The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-04-18
CHAPTER lV-continued

"ROarin Bill's gOln' TO get himself
killed one uh these days"
Hazel started, but It was only Jim
Briggs in the doorway beside her.
AZ guess you amt much used to see
in that sort of exhibition where you
come from, Miss Weir" Briggs wife
nut in over his shoulder my land,
Irs disgustln'-men fghtin' in the
street where everybody can see 'em.
Thank goodness, 1t don't happen very
often. Specially when Bill Wagstaff
amt around. You amt shocked, are
yOu. honey?"
"Why I didn't have time to be
shocked" Hazel laughed. ut was
done so quickly
"If them fellers would leave BIZ
alone" Briggs remarked, "there
wouldn't be no fight. But he goes off
like hair-trigger gun. and he'd scrap
dozen quick as one. I'm lookin TO
see his finish one uh these days"
"What a name!" Hazel observed.
caught by the appellation Briggs had
first used. as that Roaring Bill over
there?"
That's hlm-Roarin' Bill Wagstaff,"
Briggs answered "If he takes few
drinks, you'll find out tonight how he
got the name. Slngs-just like bull
mOose-hear him all over town. Prob
ably whip two or three men before
mOrnin'."
, His spouse calling him at that mo-
nent, Briggs detailed no more infor-
nation about Roaring Bill. And Hazel
sat looking across the way with con-
Siderable interest Mt the specimen OF
. type which hitherto she had encOun-
tered in the pages of fiction-a fight
ing man. what the West called "bad
actor" She had, however, no wish
for closer study of that particular
type. The men of her world had been
altogether different, and the few from
tier specimens she had met at the
Rriggs' dinner table had not i'm
pressed her with anything except their
shyness and manifest awkwardness in
her presence. The West itself ap-
pcaled TO her, its bigness its nearness
TO the absolutely primeval, but not the
people she had so far met. And so
she looked at Roaring Bill Wagstaff,
over the way, with quite impersonal
interest.
He came into Briggs place for sup
per. Mrs. Briggs was her own walt
reSs. Briggs himself sat beside Hazel.
She heard him grunt, and saw mild
look of surprise fit over his counte-
nance when Roaring Bill walked In
and cOolly took n seat. But not until
Hazel glanced ut the newcomer did she
recognize him MS the man who had
fought in the street He was looking
straight at her when she did glance
mp, and the mingled astonlshment and
frank admiration in his clear gray
eyes made Hazel drop hers quickly to
her plate. Since Mr.. Andrew Bush,
she was beginning to hate men who
looked at her that way. And she could
not help seeing that many did so look.
The next Saturday Hazel went for
tramp in the afternoon. The few
walks she had taken had dulled all
sense of uneasincss in venturing into
the Unfolding forest. She felt that those
shadowy woods were less sinister than
man. And since she had always kept
her sense Of direction and come
straight to the Meadows whenever she
went abroad, she had no fear or
thought of losing her way.
To reach her objective point, she
crossed long stretch Of rolling land,
well timbered, dense in parts with
thickets of berry bushes. Midway in
this she came upon a little brook, purr-
ing monotone ms it crawled over
pebbled reaches and bathed the tangled
roots of trees along its brink. BY this
she sat while. Then she idled along,
coming after considerable difficulty to
abruptly rising ground. She could not
zee the town, but she could mark the
low hills behind 1t. At any rate, she
knew where 1t lay, and the way back
SO she thought But the short after.
noon fled and, warned by the low dir
of the sun, she left her nook on the
hillside to make her way home
Though it was near sundown. she fe't
no particular concern. The Ions
northern twilight gave her ample time
10 cover the distance.
But once down on the rolling land
among the cloSe-ranked trees, she lie
gan to experience n difficulty that haC
not hitherto troubled her. With tn,
sun hanging low, she lost her absolute
rertainty Of east and west north ant
south.
She blundered on, not admitting {,
herself the possibility Of being unabl
~ find Carboo Meadows. As best sh
rould. and to the best of her belief
,he held in a straight line for the town
Eut she walked far enough TO hav
Vyerrun it, and was yet upon unfamil
klr ground.
The shadows deepened until sh
vripped over roots and stones, an
Imagged her hair and clothing o
hrnnches she could not see in time t
send off. As last resort, she turne'
ufraight for the light patch still show