The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1919-09-10
!. THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Perfumed Epistles.
1918, by the Mcclure News
PIPER syndicte.

~ n
~ ed, that was all.
while the rest of the suf''y'ns
cr9wj that was measuring the Low
Ridge range for the comiig OF We
railroad spent It's spare tina reeel'!ng
nerfnmed mails and answering 1t Bic
prnco sought solace in ni:o az IN ne
seslusion Of his bunk or roameH ne
wilds e. wilderness woods and COM
muaed with nature.
go to it, boys" was hsi advice
Z "sone day you'll learn better. WON.
an are al right as parlor decorations
aod "a consume surplus cash in can
dy and c.othes, put as foi me. well,
I'm soIng to buy myself a farm some
da; Were l can have hor5 ~, dogs snd
Sow. ana chickens. They're soma use
+ IN the world, and they doa't so PACK
on YOU when you're down and ou;
Naturally, the others resented these
outbursts. They defended the fair sex
valiantly and by sheer numbers torcI
ed Big Bruce to desist from ms oral
attacks.
AN right, I'll keep still in the fl-
ture (" he growled; "but you can't pre-
vent a fellow thinking; and WINE
yon're fooling your time away WIN
mems and inks you can let your minus minus
dwell on the fact that consiueF Sou &c
all COMPOUNDED idiots" .ho
Sunday was a day OF rest IN Tue
woods as well as the places where CIV
iIization reigned, and also 1t was Gay
when a great deal of letter writln as
WAS accomplished in Lovers Loase
which Big Bruce sarcastically chrlsten
ed the shanty where the surveyors
were making their headquarters. 80,
On one of these Sundays Bruce s se'
out on a hike which he called re
lief expedition" ~. N,
"1,m going to get relief from the pei
fnmed air Of this shack" he announc-
ed az he took an old walking stick ne
had carved from a tree branch, a
nackage OF sandwiches and sanitary
CUP. "Here's hoping you al ses s
married and settle down to blissIul COZ
tentmeut-no excitement, no pleasure
No nothing" as he strobe disdalnlui4S
from the shack into the woods.
II was not case Of envy with Bic
prrcs He could have been admired
by MANY girls had he chosen, for ne
vas a good healthy, handsome spec;ii-
men who looked well either IN Dull MI
room or backwoods. However, 6ls
Pruce had not met the right sort Oh
His mother died when he was tod
dler and when he grew up his fathers
financial standing threw him in with
Iot of society buds who had no mis-
sion IN life other than to look beauti-
full. sip iced drinks and play Drlase'
No. women held no interest LOT nlui
They were to him, as he had said,
mere ornaments or playthings and moi
"a he given consideration in serious
busy world. .n,,
air az he swung along the ridge, head
ing for Lake Crescent, where he kne"
a flat bottomed rovboat was drawn
uu on shore. - 1t was well along N
summer and vegetation was in fuLI
hIoom with birds chirping in the trees
and insects buzzing merrily-and some
a. them singing Just as merrily.
Bruce expelled clouds OF pungent TO-
bacco smoke drawn from venerable
pipe and hummed tune. He was en-
Toying himself Intensely
Getting into rowhoat, he propelled
u across the lake, which was about
two miles wide and five miles long. A
stiff breeze ruffled the water into
chopuy waves, but Big Bruce's strong
arms drove the scow through them
wi+hout noticing the resistance. Ar
irving on the other side, he drew tae
draft up on shore and continued MS
wanderings.
Suddenly while walking along en-
loving the solitude of the woods, and
fhiaking of his foolish friends back in
Lovers Lodge, he felt sharp" pierc-
mig pain in his right side. At the same
instant the report Of rifle ECHOED
through the forest. Big Bruce tumoled
in heap on the ground and almost
lost consciousness.
For moments that seemed like hours
the young man lay there helpless, the
pain growing more intense all the
while. With an effort he reached his
left hand to the wound and withdrew
e covered with blood. He felt matt
seated and black dots swan before his
Realizing it woul dnot do to lie there
and allow his strength to ebb, he
forced himself to crawl along the path
on which he had been walking. II
seemed that he had crawled at least
three miles stopping frequently to re-
raiti strength, when he came into a
gearing, in which some one was cook
ing over fire.
With the knowledge that help was
81 hand, Big Bruce drlfted into un.
consciousness. When his eyes opened
home time later he loked up into a
rair OF black ones, which were owned
Nv a girl about twenty, who was garb
ca in Well-fitting buckskin clothes
With short skirt, leggings and a
wide. brimmed hat.
She had dark hair that fell in heavy
folds around her neck, and She had
white teeth and pug nose and 'otS
81 freckles. She was attractive n
zone ways, but in otners she WIS ce'
c!otdiy plain.
eI've got your wound fixed up" she
told him. "Some fool man has been
hunting ont OF season and got the
wrong kind Of game. II I had fired
kEat shot It would have hit what IL
Bas aimed at"
She snorted in disgust An examln.
aEiHt, Hrffk hts I1andR ahnund p-tre