The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-07-18
CHAPTER xvIil-contlnued.
it,

~ am pleased to welcome you back
TO Colts country, Mrs. Vagstaff," he
said. "Und let me carry dot suld 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 iss afraid She iss
so goot man as | on der ranch ven
am gone" he explained. "But for dem
Il lss change. Und / bring by der
town vaigonloat Off bobadoes. by
Gosh, dem bobadoes iss sell high
II flashed into EIazel's mind that
here was u heayen-sent opportunity 10
reach the cabin without facing thht
hundred miles In the company OF
chance-hlred strangers. But she did
not broach the subject at once. In
stead she asked eagerly Of Bill. Lauer
told her that Bill had tarried II 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 n year
earlier, welcomed her with pleased
frlendllness. 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 as one was assigned to her. And
there, almost before she knew 1t, she
was murmuring brokenly her story In
10 an ear that listened with sympathy
and understanding. Only woman
can grasp some OF a woman's needs.
Gretta Lauer patted Hazels shoulder
with a motherly hand, and bade her
cheer up.
"Home's the place for you, dear"
she said. smlllngly. "You just come
right along with us. Your man Will
come quick enough when he gets
word. And wen take good care of you
I'm the meantime. La, I'm all excited
over il. It's the finest thing could hap
pen for you both. Take 1t from me,
denrie. | know. We've had our trou-
bles, Jake and I. And, seeing I'm only
six months short Of being n graduate
nurse. you needn't fear. Well, well "
'I'll need to have food hauled in,"
Hazel reflected. "And some things !
brought with me. wish Bill were
here. I'm afraid I'll be a lot Of both
er. Won't you be heavily loaded, as 1t
isT
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 II
Il would offend the sturdy independ.
ence Of these simple, kindly nelghbors,
n she offered to supply a four-horse
team and wagon for their mutual use1
But she had been forestaled there, she
learned In the next breath.
"Oh. bother nothing" Mrs. Lauer de-
clared. "Why, we'd be ashamed If we.
couldn't help n little. And fnr's the
load goes, you ought to see the four
beautiful horses your 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 thing but got the team for
us, and Jake's paying for them In
clearing and plowing and making i'm
provements on your land. Honest,
they could pull twice the load wen
have. There's good wagon road
most Of the way now. Quite 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, your old cities never want
20 live In one again. Never day have
the Riddles been sick. Suppose 1t Is n
bit out Of the world? You're all the
more pleased when somebody does
happen along. Folks Is so different In
a new country like this. There's plen'
ty for everybody-and everybody
helps, like neighbOrs ought to-"
Lauer came up after time, and
Hazel found herself unequivocaly in
their hands. With the matter Of trans
porting herself and supplies thus
solved, she set out to find Felix COur-
voiseur-who would know how to get
stsnpl 20 IlfII ,,ffrhf hoplF IN
the cabin in month or so; he might
not come back at all unless he heard
from her She was snitten with n
great fear that he might give her up
as lost to him, and plunge deeper into
the wilderness In some mood Of reck-
lessness. And she wanted him, longed
for him. If only so that she could make
amends.
She easily found Courvoiseur, tall
spare Frenchman, past middle age.
Yes, he could deliver message to Bill
Wagstnff; that is, he could send a
man. Bill Wagstaff was in the Klap-
pan range.
"But If he should hive left therer
Hazel suggested uneasily.
"E weel leave weeth Wiley Lewees
word of were e CO." Courvolseur reas.
sured her. "An' my man, witch ees
my bruzzer-law, wich | can mos fully
trus', e wee follow 'eem. So Beele
ees arrange. Il ees say mos partee'
cular If madame ees come or weesh
for forward message, geet heem to me
queeck. Oul. Long tam Beel ees
know me. / am for depend always
Courvoiseur kept traders stock OF
goods In weather.beaten old los
house which sprawied hundred feet