Grainger County news. (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-current, 1919-10-30
Perfumed Epistles
n
By R. RAY BAKER
By R. RAY BAKER

a all.
While the rest Of the surveying
.rowd that was measuring the Low
Ridge range for the coming OF the rail-
oad spent its spare time in receiving
eerfumed mail and answering it Big
Bruce sought solace in nicotine In the
Ieclusion Of his bunk or roamed the
vtlds of Wilderness woods and COM
nuned with nature.
go to 1t, boys" was his advice.
Some Gay you'll learn better. Wom-
IN are all right as parlor decorations
Ind to u surplus cash In candy
md clothes, but as for newell, I'm
Ioing to buy myself a farm some day,
where I can have horses, dogs and
lows and chickens. They're of some
lse In the world, and they don't go
Back on you when you're down and
tut"
Naturally, the others resented
lhese outbursts. They defended the
lair sex valiantly, and by sheer num-
,ers forced Big Bruce to desist from
his oral attacks.
"All right, I'll keep still in the fu-
nre," he growled "but you can't pre-
vent a fellow thinking; and while
you're fooling your time away with
pens and ink you can let your minds
lwell on the fact that I consider you're
Ill COMPOUNDED idiots"
Sunday was a day Of rest In The
woods as well as the places where
| civilization reigned, and also 1t was a
lay when a great deal of letter writ
ng was accomplished in Loves
Lodge" which Big Bruce sarcastical-
y christened the shanty where the
surveyors were making their head
quarters.
On one of these Sundays Bruce SET
out on q hike which he called 9
relief expedition"
SIN going to get relief from the
perfumed air of this shack" he an.
bounced as he took an old walking
stick he had carved from a tree
branch, a package of sandwiches and
sanitary cup. Here's hoping you
Ill get married and settle down to
blissful contentment-no excitement
no pleasure, no nothing" and he STROBE
hisdainfully from the shack into the
woods.
1t was not a case Of envy with Big
Bruce. He could have been admired
by many girls had he chosen, for HI
was a good, healthy, handsome speci
men who looked well either in ball
room or backwoods. However, BIZ
Bruce had not met the right sort o.
women.
His mother died when he was a tod
der, and when he grew up his father
financial standing threw him in with
lot of society buds who had no mis-
sion in life other than to look beauti
full, 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 no
to be given consideration in a serious
busy world.
Big Bruce drew his lungs full O
pure air as he swung along the ridge
heading for Lake Crescent, where h
knew a flat-bottomed rowboat wa
drawn up on shore. 1t was well alonI
In summer and vegetation was in full
bloom, with birds chirping in the tree
and insects buzzing merrily-and som
Of them singing just as merrily.
Bruce expelled clouds Of pungen
tobacco smoke drawn from a vener
able pipe, and hummed a tune. II
was enjoying himself immensely.
Getting into the rowboat, he pre-
PEELED 1t across the lake, which wa
about two miles wide and five mile
long. A stiff breeze rufded the waite
into choppy waves, but Big Bruce
strong arms drove the scow throug
them without noticing the resistanc,
Arriving on the other side he drew tn
craft up on shore and continued hi
wanderings.
Suddenly, while walking along er
joying the solitude Of the woods an
thinking Of his foolish friends bac
in Lovers Lodge" he felt a sharl
piercing pain in his right side At tn
same instant the report Of a riff
echoed through the forest. Big Bruc
tumbled in a heap on the ground an
almost lost consciousness.
For moments that seemed like hour
the young man lay there helpless, tn
pain growing more intense all tn
while. With an effort he reached h
left hand to the wound and withdre'
it covered with blood. He felt ma,
seated and black dots swan befoi
his eyes.
Realizing It would not do to Il
there and allow his strength to eb1
he forced himself to crawl along til
path on which he had been walkin
It seemed that he had crawled at lea
three miles, stopping frequently to r
gain strength, when he came into
clearing, in which some one was cool
ing over a fire.
With the knowledge that help wt
at hand, Big Bruce drifted into uncoI
seriousness. When his eyes opene
some time later, he looked up into
pair of black ones which were owne
by a girl Of about twenty, who W,
CARRIED in well-fitting buckskin clothe
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