Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1919-07-31
A
Camp Honeymoon
y
By KOLA FORESTER
By KOLA FORESTER


camp on Mirror lake lay far ahead of
them. Il don't care, though The
farther the better, and | hope Wen
never see a white man all the time
we're here"
Wah-tonah, the guide, heard, and
never changed his expression. If the
white women who camped on the lake
chose to think nobody else cared to
camp there likewise, it was not his
fault, nor his duty to instruct them.
Two weeks before he had climbed the
same trail with the three Men who
wanted to be where there were no
women. One had been very ill. One
was his brother and helped him over
the rough places along the trail. The
other sang much. His voice rang out
in the wilds like some clear-toned bird
call. The guide remembered, too, that
he had been like the old hero hunters
to look upon, tall and slim and strong,
and he had laughed much and cheered
the other two.
There was no fear that they would
meet unless the curling smoke of the
camp fires betrayed them to each 9TH
er, but Wah-tOnah felt his conscience
They each had a whole side of the
lake to themselves. If they would stay
on their own sides there would be no
trouble. And here he had happy
thought. Gravely he looked at the
three the one too fat, the one too thin,
the one with the hair like sunlight
and eyes like deep water in shadow.
He did not know their names, but this
one he liked best, so he addressed her.
"Too much bear on lake." he told
her. mot where you go. All good
there. Too much bear other side lake.
"We'll stay right on our own side,
thanks, Wah-tonah," Beth said prompt
ly. Anyway, we're all pretty good
shots"
But she remembered what he had
said. After the second week at the
camp one day she had swung out into
the woods to pick berries, and there
came a suspicious cracking in the I'M
derbrush. Watching keenly, she heard
the slow, heavy movements of a body
pushing it's way through, and before
she thought twice she had slung her
rifle to her shoulder and sent a good
shot straight at the moving bushes. AL
most instantly there came a good,
leavy broadside of strong language, and
Beth sat tight on log, longing to
laugh and only glad the shot had not
taken effect.
Ont from the woods came her "big
game" six feet two, dressed in khaki
and frankly furious. At sight of her
he stopped short, stared and then
laughed with her.
"Well, you did clip my hat" he said
ruefully, showing the two neat holes
through the peaked crown. do look
like a bear?"
'You acted just like one" said Beth
GLOW was to know. Wah-tonah, our
guide, told me there wasn't soul up
here but us, and there were bears on
the other side of the lake."
"The cheerful liar!" exclaimed the
intruder. Gle took our whole outfit
up there a month ago, and knew we
were going to stay, and he's been up
with supplies twice since, and never
told us anybody was here but our
selves.
"We've got a dandy camp down on
the shore in that little curve where the
pine grove is. Probably he didn't tell
us about you because-well, my aunt's
with us, and Dell, that's her daughter;
Dell's just had really terrible expert
ence. She is completely disillusiOned,
and the engagements broken, and we
came up here to try and make her for
get. She had heard of the lake from
him, and always wanted to come, be-
Heve."
isn't that too bad" Stanley settled
"May help pick berries, too? Maybe
we can fix up a truce whereby I'll
trade fresh fish with you for buckle
berry pies; how's that? I'm dying for
a whole pie. We're not much on cook
ing, any Of us. There's Frank Car
ter-maybe you've heard Of him, aw-
fully clever fellow, scientist at Column
bia-and his brother, Hal. | rOOmed
with Carter during our POSTCARD. years
and when he had to come up here with
Hal, I told him I'd stand by. He's
been pretty sick; nervous breakdown
and worry"
"Halbert Carter?" queried Beth, eag-
erly. "Why, he's the man, you know"
1.-THE man."
eyes, the one Dell was engaged to,
and they were to be married this fall,
and she went to visit girl friend,
Madelaine Collier, and she found out
he'd been engaged to her, too"
"WeH?' Stanley tried to look seri-
GUS.
"But he had told Dell she was the
only girl he had ever loved"
Didn't that prove it, when he'd
found out the other was mistake"
81 don't know" Beth looked away
from him over at the waters of the
lake. 81 suppose to men engagements
are lust happenings, but perhaps they !