Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-04-26
CHAPTER xvIII-continued.

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to Colts country. Mrs. Vagstaff," he
said. "Und let me carry dot sud case
alretty."
They walked two blocks to the
Kings hotel, where Lauer's family
was housed. He was In for supplies,
he told her, and, of course, his wife
and children accompanied him.
"Not dat Gredda ISIS afraid. She ISIS
so root n man as / on der ranch ven l
am gone" he explained. But for dem
Il ISIS a change. Und I bring by der
town a vaigonloat of bobadoes. by
Gosh. dem bobadoes ISIS sell high"
IL flashed into Hazel's mind that
here was a heaven-sent opportunity to
reach the cabin without facing that
hundred miles in the company OF
c~hance-hlred strangers. But she did
not breach the subject at once. In
stead she asked eagerly of Bill. Lauer
told her that Bill had tarried a few
days at the cabin. and then struck out
alone for the mines. And he had not
said when he would be back.
Mrs. Lauer, unchanged from a year
earlier, welcomed her with pleased
friendliness. And Jake left the two
OF them and the chubby Riddles in the
Kings Office while he betook' himself
about his business. Hazel hailed his
wife and the children to her room as
soon rs one was assigned to her. And
there. almost before she knew 1t, she
was murmuring brokenly her story in
TO an ear That listened with sympathy
and understanding. Only a m
cnn grasp some OF a woman's needs.
Gretta Lauer patted Hazels shoulder
with n motherly hand. and babe her
cheer UT.
Homes the place for you. dear"
she said. smilingly. "You just come
right along with us. Your man will
come quick enough when he gets
word. And Wen take good care of you
IN the meantime. La, I'm all excited
v Q 1t. It's the finest thing could hap
pen for you both. Take II from me,
dearie. l know. We've had u trou-
bles. Jake and 7. And, seeing I'm only
six months short Of being a graduate
nurse, you needn't fear. Well, Welt !"
~rn need TO have food hauled In"
Hazel reflected. And some things /
brought with me. I wish Bill we're
here. I'm afraid I'll be a lot of both
er. Won't you be heavily loaded, as it
ISL" o
She recalled swiftly the odd. make
shift team that Lauer depended on-
the mule. lop-eared and solemn, "und
Gretchen. der cow" She had cash
and drafts for over three thousand dol
lars on her person. She wondered IL
Il would offend the sturdy independ-
cnce OF these simple, kindly n~eighbors,
II she offered to supply q f~our-horse
team and wagon for their mutual usef
But she had been f~orestalled there, she
learned in the mex breath.
"Oh, bother nothing" Mrs. Lauer de-
clared. why. we'd be ashamed If we
couldn't help a little. And fairs the
load goes, you ought to see the four
beautiful horses you husband let
Jake have. You don't know how much
Jake appreciates 1t. nor what a fine
man he thinks your husband is. We
needed horses so bad, and didn't have
the money to buy. SO Mr.. Wagstaff
didn't say a thing but got the team for
US, and Jake's paying for them in
clearing and blowing and making Inn
provements on your land. Honest,
they could pull twice the load wei
have. There's a good wagon road
most Of the way now. Quite a lot OF
settlers. too, as much as fifty or sixty
miles out. And we've got the finest
garden you ever saw. Vegetables
enough to feed four families all win
ter. Oh. YOU old citiesl / never wan
20 live In one again. Never a day have
the Riddles been sick. Suppose 1t is {
bit put Of the world? You're all this
more pleased when somebody doe
happen along. Folks is so different il
a new country like this. There's plen
~ for everybOdy-and everybod!
helps. like neighbors ought to-"
Lauer came up after n time, an
Hazel found herself unequivocally ii
their hands. With the matter of trans
porting herself and supplies thu
solved. she set out to find Felix Cour
vOiseur-who would know how to ge
word to Bill. He might come back I
the cabin In n month or so; he nigh
not come back at all unless he hear
from her. She was smitten with
great fear that he might give her u
as lost 10 him, and plunge deeper Int
the wilderness in some mood of reel
lessness. And she wanted him, longe
for him, II only so that she could max
amends.
She easily found Courvoiseur, a Ia
spare Frenchman, past middle ag
Yes. he could deliver a message to Ri
Wagstaif; that is, he could send
a Bill Wagstar was in the Klal
pan range.
But II he should have left there
Hazel suggested uneasily.,
"E weel leave weeth W'itey Lewe'
word of were e 60" C~ourvolseur rea
sured her. "An' my man, witch e,
my bruzzer-law, witch l can mos full
trus', e weel follow 'eem. SO Beel
ees arrange. 'E ees say mos parte
cular II madame ees come or wees
for forward message, geet heem to n
queeck. Oui. Long tam Beel e
know me. ] am for depend always
Courvoiseur kept a traders stock
goods In a weather-beaten old L
house which sprawled a hundred fe
back from the street. Thirty yea
he told her. he had kept that store
Fort George. She guessed that B
had selected him because he was
fixture.
She sat down at his counter n
wrote her message. Just u few ter
lines. And when she had delivered
to Courvoiseur she went back to {
hotel. There was nothing now to
but wait. And with the message l
der way she found herself lmpatie
to reach the cabin. to spend the we
ing days where she had first fou
happiness. She could set her house
order against her mans coming. A
II the days dragged, and the gre
lone land seemed to close in and pr,
inexorubly upon her, she would hs
IN he noftouf uarv pafianf