Connecticut western news., 1918-02-21

went back into the cabin-whence he
shortly emerged, bearing in his hand
n sheet of paper upon which some
thing was written in bold, angular
characters. This he pinned on the
door. Hazel rode Silk close to see
what it might be, and laughed amused
ly, for Bill had written:
"NIr. and Mrs. William Wagstaff will
be at home to their friends on and
after June the twentieth"
He swung up into his saddle, and
they logged across the open. In the
edge of the first timber they pulled
up and looked backward at the cabin
browsing silently under it's sentinel
tree. Roaring Bill reached out one
arm and laid it across HazePs Shout
ders.
Little person." he said sOberly,
there's the end of one trail, and the
beginning of another-the longest trail
either of us has ever faced. How does
it look to your"
She caught his fingers with quick,
hard pressure.
Gall trails look alike to me-" she
said, with shining eyes, "just so we
hit them together"
"What day of the month is this,
Bill?" Hazel asked.
Haven't the least idea," he an
swered lazily. "Time is of no conse-
quence to me at the present moment"
They were sitting on the warm earth
before their cabin, their backs propped
comfortably against a log, watching
the sun sink behind a distant skyline
all notched with purple mountains
upon which snow still fingered. Beside
them a smudge dribbled a wisp of
smoke sufficient to ward off a pesti-
lential swarm of mosquitoes and black
flies. In the clear, thin air of that
altitude the occasional voices of what
bird and animal life was abroad in the
wild broke into the evening hush with
astonishing distinctness- lone goose
winged above in wide circles, uttering
his harsh and solitary cry. He had
lost his mate, Bill told her. Far off in
the bush a fox barked. The evening
flight of the wild ducks from Crooked
lake to a chain of swamps passed in
termittently over the clearing with
sibilant whistle of wings. To all the
wild things, no less than to the two
Wko watched and listened to the forest
traffic, it was a land of peace and
plenty.
'We ought to go up to the swamps
tomorrow and rustic some duck eggs"
Bill observed irrelevantly-his eyes fol-
lowing the arrow flight of q mallard
flock. But his wife was counting au-
dibly, checking the days off on her
fingers.
"This is July the twenty-ffth, Mr..
Roaring Bill Wagstaff," she announced,
"We've been married exactly one,
MONTH"
GA whole month";" he echoed, in
mock establishment. "You don't say
so? Seems like it was only day before
yesterday, little person"
81 wonder" she snuggled up little
closer to him, eff any two people were
ever as happy as we've been?"
Bill put his arm across her shoulders
and tilted her head back so that he
could smile down into her face.
"They have been a bunch of golden
days, haven't they?" he whispered.
"You won't forget this joy time If we
ever do hit real hard going, will you,
Hazel?'
'"The bird of i'll omen croaks again."
she reproved. "Why should we come
to hard going, as you call it,"
1--WE shouldn't" he declared. "But
most people do. And we might. One
never can tell what's ahead. By and
by when the novelty wears off-maybe
you'll get sick of seeing the same old
Bill around and nobody else. You see,
I've always been on my good behavior
with you. Do you like me lot?"
His arm frightened with a quick and
powerful pressure, then suddenly re-
Taxed to let her lean back and stare
up at him tenderly.
st ought to punish you for saying
things like that" she pouted. "Only I
can't think of any effective method.
thereof-and there is no evil in our
days."
amen" he whispered softly-and
they fell to silent contemplation of
the rose and gold that spread in a
wonderful blazon over all the western
sky.
"Twenty-fifth of July, eh?" he unused
presently. Summers half gone al
ready. I didn't realize it. We ought
to be stirring pretty soon, lady. These
northern seasons are so blessed short
We ought to try and do a little good
for ourseives-make hay while the sun
shines. Well media da mon'."
"Needa fiddlesticks," she laughed
"What do we need money for? II
costs practically nothing to live uI
here. Why this sudden desire to pur
s11e the dollar? Besides, how arc you
going to pursue it?"