The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-09-11
EVENING STORY
Perfumed EpistIes.
BY r. RAY BAKER.


Big Bruce Forester was not
woman hater. He was not interested,
that was all.
While the rest of the surveying
crowd that was measuring the Low
Ridge range for the coming OF the
railroad spent its spare time in re-
ceiving perfumed mails and answer
ing 1t Big Bruce sought solace in nico-
tine in the seclusion of his bunk or
roamed the wilds of Wilderness woods
and continued with nature.
GO to it. boys" was his advice.
Some day you'll learn better. Women
are all right as parlor decorations and
to consume surplus cash in candy and
clothes, but as for Newell. I'm going
to buy myself a farm some day, where
can have horses, dogs and cows and
chickens- They're of some use in the
world, and they don't go back on you
when you're down and out"
Naturally, the others resented these
outbursts. They defended the fair sex
valiantly, and by sheer numbers forced
Big Bruce to desist from his oral at
tacks.
"All right; I'll keep still in the fu-
ture." he growled; but you can't pre-
vent fellow thinking; and while
you're fooling your time away with
pens and ink you can let your minds
dwell on the fact that 1 consider you're
all COMPOUNDED idiots
Sunday was a day of rest in the
woods as well as the places where
civilization reigned, and also il was
day when a great deal of letter writ
ing was accomplished in Lovers
Lodge which Big Bruce sarcastically
christened the shanty where the sur
veyors were making their headQuar-
tiers.
On one of these Sundays Bruce set
out on hike which he called a re
lief expedition
I'm going to get relief from the
perfumed air of this shack" he an
nounced as he took an old walking
branch, a package of sandwiches and
a sanitary cup. Here's hoping you
all get married and settle down to
blissful contentment--no excitement,
no pleasure, no nothing and he
strobe disdainfully from the shack
into the woods.
II was not case of envy with Big
Bruce. He could have been admired
by many girls had he chosen. for he
was good. healthy, handsome spect-
men, who looked well either in ball
room or backwoods. However, Big
Bruce had not met the right sort of
women.
His mother died when he was
fodder, and when he grew up his
fathers financial standing threw him
in with lot of society buds who had
no mission in life other than to look
beautiful. sip iced drinks and play
bridge. No, women held no interest for
him. They were to him. as he had
said, mere ornaments or playthings
and not to be given consideration in
a serious. busy world.
Big Bruce drew his lungs full of
pure air as he swung along the ridge,
heading for Lake Crescent, where he
knew a nat-bottomed rowboat was
drawn up on shore. 1t was well along
in summer and vegetation was in full
bloom, with birds chipping in the trees
and insects buzZing merrily-and
some of them singing just as merrily
Bruce expelled clouds of pungent
tobacco smoke, drawn from a vener-
able pipe, and hummed a tune He
was enjoying himself immensely
e Getting into the rowboat, he pro-
PEELED it across the lake, which was
about two miles wide and five miles
long. stiff breze ruffled the water
into choppy waves, but Big Bruce's
strong arms drove the scow thru them
without noticing the resistance. Ar
irving on the other side. he drew the
craft up on shore and continued his
wanderings.
Suddenly, while walking along en-
joying the solitude of the woods and
thinking of his foolish friends back
in Lovers Lodge" he felt a sharp,
piercing pain in his right side. At the
same instant the report Of a rifle
stumbled in heap on the ground and
almost lost consciousness.
For moments that seemed like
hours the young man lay there help
less, the pain growing more intense all
the while With an effort he reached
his left hand to the wound and with
drew it covered with blood. He felt
nauseated and blacks dots swan be-
fore his eyes.
Realizing it would not do to lie
there and allow his strength to ebb,
he forced himself to crawl along the
path on which he had been walking.
1t seemed that he had crawled at least
three miles, stopping frequently to re-
gain strength, when he cams into a
clearing, in which some one was cook
ing over a fire.
with the knowledge that help was
at hand Big Bruce drifted into un-
consciousness. When his eyes opened
some time later, he looked up into
a pair of black ones which were
owned by a girl Of about twenty, who
was CARRIED in well-fitting buckskin
clothes, with a 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 a pug nose and lots OF
freckles. She was attractive in some
ways. but in others, she was decidedly
plain
i've got your wound fixed up she
told him. Some fool man has been
hunting out of season and got the
wrong kind of game. II I had fired
that shot 1t would have hit what 1t
was aimed at"
She snorted in digust. An examina-
ton with his hands showed Bruce that
his shirt had been cut away around
the wound and a bandage put in place.
The bandage was wet. but he ascer
tanned that 1t was with water instead
of blood.
home" she told him, in business-like
tones. IF you'll try to walk. and lean
on me all you want to, we can make
it to the canoe"
1t was not a great distance. and
somehow, in spite of the pain and his
weakened condition, which became
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