Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1921-10-13
The Wedding of
Miss Norton
@. 1921. Western Newspaper Union
BY WILLIAM FALL

or discharge, I'm sorry to say an
nounced Foreman Perkins of the Mid
land Electric Light company.
1t was in the office of the Midland
plant that he said, 1t and the man he
addressed, Robert Cole, looked dismal
| ly out across acres on acres of huge
snow drifts, sighed desperately, and
arose to his feet with the words:
RULES are rules, Mr.. Perkins, and
I've always tried to follow the COM
pany's here, but give up this time.
In the first place, that soaking got
In the rainstorm Inst week has left
me chills and fever, and haven't the
/ strength to work. In the next place,
there's new baby at our house, and
/ I'm needed there"
The speakers hectic face and harsh
racking cough told that he was making
no pretense. He went to the window
to hide the tears coursing down his
/ cheeks and gazed out at the fast
darkening landscape.
| Besides himself and the boss, there
was only one other occupant of the
! little office. He was stranger to
both Of them, outside of the fact that
he was the new man sent from head
quarters that day. Young, bronzed,
athletic, he was a vigorous contrast
In physical health to the poor fellow
who now saw his life chances fading
away from him. with no position to
guarantee comfort for the dear ones
at home. The stranger had been reg
istered as 'Dale Tyler. linesman." He
glanced twice at Cole after he had
made his plea. He seemed studying
the situation. He arose, went over
to Cole, placed his hand on his shout
der and said tersely:
"You go home--I'll take care of the
job"
He reached into corner, took up
a repairing outfit and swung 1t care
lessly over his shoulder.
"It's the line between here and
Hampton" announced the foreman.
"It's down somewhere, the trans
former end reports
"How shall locate it?" inquired
Tyler.
/ Il
ble-pole 5S5 or Whereabouts. Last
week the rain made sag In two Of
| the poles near II and break in the
wires, The distance is about"
"You needn't tell me-" interrupted
/ Tyler, with frown. IL knew this
district pretty well-once."
"Oh, you did?" asked the foreman.
swell, you can't miss II, following the
line. If the break Is serious, reach
the nearest telephone and Wen send
help some way or other
"Al right
'Theres an extra fee II we get the
connection before eight O'clock" adj
vsed the foreman. lyon see. there's
big wedding at Hampton They want
to get the lights on at any expense.
It's the rich Miss Norton, going to
marry--hello"
The new man was n strange man as
well, decided the astonished foreman
as the former bolted from the place
as suddenly as IL shot. AT the men
| ton Of that name--Miss Norton--Dale
| Tyler shrank as IL his Informant had
drawn red hot iron over a raw
wound.
He left the place muttering strange
words. his eyes fixed ahead In
panied, intense stare, Needless of the
roaring wind. the cutting seet, the
great snow drifts
Two years before Dale Tyler had
! been engaged to Miss Lucia Norton
of Hampton. There mad come a lovers
| quarrel He was impetuous and she
was just. In At of pique he had
gone West Losing his ambition, from
work as an engineer he became q
| practical llnesman.
And now, transferred nearer to his
old home, his first task had been to
| repair the broken wires for the we'd
ding Of Miss Norton. Oh, the cruel,
! bitter irony of Il all
He counted the poles. The fever in
! his blood defied the intense cold. He
| found pole 5S5. Within thirty min
utes he had repaired the break.
He swept the frost from his face
| anu ltuItu hEdlhHA wv w oi'uhy
himself A light showed in the dis
! lance.
81 must reach It some way" Tyler
| told himself
! II was staggering, slipping. falling
| progress all the way TO the source Of
the light, a small cottage. He Knocked
at its door.
So blurred was his sight, so chilled
and numb was he, that he made out
feminine form 10 dim outline only.
III am a linesman nearly perlshed
with the cold. and must telephone to
headquarters. he faltered out
He staggered cross the threshold,
fell to chair and nearly tainted
from the abrupt transition from the
| intense cold to heat. Then his vital
ity came back to him.
81 must beg pardon" he began, aris-