New Britain herald., 1921-08-08

two long tracks for holding the cars.
In autumn fat cattle were driven
down out of the hidden valleys 10
entraln there for market.
Into this atmosphere there had
come many years before, one or those
innocents among men whose misfor-
tune 1t is to fall before the beguile-
ments of dishonest promoters. Milton
Philbrook was this man. Somebody
had sold him 10000 acres of land In
body for SO an acre. 1t began at
the river and ran back to the hills
for a matter of 20 miles.
fence in the Bad Lands was un-
known outside a corral in those days.
When Philbrook hired men to build
one, and operations were begun, muir
murs and threats against the unwel-
come innovation were heard. Phil
brook pushed the work to conclusion,
unmindful of the threats, moved now
by the intention OF founding a great
baronial estate in that bleak land.
While long lines Of fence were
going up. carpenters were at work
building a fit seat for Philbrook's
baronial aims. The point he chose
Tor his home site was the top Of
bare plateau overlooking the river,
the face Of it gray, crumbling shale,
rising 800 feet In abrupt slope from
the waters edge. And to this place,
upon which he had lavished what re-
NAMED OF his fortune, Philbrook had
brought his wife and little daughter.
Mrs. Philbrook broke under the
long strain of never ending battles,
and died the spring that her daugh-
ter became years of age. All this
information pertaining to the history
OF Milton Philbrook and his adven-
tres iii the Bad Lands, Orson Wood,
the one-armed landlord at the hotel
in Glendora, told Lambert ON the
evening of the travellers arrival there
at the end OF their first days ride
Lambert found the story more in
teresting than anything he ever had
imagined oe the Bad Lands. Here
was romance looking down on him
from the lonely walls of that white
house, and heroism of q finer kind
than these people appreciated, he
was sure.
rs the girl still here?" he in
qired.
Yes. Vesta's back now. She's been
away to school in Boston for three
or four years. comm back in sum-
mer for a little while.''
when did she como back?"
-Four or five weeks ago." the
landlord replied.
Il see," said Lambert, vaguely,
shaking to the tips of his fingers
with a kind of buck ague that he
never had suffered from before. For
that was she, Vesta Philbrook was
she, and she was vesta Philbrook.
He knew 1t as well as he knew that
he could count 10.
Funny thing about Vesta comm
home, too" the landlord said, and
stopped a little. as il to consider the
humor Of it. Lambert looked at him
with sudden wrench Of the neck.
(Which %
"Philbrook's luck held out, it
looked like, till she got through her
education. All through the lights
he had and the scrapes he run into
the last 10 years he never got a
scratch. Bullets used to hum around
that man like bees, and he'd ride
through EN- like they were bees, but
none Of 'em ever notched him. Curl
GUS, wasn't tt?''
Did somebody get him at last?"
mo, he took typhoid fever. He
took down about a week or 10 DAYS
after Vesta got home. He died about
a couple of weeks ago. Vesta had
him laid beside her mother up there
on the hill. He said they'd never run
| him out of this country, livin' or
dead
'1s she running the ranch?"
Like an old soldier. sir. tell you
I've got whole lot of admiration for
that girl. Amt You the Teller they
call the Duke Of Chimney Butte?''
They call me that in this country. u
Yes; I knew that horse the min.
ute your rode up, though he's
changed for the better wonderful
since I saw him last, and I knew you
from the descriptions I've heard OF
you. Vesta'd give you a job in a
minute. and she'd pay you good
money. too. I wouldn't wonder il
she didn't put you in as foreman
right on the jump, account of the
name you've got up here in the Bao
LANDS"
Even more bleak than from dis.
lance the house on the mesa ap.
peared the next morning as the rider.
approached it up the winding road
1t stood solitary behind it, not {
shrub to ease its lines. not a barr
or shed to make a rude background
for its amazing proportions.
Taterleg remained mounted Will,
Lam bert went to the door. A negro
woman, rheumatic, old, came in re
Spouse to his knocks. Miss Philbrool
was at the barn, she said. Lamber
turned back to his horse, swung int,
the saddle and rode with his com
panion toward the gate cutting tn
employees quarters from the barn
yard.
Off to one side Of a long barn Lam
bert saw her as he dismounted ant
opened the gate. She was trying t,
coax young calf to drink out of
bucket that an old negro held unde
it's nose. Perhaps his heart climbed
a little. and his eyes grew hot with
sudden surge Of blood, after the wa.
Of youth, as he went forward.
She looked up at the sound of hi
: approach, a startled expression il, he
frank, 4ray ewes Han6aome il