Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1918-10-24
CHAPTER ".
Cariboo Meadows.

A tall man, sunburned, slow-speak
ing, met Hazel at Soda Creek, the end
of her stage journey, introducing him
self a. jim Briggs.
pretty tiresome trip, amt IT." he
observed. you'll have a chance to
rest decent tonight, and I got a team
uh bays that'll yank yuh to the Mead
w in four hours n a half. My wife'u
be plumb tickled to have yuh. They
amt much more'n half a dozen white
women in ten miles uh the Meadows.
We keep a boardin' house. Hope you'll
like the country"
That was a lengthy speech for Jim
Briggs, as Hazel discovered when she
rolled out of Soda Creek behind the
steam uh bays" His conversation was
decidedly m~onosyllabic. But he could
drive, if he was no talker, and his
team could travel. By eleven o'clock
Hazel found herself at Cariboo Mead
ows.
"Schoolhouse's owe yonder." Briggs
pointed out the place-an unnecessary
guidance, for Hazel had already
marked the building set off by itself
and fortified with a tall flagpole. "And
here's where we live. Kinda out uh
the world, but blame good place to
live"
Hazel did like the place. Her first
impression was thankfulness that her
lot had been cast in such q spot. But
it was largely because of the surround
ings, essentially primitive, the clean
air, gulltless of smoke faint, the aro-
matte Odors from the forest that
ranged for unending miles on every
hand.
So with the charm of the wild land
fresh upon her, she took kindly to
Cariboo Meadows.
Her first afternoon she spent loaf
ing on the porch Of the Briggs domi-
cile, within which Mrs. Briggs, a fat,
good-natured person Of forty, toiled at
her cooking for the "boarders,' and
kept a brood Of five tumultuous young
sters in order-the combined tasks
leaving her scant time to entertain
her newly arrived guest.
Cariboo Meadows, as a town, was
simply a double row Of buildings fac
ing each other across a wagon road.
Two stores, a blacksmith shop, a feed
stable, certain other nondescript
buildings, and a few dwellings,, mostly
of logs, was all. Probably not more
than a total Of fifty souls made per.
manent residence there. Directly op-
posite Briggs boarding house stood q
1r,s11s-~ 1,l>,1>1 HI1 r~- TToLJ IT,
eel could enyisage it all With a half
turn Of her head.
From this hotel there presently is.
sued a young man dressed in the ordi-
nary costume of the countrywide
hat, flannel shirt, overalls, boots. He
sat down on a box close by the hotel
entrance. In q few minutes another
came forth. He walked past the first
a few steps, stopped, and said some.
thing. Hazel could not hear the words.
The first man was filling his pipe. Ap.
parently he made no reply; at least.
he did not trouble to look up. But
she saw his shoulders lift in a sllrug
Then he who had passed turned
square about and spoke again, this
time lifting his voice a trifle. The
young fellow sitting on the box in.
stantly became galvanized into action
He flung out an oath that carried
across the street and made Hazel's
ears burn. At the same time he leapeC
from his seat straight at the Other
"a
Hazel saw it quite distinctly, saw
him who jumped dodge a vicious blow
and close with the other; and saw
moreover, something which amazed
her. For the young fellow swayet
with his adversary a second or two
then lifted him bodily off his feet al
most to the level of his head, an(
slammed him against the hotel wal
with q sudden twist. She heard the
thump of the body on the logs. FOL
an instant she thought him about tt
jump with his booted feet on the pros
trate form, and involuntarily she helt
her breath. But he stepped back. anc
when the other scrambled up, he side
stepped the first rush, and knocked thu
man down again with n blow Of hi!
fist. This time ho stayed down. Thel