The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1918-06-20
CHAPTER xlll-continued.


dress In Mother Hubbard gowns Of
cheap cotton print with other gar
mcnts to match But eventually they
found for her undergarments OF u
sort. waist and skirt, and comfort
able pair Of shoes. Hats. as a miliiner
would understand the term, there were
none. And In default OF such she
stuck to the gray felt sombrero she
had worn into the Klappan and out
agnin-whlch, In truth, became her
very well, when tilted at the proper
nngle above her heavy black hair.
Then she went back to the hotel, and
sought u bathroom.
Returning from this she found Bill,
n Bill all shaved and shorn, unloading
himself of sundry packages of new
attire.
"Aha, everything Is lovely he greet
ell. "Old Hack jumped at the pelts,
and paid fat price for the lot Also
the ranch deal has gUne through. He's
prince, old Hack. Sent up man
and had 1t surveyed and classified
and the deed waiting for me. And
oh, say, here's u letter for you.'
"For me? Oh. yes" as she looked
ut the handwriting and postmark. ~
wrote to Lorraine Marsh when we were
going north. Good heavens, look at
the date-lts been here since last Sep
temberw
"IIackaberry knew where we were,"
Bill explained. Sometimes In camps
lilip this they hold ni,hl two or three
years for men that!hnye goue into the
Interior" oer1- (
She put aside the letter, and dressed
Willie Btl had his bath. Then, with
the smoke and CRIME of hard trail
oblitcrated and with decent clothes
upon them, they sought the dining
roam. There, while they waited to be
served, Hazel read Lorraine Marshs
letter, and passed 1t to Bill with a
self-conselous little laugh. ...
'There's. an invitation there we
might accept" she said casually.
He returned the letter as the wait
ress brought their food.
Wouldn't 1t be nice to take a trip
homer" Hazel suggested tlioughtfully
-Pd love to-" r.
I'VE are going home" Eli reminded
gently.
'oh, OF course" she smiled. "But
mean to Granville. I'd like to go
back there with you for while, just
tO-just to-"
"To show EN-" he supplied lacon-
ically. -
"0h, Bill !" she pouted.
Nevertheless, she could not deny
that there was measure of truth In
his brief remark. She did want to
"show EN-"
She looked across the table at her
husband, and thought to herself with
proud satisfaction that she had done.
well. Viewed from any angle whatso-
ever. Bill Wagstaif stood head and
shoulders above all the men she had
ever known. Big. physically and men
tally, clean-mlnded and capable-in-
dubitably she had captured lion,
and, though she might have denied
stoutly the imputatlon, she wanted
Granville to see her lion and hear him
roar.
"Stll thinking Granvilleg" Bill
queried, when they had finished an
uncommonly silent meal.
Hazel flushed slightly. She was,
and momentarily she felt that she
should have been thinking of their lit
tie nest up by Pine River Pass instead.
She knew that Bill was h0mlng to the
cabin. She herself regarded ii with
affection, but of different degree from
his. Her mind was more occupied
with another, more palpltating circle
of life than was possible at the cabin,
much as she appreciated its green and
peaceful beauty. The sack of gold
lying In the bank had somehow opened
up fnr-flung possibilities. She skipped
the interval of affairs which she knew
must be attended to, and betook her
self and Bill to Granville, thence to
the bigger, older cities, where money
shouted In the voice of command,
where all things were possible to those
who had the price.
But she was beginning to know
this husband Of hers too well to pro-
pose anything of the sort abruptly.
Behind his tenderness and patience
she had sometimes glimpsed some
thing lnflexible, unyleding us the will
derness he loved. so she merely an
swered:
"In a way. yes"
"Let's go outside where | can smoke
a decent cigar on top Of this fairly
decent meal" he suggested. "Then
well figure on the next move. think
about twenty-four hours In Hazelton
will do me. There's a steamer goes
down-river tomorrow
Four days later they stood on the
deck of grlmy little steamer breast
ing the outgoing tide that surged
through the First Narrows. Presently
they swung around Brockton Point,
and Vancouver spread Its peninsular
clutter before them. Tugs and
launches puffed by, about their harbor
traffic. A ferry clustered black with
people hurried ncross the inlet. But
even above the harbor noises, across
the intervening distance they could
hear the vibrant hum Of the Indus
trial hive.
She had no regrets when BIZ con-
fined their stay to the time necessary
to turn his gold into bank account,