, 1919-09-18
The Star Trail
n
By IzoLA


paper syndicate.)
II Walt had not been young and
trusting he'd never have answered the
advertisement, but when you've spent
your life in western Nebraska, per-
sonally conducting squads of cattle
from range to railroad station, and
thereafter riding with them and
punching them into submission to an
all-wise Providence, you're apt to be
in a receptive condition for romance.
Walt was. From the first day when
he found the advertisement he knew
the star path his feet must tread. He
was sitting on a baggage truck in the
cool shadow of the Three Bears ex-
press office. peacefully sleeping. Runty,
the agent, laid owe his face a copy
of the Omaha Eagle. When Walt wax
ened his glance wandered idly over its
want columns. 1t was down among
the Personals" Walt read it over
carelessly at first, then carefully, look
ing up once to gaze at the demure but
forbidding face behind the telegraph
Office window. Then he real over the
al again.
WANTED YOUNG EASTERN WIDOW.
with western r~anchman. not over thirty.
Object m~atrimony.
He held the newspaper firmly in both
hands. There was no reason why he
should not answer the appeal. He
didn't have a ranch all his own, but
Bill and he had been good mariners
with the Triple Star outfit. The house
wasn't SO pad-three rooms ana a
iean-to. Hed nx 1t up for her, chuck
all the old clutter he and Bill had put
up "itn' ana sem p load or mall
order honeymoon Things Tor her to
MAKE her know she was welcome.
here wait TOOK a second look at the
u u,n iace at the WINDOW put the
81 80 uin1 he heau vi ho.ieeu
ns eA,stenee. Fresenus ne sauhtereu
aiouhu in'o .he station uoor"ay anu
49,. ~ ntue pai.tion at the
uehe' ohhee Couiu ne nave d 'eie-
e,apn onA, piuaset onelry uiu not
sanee up d. ai' just passeu one TO
mn 'oiuiy' ne spent haii an hour
wiitihs HIS message LOOK a long drink
Aoln tne water eoo'er anu hahueu the
e.esia 10 ner lo count up
eenu II oh any time It's nanny ne
lying 10 oe hohchaiah'
ois'' Onerry ran her pehcll over H.
Dear Madam: Seeing your ad In Omaha
Eagle Eagle | am hereby presenting myself with
in partnership with one Bill owens, No
with maii-order firms. Height SIX foot ane
men weight $50; II satisfactory will wire
WALTER X. RAMsDBLL
"Nipbt messoge2o asked Cberry
pleasantly as she drew ber nenc;,
through Dear Madam"
Walt resented her air of a~loofness
and lack of curiosity. He hauled out
a pigskin wallet and extracted a vel
low bill.
"Send n now and cot e. tbere tb,s
afternoon 7 don,t cora what II costs
Anv corrections IN spqgest3 .,
Cberrv,s b,ue ewes looked him over
SLOWLY. in one svveen;nq SUMMARY of
his annarent shortcom,nas 10 on idao1
suitor. and shook her head a~pgr,yot.
ingIy. with n certain LITTLE curI to ber
short MINER lin. some months nravi-
ouslv she had bean corrted oss;du-
ouslv nv Mr. Ramsdel1 and heing the
only attra tive and desirable g,rl in n
radius of forty miles she had failed to
take his offer at its roner valuation
Walt waited primIv until sbe had die.
matched the message tben rode owoy
with q now aqpressive ti1t IN bis hot
and q sinking feeling In bis boort OF
the desperate step he had taken.
In the days of waiting for his an
swer he haunted the telegraph office.
Cherry was likewise postmistress. and
Bill warned him of his danger.
"It,s inst as dangerous bang,ng
around some female vou,ve been once
atta cbed tn az II is getting measIes tbo