Middletown transcript., 1921-01-01
CHAPTER lIl-Continued. .

"Of course-but sit down now, any
way. Pm sorry that Snowbird isn't
here"
"Snowbird is"
"My daughter. Ny boy, she can
make a biscuit! That's not her name,
Of course, but we've always called her
that. She cot tired of keeping house
and is working this summer. Poor
Bill has to keep house for her, and
no wonder he's eager to take the stock
down to the lower levels. I only wish
he hadn't brought 'em up this spring
at all; I've lost dozens from the
coyotes"
But a coyote can't kill cattle"
1T can if it has hydrophobia, COM
mon thing in the varmints this time Of
year. But as say, Bill will take the
stock down next season, and then
Snowbird's work will be through. and
she'll come back here"
"Then she's dowr in the valley?"
Ear from it, She's mountain
| girl if one ever lived. Perhaps you
don't know the recent policy of the
| forest service to hire women who i.
| they can be obtained. 1t was policy
| started in war times and kept up now
| because it is economical and efficient.
| She and girl from college have
cabin not five miles from here on old
Bald mountain, and they're doing look
! out duty"
Dan wondered intensely what look
out duty might be. "You see. Dan"
Lennox said in explanation, "the gov
ernment loses thousands of dOllass
every year by forest fire. A fire can
be stopped easily if it is seen soon
after it starts. But let it burn awhile,
in this dry season, and it's terror-a
wall Of fame that races through the
forests and can hardly be stopped.
And maybe you don't realize how
enormous this region is-literally hun
dreds of miles across. We're the last
outpOst-there ale four cabins. if you
can find them. in the first seventy
miles back to town. So they have to
put lookouts on the high points, and
now they're coming to the use Of air
planes so they can keep even better
watch. Snowbird and girl friend
from college got jobs this summer as
Iookouts-all through the forest serv-
ice they are hiring women for the
work. They are more vigilant than
men, less inclined TO take chances,
and work cheaper. These -wo girls
have a cabin near spring. and they
cook their own food. and are making
what is big wages in the mountains
I'm rather hoping she'll drop over for
few minutes tonight"
"Good Lord-does she travel over
these hills in the darkness?'
The mountaineer laughed-a de-
lighted sound that came somewhat
curiously from the bearded lips of the
stern, dark man. Dan, I'll swear she's
afraid of nothing that walks the face
Of the earth-and it isn't because she
hasn't had experience eitf ar. She's a
dead shot with pistol. for one thing.
She's physically strong. and every
muscle is hard as nails. She used to
have Shag, too-the best dog in all
these mountains. She's a mountain
girl. 1 tell you; whoever wins her has
got to be able to tame herr The
mountaineer laughed again.
The call to supper came then. and
Dan got lis first sight of mountain
food. There were potatoes, newly
dug, mountain vegetables that were
crisp and cold, steak of peculiar
shape, and great bowl of purple ber-
ries to be eaten with sugar and cream.
Dams appetite was not as a rule par
ticularly good. But evidently the long
ride had affected him. He simply
didn't have the moral courage to re-
fuse when the elder Lennox heaped
his plate.
"Good heavens, can't eat all that"
he said, as It was passed to him. But
the others laughed and told him to
take heart.
He took heart. It was singular
thing, but at that first bite his sudden
confidence in his gustatory ability al
most overwhelmed him. So he. cut
l'himself bite of the tender steak
fully half as generous as the bites that