Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1919-04-02


Il did not know 1t until we got
here. There was a message from Mac
Lean at the desk, waiting"
MacLean was not there. eitherl
"We are all ready" she cried.
Mrs. Hatfield and Mr.. Richard cannot
come" Not for worlds would she give
in TO her desire to call the whole
grim affair off; let them think she
was disappointed. not she. Though
the world blew away. she would go.
She found herself distributing slips
of mangled quotations. The white
slips went TO the women: the green
bits of pasteboard 10 the men. She
held a certain green card in her
glove: "LeadsSon to fortune" Rick
ard might come dashlng In at the last
moment, the ideal mans way; a spe-
cial. perhaps; il did not seem credible
that he would deliberately stay away
without sending her word.
In burst of laughter. the COM
pany discovered then that the guest
of honor was also absent. Mrs.
Hardin hurried them out TO the wait
ing buggies.
Drearily. they drove down the fly
ing street. The wind was at their
backs, bur it tore at their hats. pulled
at their tempers. Their eyes were
full Of street dust.
4 flash of light as they were leav-
ing town frightened the thick dust
clouds. What was that?" cried Gerty.
She was ready for any calamity now,
Not llghtningT" Again. the queer
light flashed across the obscured sky.
Tom reused himself to growl that he
hadn't seen anything. And the dreary
farce went on.
lnnes' partner was young Sutcliffe,
the English zanjero. He was In the
quicksand of a comparison between
English and American women, Innes
mischievously coaxing him into deeper
waters, when there was a blockade
of buggies ahead of them.
1.-THE A b C ranch" cried Innes,
peering through the veil of dust at
the queer unreal outlines of fences
and trees. Its our first stop"
"Oh, / say, that's too bad" began
Sutcliffe. Innes was already on the
road, her skirts whipped by the wind
into clinging drapery.
Gerty's party found itself disorgan-
lied. Partners were trying to find
or lose each other. Get in here y
Innes heard the voice of Estrada be-
hind her. He had a top buggy. She
hailed a refuge.
splendid !" she cried. "What a
relief !" Climbing In, she said: Il
hope this isn't upsetting Gerty's ar
/ rangement."
! Arrangement Look at them T.
! The women were Fastening out of the
| dust swirl into any haven that Of
fered. With little screams of dlsmay,
! they ran like rabbits to cover.
Gerty found herself with Blinn. AT
! the next stop there was a block of
/ buggies mo use changing again -
! She acknowledged herself beaten.
| Lets go on. What are they stopping
| for?" Dismal farce 1t all was
She was pushing back her disheart-
encd curls when the beat of horses
hoofs back of them brought the blood
back into her wind-chilled cheeks
"Rickard !" she thought. "ITe must
have come In a special" The gloon
suddenly disgorged MacLean.
"Hardini Where is her"
whats upT yelled Blinn. "Is II
the river?" MacLean's face answered
him. His ranch secured again--"God
Almighty"
1.-The rIverw screamed the women
The men were surrounding MacLean
whose horse was pranclng as If with
the Importance of having carried q
Revere. ''The levee" called Mac
Lean. "Wheres HaTdin?" He spurreC
his mare toward Hardin, who was
blacker than Napoleon at Austerlitz
you're needed. They're all need
/ ed" The other voices broke In, the
men pressing up. This threatened
them all. Blinn's ranch lay In the
ravaged sixth district, Nothing would
save him. Youngberg belonged "a
water company number one; theli
| bitches would 60 HOLSTER and VIII.
son OF the Palo Verde saw ruin ahead
! Of them. Each man was yisualizlng
the mad onward sweep of that de.
stroying power. Like ghosts, the
women huddled In the dust-blowr
| road.
"Where is 1t now?" demanded Blinn.
'It's here, right on us. You're all
needed at the leyee." bawled Mac
Lean.
The Ievee! There was dash for
buggles. scraplng of wheels, the
whinnying of frightened horses. Some
one recalled the flashes Of light they
had seen on leaving town. What
were those lights-slgnnls"
"From the water-tower." MacLeans
voice split the wind. The wires are
all down between the Crossing and the
towns. Coronel was on the tower--he
got the signal from the Headlng-he's
been there each night for week r
| This was great nlght-for his chief,
| Richard
Gerty Hardin caught the thrill OF
his hero-worship. How splendid, how
/ triumphant
lines found herself In her brothers
buggy. His horse, under the whip,
dash, forward. Suddenly he pulled
It back on its launches, narrowly
averting jam. where's Mac
! Learn
The boy rode back. who's call.