.
set to work with a handful of seven
teen men to dig them out. The second
day brought up more helpers, but the
rock stood in their way and they were
afraid to blast. And just as the morn
ing of the third day broke in glory,
Hanson, haggard and gaunt from his
vigil, heard a shout far below the
earnp, long faint halloo, and he saw
men crawling out of the ground like
ants, led by Ted Rogers.
Il knew every rock grade and earth
layer in that cross cut" said Ted
weakly, when they laid him down on a
cot in the big provision tent. Eve
couldn't get past the rock, but we bur
rawed out the ether way. Awfully
sorry to have put YOU to so much trou-
Bile. Hanson. old man."
Hanson heard him and stared. Then
/ he gripped the white hand on the
blanket.
Sorry Why you old idiot. you can
have the whole blame mine if you like
it, Don't you know when you're a
hero?"
Back at Cedar Grove, Eleanor stared
/ at telegram that night:
Loving Lou caved in some hurt got
hals interest in mine come as soon as
| possible"
Isn't it just like Ted.' said Eleanor
when she understood, smilingly. 'tc
make failure of everything and turn
out a hero?"