Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1920-12-30
SYNOPSIS.

CHAPTER II.-McCarthy, a saloon
keeper and Ponca's leading citizen. de-
cldes that the girl, now alone in the
world, should marry. Shelby starts q
hunt for eligible husbands and the min
lister goes to confer with the girl.
CHAPTER III.-she agrees to pick a
husband from a score Of men lined up in
her home. To his CONSERVATION, she Sc
lects Shelby, who had gone along merely
as a spectator. He declines the honor.
Indignant, the girl dismisses the assem-
biage. Later, Shelby goes back to make
an explanation. She receives him good
naturedly.
CHAPTER Iv.-Leaving @syoy
runs into two of the rejected %suitors, Inc
in a fight worsts them both. Angered
at their remarks, he returns to the girl,
determined to marry her, If she will have
him. After his explanation she agrees
to marry him.
"What was your manner he askeu
soberly.
She glanced up into his face, sur
prised at the abrupt question.
my name! Why, don't you know"
Il never heard Of it; seems sorter
odd, maybe, but I never did,"
"It is Olga"
"Olga-Olga what?"
why. Shelby, I suppose"
mo, didn't mean that. Of course,
it's Shelby now. but what was it be-
fore today? 'Twasn't Calkins."
The smile had deserted her lips and
her eyes were very serious.
"Just what do you mean, please?
Have you heard something's"
well, yes. This here soldier Shau-
messy has been in the army a long
while; he was fifteen years in the
Sixth cavalry. Now j happened to
learn, accidentally from Mccarthy,
that Old Calkins was Once a sergeant
in that outfit. so naturally | asked
Shaunessy if he ever knew him."
'.And did he?"
Sure; they were bunkies, once an
he said Jeff Calkins never was mar
ried an didn't have no daughter"
"Well, did I eve say I was his
edaughterY
mo, O. course you didn't. 1 never
asked, but everybody thought you
must be. What was the old man to
you, anyhow? l reckon l got a right
to know"
"You certainly have, but 1 cannot
tell you very much. Frankly, I don't
know. I could not explain ever how
l came into his care. That sounds
strange, perhaps. but it is true. I
wasn't much of a girl when he got
me first and I've scarcely been out of
his sight since. we asked him a
thousand times, but he never would
explain. Once he said it would come
out all right after awhile. 1t seemed
to anger him for me to ask ques-
lions, so, at last. I stopped"
''That's mighty queer. Did he ever
tell you what your real name WASP"
ooh, yes; there wasn't any secret
about that-it was Carlyn."
"Olga Carlyn," he repeated the
words slowly. "Sorter Norwegian
Irish, amt it? That story sounds ra-
Their funny to me-"
"My idea is he was hiding me from
someone; trying to keep me from be-
ing found. I decided that was why
he moved about from place to place
and always lived in such poverty and
alone. I believe he had money or
could always get some when needed.
Then he seemed to be afraid all the
time and watching for something to
happen"
"And you don't have no recollection
whatever of either your father or
mother?"
mot of my mother; she may have
died when I was a baby, but I can
remember my father, although I never
saw him very often. He was a tall
man with iron-gray hair and mustache;
once | saw him in uniform"
IAN officer, likely"
II think so. / was at school then
and I am SUR the lady principal called
him colonel. I never lived with him.
but always at some school, first one
and then another. I am sure / was
in st. Louis when Calkins came for
me and took me away. That is actu-
ally everything / know about it; since
then we've just moved around from
place to place."
They fell into silence and rode IN
thus for hours, seldom speaking. each
~engrossed in their own thoughts. To
ward shutdown they came into a more
rolling country, with patches Of green
grass, and the trail wound in and out
among shallow depressions, yielding
greater variety of scenery. Just be-
fore dark they toiled up over a high
ridge and from the summit looked for
some distance down the valley of the
Cottonwood, The trail ran slantingly
down the side of the bluff, z~igzagging
,'s. asn ,',~r., IL caareb of easier pas