Gilpin observer., 1917-02-01

on The grass. Her face was damp with
tears. She looked up as he was pass
ing and spoke.
"Canr you tell me, please, when the
relief train will arrive?"
mo, ma'am, can't. Shall find
o-outT
She shook her head wearily. "Are
you also wreck victim?"
"Not exactly t-that."
"You seem to have been injured?"
"Jest b-bruised. And you, ma'am?"
She negatived. 'You are the man
who helped me" Her voice broke.
Adams bowed gravely. 'The m-man
with the lantern. The dead feller was
friend Of yOur'n, wasn't he?"
She shivered. "The dead man was
Capt Ralph Payne. am Miss Pearl
Dare. What is your name?"
"T. o. Adams Of Monks Corner,
Nebraska" he responded for the sec
ond time that night.
Monks Corneri" she echoed.
ITS not on the m-map. It's c-cow
town"
"Oh" She looked at him with some
interest. "You must be a cowboy
then!"
"Yes'm."
She felt that he was evading her.
"Tm too curious" said she, apologet-
ically.
A pleasant light came into his eyes.
"Kin s-sit down and talk with you
a w-while? Maybe kin help you lin
your trouble. You seem to have a-a
lot Of it Don your mind"
She signified an Indifferent willing
ness.
Cowboys make good soldiers" she
commented to keep up the conversa-
tion which diverted her.
"Yes'm."
She looked at him askance.
"You'd look the part in uniform.
Have you ever thought of joining the
army? The country needs fighting
men these days."
"Yes'm, hev. How do you ego
about it? You travel around a b-bit
in the army, don't y-you? Would m-my
suffering keep me out? Your dads a
great soldier, amt her"
The mans simple mind amused
Pearl. you ask too many questions
at once" she replied with little
laugh. "I'n answer them all in one.
Talk with my father when he arrives
if the subject appeals to you seri-
ously."
"Waal," he reflected. II amt g-got
anything else to do, m-might as well
soldier" Then he changed the sub
ject. "That there Captain Payne was
s-sOme officer, w-wasn't hep Insinua-
ton lurked in his voice.
"What do you know about Captain
Payne?" she asked sharply.
He replied in an Indifferent tone.
"Nothin' mebbe except w-what I seen
in t-the newspapers. They're always
b-bundle of lies, anyway"
She seemed to like that.
"Kin s-smoke?" he asked, opening
cigarette case.
His observance of polite form was
unexpected to Pearl. Her curiosity
deepened.
"He m-meant a lot to you, d-didn't
he?" he observed, hunting matches in
his pocket.
every much, indeed" she murmured
sadly in the momentary silence which
had fallen.
"Now that t-there note
He struck a match and calmly lit
a cigarette.
'T-that there note," he repeated. in
haling deeply; "that there last w-wil
and testament of his. T-that's a
pretty big j-job for little girl like
you ito tackle"
She sat up and glanced at his profile.
He smoked and stared straight ahead
purposely avoiding her eyes.
"Are you g-going to tackle it?" he
questioned with puzzling frankness.
Their eyes now met. "Why do you
ask?"
"rd Like to help you."
"YouW
"Why not7 I amt g-got job j-jest
now."
II fear that n cowboy could not be
or much assistance, she replied, IN
diligently.
'Tm b-barber, too," he rejoined.
BARRIERS hear l-lot Of funny things,
ma'am."
The idea seemed so fanciful that she
giggled. "What else have you been?"
"Waal," he drawled, taking n soiled
envelope from his inner coat pocket |;
1--WE b-been a little of everything, 1
g-guess." He took card out of the
envelope and handed 1t to her. "M-my
speciality of late's b-been telegraph
cooperating"
He struck match so that she could
read. The card identified him as T..
o. Adams, q member of the Organiza-
ton Of Telegraphers, sort of trades
union.
"OperntOrS hear l-lOt of things,