The Dolores star., 1919-01-17
CHAPTER xviII-continued,

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 a man as l on der ranch ven
am gone" he explained. But for dem
It iss a change. Und 1 bring by der
town a vaIgonloat Off bobadoes. By
Gosh, dem bobadoes iss sell high"
Ii flashed into Hazel's mind that
here was a heaven-sent opportunity to
reach the cabin without facing that
hundred miles in the company of
chance-hired strangers. But she did
not broach the subject at once. In
stead she asked eagerly of Bill. Lauer
told her that Bill had tarried few
days nt the cabin, and then struck out
alone for the mines. And he had not
said when he would be back.
Mrs. Lauer unchanged from a year
earlier. welcomed her with pleased
friendiness. And Jake left the two
of them and the chubby kiddies 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
to an ear that listened with sympathy
and understanding. Only woman
can grasp some of woman's needs.
Gretta Lauer patted HaZel's shoulder
with a motherly hand, and bade her
cheer up.
"Home's the place for you, dear"
she said, smillngly. You just come
right along with US. Your man will
come quick enough when he gets
word. And we'll tnke good care of you
In the meantime. La. I'm all excited
over it. It's the finest thing could hap
pen for you both. Take it from me,
dearie. I know. We've had our trou-
hles. 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. I wish Bill were
here. I'm afraid I'll be lot of both
er. Won't you be heavily loaded, as 1t
IsP"
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 IL
1t would offend the sturdy independ-
ence of these simple, kindly neighbors
II she offered to supply four-horse
team and wagon for their mutual use7
But she had been forestalled there she
learned in the next breath.
"Oh. bother nothing" Mrs. Lauer de-
clared. why. we'd be ashamed. If we
couldn't help little. And far'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 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 im-
oh jun lahu. AAohSSNt
they could pull twice the load we'll
have. There's good wagon road
most of the way now. Quite lot of
settlers, too US 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
to live in one again. Never day have
the kiddies been sick. Suppose it Is a
bit out Of the world? You're all the
more pleased when somebody does
happen along. Folks is so different In
new country like this. There's plen-
ty for everybody-and everybody
helps. like neighbors ought to-"
Lauer came up after a time, and
Hazel found herself unequivocally 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
word to Bill. He might come back to
the cabin in month or so; he might
not come back at all unless he heard
from her. She was smitten with q
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
Wagstaff; chat is, he could send q
man. Bill Wagstaff was In the Klap-
pan range.
But If he should have left there?'
Hazel suggested uneasily.
"'E weel leave weeth W'itey Lewees
word of were e CO." Courvoiseur reas-
sured her. "An' my man, witch ees
my bruzzer-law, w'ich can mos fully
trus. e weel follow 'eem. So Beel'e
ees arrange. e ees say mos partee-
cular If madame ees come or weesh