The Kadoka press and Kadoka reporter. [volume] (Kadoka, S.D.) 1910-1923, 1918-04-12

|
resentment. nor uttered any futile
wishes that she could accompany him.
80 long" he said from the car
steps. I'm keep in touch-all can"
Then he was gone.
Somehow, his absence made. less diff.
ference than Hazel had anticipated.
She had secretly expected to be very
lonely at first. And she was not Even
when in her hand she held a telegram
dated at point five hundred or a
| thousand miles or double that distance
away she did not experience the feel
ing OF complete bodily absence. She
| always felt as II he were near. Only
ut night, when there was no long arm
10 pillow her head. no goodnight kiss
as she dozed into sluInber, she missed
him, realized that he was far away.
Early in June came brief wire
from Station Six. Three weeks later
the Free Gold Mining company set
up mild ripple of excitement along
Broad street by exhibiting in their
Office window a forty-pound heap Of
coarse gold; raw, yellow gold. just as
| ii had come from the sluice. Every
day knots of men stood gazing at the
treasure. Bill had forwarded the first
cleanup.
And close on the heels of this-ten
| days later, 10 be eXact-he came home.
"You great BEAR" Hazel laughed. in
the shelter of his encircling arms.
MY, it's good to see you again"
She pushed herself back a little and
! surveyed him admiringly, with graft
| fed sense of proprietorship. The
| cheeks of him were tanned to healthy
| brown, his eyes clear and shining. The
| offending flesh had fallen away on the
strenuous paths of the Klappan. He
radiated boundless vitality, strength,
| alertness, that perfect coordination of
mind and body that is bred of faring
resourcefully along rude ways. She
| thrilled at the touch of his hand, was
content to lay her head on his shoul-
der and forget everything in the Joy
of his physical nearness.
They elected to spend the evening
quietly at home, as they used to do.
To Hazel it seemed quite like old
times. Bill told her Of the Klappan
country. and their prospects at the
mine.
'It's going to be mighty big thing"
he declared.
'Tm so glad" said Hazel.
"We've got a group Of ten claims.
Whitley Lewis and the original stakers
hold an interest in their claims. l,
| acting as agent for these other fell
lows in the company, staked five more.
/ took in eight more men-and, be-
licve me, things were humming when
left. And, say, l went in by the
ranch. Old Jake has q fine garden.
He's still pegging away with the mule
'und Gretchen, der cow l offered him
q chance to make fat little stake at
the mine, but he didn't want to leave
the ranch. Great old feller, Jake.
Something of philosopher in his way.
Pretty wise old head. He'll make
good, all right"
In the morning. Bill ate his break
fast and started downtown.
"That's the dickens of being busi-
ness man," he complained to Hazel,
In the hallway. 1T rides man, once
it gets hold of him. Adios. little per-
son. I'll get out for lunch, business
or no business"
Eleven-thirty brought him home,
preoccupied and frowning. And he
carried his frown and his preoccupa.
tion to the table.
"Whatever is the matter, Bill?" Ha.
eel anxiously inquired.
"Oh, I've got nasty hunch that
there's q niger in the woOdpile." he
replied.
And that was all he vouchsafed.
He finished his luncheon and left the
house. He was scarcely out Of sight
| when Jimmie Brooks runabOut drew
up at the curb. A half minute later
| he was ushered into the living room.
"Bill in?" was his first query.
"No, he left just few minutes
ago." Hazel told him.
Mr.. Brooks, a short, heavy-set, neat
| ly dressed gentleman, whose rather
weak blue eyes loomed preternaturally
large and protuberant behind pince-
| neZ tlQt StFuuuleu an luSlSnliciiut SHuD
nose, took off his glasses and twiddled
them in his white. well-kept fingers.
"Ah, too bad" he murmured.
Thought I'd catch him.
"By the way" he continued, after
a pause, "you-ah-well, frankly, l
have reason to believe that you have
q good deal of influence with your hus-
band In business matters, Mrs. Wag-
| staff"
swell, I don't know; perhaps l
have. Why?"
| "Well-ah-you see," he began rnth-
| er lamely. 1.-THE fact isl hope you'll
regard this as strictly confidential. Mrs.
| Wagstaff. / wouldn't want Bill 10
think /, or any Of US. was trying to
bring pressure on him. But the fact
Is Bills got a mistaken impression
about the way we're conducting the
| financial end of this mining PROPOSE
ton. You understand? Very able
man, your husband. but headstrong as
the deuce. I'm afraid-to speak frank
/ Iy-be'U create n lot of unDleasant-