Middletown transcript., 1918-07-13

I00ks
the bank of the river at the mouth OF
the canon. A ten-dOllar bill made
them possessors of another canoe, and
an hour later the roofs Of Hazelton
cropped up above the bank.
"Oh, Bill" Hazel called from the
bow. Look! There's the same old
steamer tied to the same old bank.
We've been gone year, and yet the
world hasn't changed mite. Won
der If Hazelton has taken Rip van
Wrinkle sleep all this timel"
mo fear" he smiled. II can see
some new houses-Quite few. In fact.
And look-by Jimmy! They're work
ing on the grade. That railroad, re-
member?"
He drove the canoe alongside float.
A few loungers viewed them with
frank curiosity. Bill set out the treas
ure sack and the bale of furs. and tied
the canoe.
"A new hotel, by Jove" he re-
marked, when upon gaining the level
of the town a new two-story building
blazoned with a huge sign its func-
ton as a hostelry. Getting quite
metropolitan in this neck of the woods.
Say, little person, do you think you
can relish a square meal? Planked
steak and lobster salad-huh7 won
der if they could rustic salad in this
mans town? Say, do you know I'm
just beginning to find out how hungry
l am for the flesh-pots. Aren't you,
honY
She was; frankly SO. For long,
mOn0t0n0us months she had been
struggling against just such cravings,
impossible of realization, and there
fore all the more tantalizing. She had
been a year in the wilderness, and
the wilderness had not only lost its
glamor, but had become a thing to
flee from. She bestowed a glad pres
sure on her husbands arm as they
walked up the street, Bill carrying the
sack of gold perched carelessly on one
shoulder.
"Say, their enterprise has gone the
length Of establishing branch bank
here, / see."
He called her attention to square
footed edifice. its new-boarded walls
as yet guiltless of paint, except where
a row of black letters set forth that
It was the Bank of British North
America.
That's a good place to stow this
bullion" he remarked. Il want to get
it off my hands,"
So to the bank they bent their steps.
A solemn, horse-faced. Englishman
weighed the gold, and issued Bill a re-
ceipt, expressing polite regret that
lack of facility to determine its fine
ness prevented him from converting it
into cash.
"That means q trip to Vancouver"
Bill remarked outside. swell, we can
stand that"
From the bank they went to the
hotel, registered, and were shown to
q room. For the first time since the |
summit of the Klappan Range. where
her tiny hand glass had suffered dis
aster, Hazel was permitted clear |
view of herself in a mirror.
I'm a perfect fright !" she m0urned. |
"Huh! Bill grunted. you're all
right. Look at me-"
The trail had dealt hardly with both,
n the matter of their personal appear
ance. Tanned to an abiding brown,
hey were, and Hazel's 0ne-time
smooth face was spotted with fly bites
and marked with certain scratches
suffered in the brush as they skirted
he Kispiox. Her hair had lost its
sleek, glossy smoothness of arrange
nent. Her hands we're Redeemed and
'ough. But chiefly she was concerned
With the nd state Of ner apparel. She
lad come a matter Of fouy hundred
niles in the clothes on her back-aud
hey bore unequivo.al evidence Of the
Quincy.
I'm a perfect fright" she repeated
Zones manners, morals.
and complexion oil suffer
rom too close contact with your be-
owed North. Bill"
''Thanks !" he returned shortly. II
oppose I'm perfect fright, too. Long
air, whiskers. g-imy. callOused hands,
nd all the re-: of it. A shave and u
air cut, b. tb and new suit of
lOthes will remedy that. But I'll be
no same perao.lGlitv in every essential