Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-01-03

Sle nail 70 De SatlSneu with his as
s1rance that he would see her to Carl
hoo Meadows. And, accepting the stu
alton with what philosophy she could
command, Hazel proceeded to fall to-
and soon discovered herself reiishine
the food more than any meal she had
eaten for long time. Hunger is the
king of appetizers, and food cooked fl
the open has favor of its own which
no aproned chef can duplicate. Roar
ing Bin put half the piece Of meat on
Ter plate, sliced bread for her, and SCI
the butter handy. Also, he poured her
cup Of coffee. lie had a small sacl
Of sugar, and his pack boxes yielded
condensed milk.
''What sort of meat is that?" Hazel
asked after few minutes of silence.
It was fine-grained and Of rich fla
vor strange to her mouth. She liked
Ii but it was neither beef, pork nor
mutton, nor any meat she knew.
'sVenlson. Didn't you ever eat any
beforef' he smiled.
"Never tasted It," she answered
sTsn't If nice? No, I've read of hunters
cooking yenison over an open fire, hut
this is my first taste. Indeed, I've
never seen a real camp fire before"
sTord--what a lot you've missedw
There was real pity in his tone. y
killed that deer today. Have some
more coffee"
He refilled her tin cup, and devoted
himself to his food. Before long they
had satisfied their hunger. BIZ laid
few dry sticks on the fire. The fame
laid hold Of them and shot up in bright
wavering tongues. 1t seemed to Haze
that she had stepped utterly out OF hel
world. Cariboo Meadows, the school
house, and her classes seemed remote
She found herself wishing she We're
man, so chat she could fare into tn
yviIds with horses and a gun In this
capable man fashion, where routinl
went by the board and the unexpectet'
lowered always close at hand. She
looked up suddenly, to find him regard
I Ing her with Il whimsical smile.
''In few minutes" said he, s'Fi
| pack up and try to deliver you as pe
contract. Meantime, I'm going t
smoke"
| He did not ask her permission, BIZ
| filed his pipe and lighted it NTH
| coal And for the succeeding fiftcei.
minutes Roaring Bill Wagstaff sal
staring into the dancing blaze. Haze
watched him uneasily after time. He
seemed to have forgotten her. His
| pipe died, and he sat holding it in his
hand She was uneasy. but not afraid.
| There was nothing about him or his
! sections to make her fear. On the con
| trary, Roaring Bill at close quarters
inspired confidence.
| IN the midst of her reflections he
! got up.
swell, wen make a move" he said
and disappeared abruptly into the
! darkness.
| She heard him moving around at
some distance. Presently he was back.
! leading three horses. One he saddled.
| The other two he rugged with his pack
outfit, storing his varied belongings in
the two pair Of kayaks, and loading
kayaks and bedding on the horses with
deft speed that bespoke long prac-
! tice. He was too busy to talk, and
Hazel sat beside the fire. watching in
silence. When The had tucked up the
last rope end, he turned to her.
sTThere," he said; we're ready to hit
the trail. Can you rider
II don't know" Hazel answered dn-
biously. II have never ridden horse"
s'My myl' he smiled. "Your educa-
ton has been sadly neglected-an you
o schoolma am, tool"
sMy walking education hasn't been
neglected" Hazel retorted II don't
need to ride, thank you.'
Eyes, and stub your toe and fall
down every ten feet" Bill observed.
"No, Miss Weir, your first lesson In
horsemanship is now due--if you aren't
afraid Of horses"
Sim not afraid of horses at all,n
Hazel declared. "But don't think it's
a very good place to take riding les,
sons. can just as we'll walk. for I'm
not in the least afraid" And then she
added as an afterthought: "How do
Jou hupESi4 w haoW afy hutuc
sIn the same way that you know
NINE" Bill replied. seven If you haven't
mentioned it yet. Lord bless you. do
you suppose Cariboo Meadows could
import a lady school teacher from the
civilized East without everybody in
fifty miles knowing who she was. and
where she came from, and what she
looked like? I guess you don't realize
what old granny gossips we wild West
erners are. Especially where girls are
concerned"
Hazel stiffened triife. She did
not like the idea OF Cariboo Meadows
discussing her with such freedom.
"Well," said he, "we won't argue the
point"
He disappeared into the dark again.
This time he came back with the
crown of his hat full Of water. which
he sprlnkled over the dwindling fire.
As the red glow Of the embers faded
IN q sputter Of steam and ashes, Hazel
realized more profoundly the bIackness
OF cloudy night in the woods.
sits going to be nasty travelling,