Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1918-04-25
CHAPTER VIII-Continued.


Hazel went out to the rail. Bill
Wagstaff had disappeared. but present
ly she caught sight of him standing on
the shore end of the wharf, his hands
thrust deep in his coat pockets, staring
after the steamer. Hazel waved the
envelope that she still held in her hand.
Now that she was independent of him,
she felt magnanimous, forgiving-
suddenly very much alone, as if she
had dropped back into the old, depress-
ing Granville atmosphere. But he gave
no answering sign save that he turned
son the instant and went up the hill to
where his horses stood tied among the
huddled buildings. And within twenty
minutes the Stanley d turned a jutting
point, and Bella Coda was lost to view.
Hazel went back into her stateroom
and sat down on the berth. Presently
she opened the envelope. There was
thick fold of bills, her ticket, and both
were wrapped in a sheet of paper pen
ciled with dots and crooked lines. She
laid it aside and counted the money.
Heavens ~ she whispered. ST wish
he hadn't given me so much. I didn't
need all that
For Roaring Bill had tucked a dozen
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES notes in the enve-
1ope. And, curiously enough, she was
not offended, only wishfuI that he had
been less generous. Then she took up
the map. recognizing it as the sheet
of paper Bill had worked over so long
their last night at the cabin.
1t made the North more clear-a
great deal more clear-to her, for he
had marked Cariboo Meadows, the To-
cation of his cabin, and Bella Coda,
and drawn dotted lines to indicate the
way he had taken her in and brought
her out.
She put away the money and the
map. and bestowed a brief scrutiny
upon herself in the cabin mirror. Six
months in the wild had given her a
ruddy color, the glow of perfect phys
zeal condition. But her garments were
tattered and sadly out of date The
wardrobe of the steamer-trunk lady
had suffered in the winters wear. She
was barely presentable in the outing
suit of corduroy.
The Stanley D., upon the evening of
the third day, turned into Barnard Inlet
and swept across a harbor speckled
with shipping from all the Seven Seas
to her berth at the dock.
! So Hazel came again to a city-a
city that roared and beloved all its
manifold noises in her ears, long
grown accustomed to a vast and brood
ing silence. Mindful of Bills parting
word, she took hack to the Lady
smith. And even though the hotel was
removed from the business heart of the
city, the rumble of the city's her
culean labors reached her far into the
night. At last she fell asleep, and
n of aIno
her.
She ate her breakfast and set forth
on a shopping tour. To such advan-
tage did she put two of the hundred
dollar bills that by noon she was ar
rayed in a semi-tailored suit of gray,
spring hat. shoes and gloves to match
She felt once more at ease. less con-
scious that people stared at her frayed
and curious habilimentS. With a COM
plete outfit of lingerie purchased. and
a trunk in which to store it forwarded
to her hotel. her immediate activity
was at an end. and she had time to
think of her next move.
And. brought face to face with that
she found herself at something of
loss She had no desire to go back to
Cariboo Meadows. even to get what
few personal treasures she had left
behind. Cariboo Meadows was wiped
of the slate as far as she was con-
cerned. Nevertheless. she must make
her way. Somehow she must find
means to return the unused portion of
the-to her-enormous sum Roaring
Bill had placed In her hands. She must
xsANe her own living. The question
that troubled her was: How, and
where? She had her trade at her fin
ger ends. and the stored office build
ings of Vancouver assured her that
any efficient astenographer could find
work. But she looked up as she
walked the streets at the high, ugly
walls of brick and steel and stone, and
her heart misgave her.
At nightfan she went up to her room
and threw herself wearfly ON the bed.
She was tired. body and spirit. and
lonely. Her brief experience in Carl
boo Meadows had not led her to look