The Brookings register. [volume] (Brookings, Brookings County, S.D.) 1903-1971, 1921-12-01

M uCi opCohAh6 'OASS'
"Winkie Is what the cow-men call a
'pinto'-a calico horse,' she answered
promptly.
"Sure!" l beloved, II knew II ~
and the horse SHE'D and the dog barked
In sheer sympathy. Then l apologized.
"Please forgive the explosion. AS I
said a minute ago., my brain some
times acts like Barney's: half of 1t
being go%Od-natured and silly and the
other half-well, we'll omit the de-
~scription Of the other half for the
present. II you'll permit me. May l.
er--wiu you have the goodness to tell
me where l amr
"I-why-dear me! Don't you know
where you areT
mot any more than q harmless, nee
essary goat, I assure you"
I couldn't be certain, but I thought
she took a little firmer hold upon her
bride rein.
did you-did you come from An
gelsT she asked In q sort Of awed
little voice.
"How did you guess it7 I was, In.
deed-fOr a very short space Of time
this very day-a member Of the An
gelic band. And II you should ask me,
/ might say that I feel as though / had
walked most Of the way here from
Angels. I-I-my car broke down, o.
know"
yes" she said: II know"-just as
II she did. Then: 81 can at least tell
you where you are. This is the south
ern slope Of Cinnabar mountain. This
road leads on down to Atropia, about
three miles below"
Eyes; Atropia was the place I was
trying to come at"
She stopped and appeared to be think
ing about something. Then she said
REALLY, l think you would better
not go to Atropia. It's-well, It's
quite a long walk"
1.-THE walk doesn't specially appal
me. I've done SO much walking this
afternoon that a few hundred miles,
more or less, In addition wouldn't be
worth mentioning. But for some other
reasons"
"Yes; for some other reasons" she
said, repeating 1t right after me. Then /:
"I-we-Daddy and /, might give you
some supper and put you up for the
night, if-if you wouldn't mind Sleep
Ing In them the loft"
My Lord! I hadn't so much as seen
her face clearly yet, but 1 could have
worshiped her! She had just come
from Atropia, and she knewl OF
course, she knew. That little dry-as-
dust hamlet must have been sizzling
for hours with the wire news of the
escaped lunatic who had alighted in
Angels only to light out again with q
stolen inspection car. And In the face
Of all that she was willing to take
a chance on me! II she had only
known that I would cheerfully risk
sleeping In the cellar-to say nothing
of a loft-rather than lose sight of
her . but she was going on q bit
breathlessly: 1T Is only a short mile
to our cabin and-and II you are very
tired, I might let you ride Wrinkle"
II shall be most delighted-to walk"
l naStened 10 say.
straight on up the I, then" she
directed.
We had traversed possibly half Of
the promised mile in plodding silence
when we came TO a place where the
grade was so steep that 1t cut what
was left Of my sea-level wind to the
small end Of nothing.
"Stop a minute and get your
BREATH" said the pony's rider; and
when l had halted: "You are not used
to these high attitudes, are your"
"N-not SO that any one would re-
mark It." I gasped. slow high up
are wef'
"About five thousand feet. The mine
is exactly five Thousand three hun
dred. I believe"
There 1t was, you see: THE MINE {!
pardon me-" I blurted out; "but
would You mind telling me IL your eyes
are blue"
Her laugh was like a drink Of cool
spring water in the middle of a hot
summer day; refreshing, you know,
like that.
II sup-pup-pose my eyes are blue;
people tell me they are"
"Thank you" 1 returned. There is
only one other little matter and that
can very well wait until we are-er-
a bit better acquainted, you know.
Shall we go on, nowT
She spoke to her pony and we went
on. Ahead Of us and ~diagonally I'D q
steep slope l could see the dim shapes
of a number Of buildings, all dark.
Then we came to a great dump. look
ing as IL the mountain had at one
time opened to pour out q cataract Of
broken stone.
Beyond the dump there was another
building with a light in 1t; and as the
dog ran ahead of US. barking, the fg-
ure Of a man silhpuetted itself in the
open doorway.
Here we are and you are welcome
to the Old Cinnabar," said my com.
panion to me. Then she "~hoo-hoo-ed"
cheerily to the man In the doorway
and slipped out of her saddle, letting
her pony stand while she led me across
IN tho Il~h<oI l~- A,lk ocA