The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1921-07-29
cartridge Locates
Two Claims
by MelInre Newspaper syndleale.l
BY HART

Nv HtNNu ANHANAAhAAN a. q NANRA Hff'lA
plate. do tell me, Mrs. Ward, how
you manage to get them SO light and
crispm
Mrs, Ward beamed on her prize
boarder. Stephen Hartrldge was a
young mining engineer who had been
sent by a great corporation into the
back country to investigate the min
eral resources of the region he was
young and good looking, and there had
been some competition among the
keepers Of boarding houses for the
honor-and profit-of his trade. Ste
phen had tried them all, and after one
trial at Mrs. Wards had remained as
a permanent guest. He lived down at
his little shack, where he spent his
time making out reports and testing
soils aud unpromising looking rocks;
but for his meals he never failed TO
report to Mrs. Ward promptly on the
dot. His remark about the wahles was
but one Of many admiring comments
which he had given,
"Rless You, Mr.. Hartridge, / don't
make them waties. I'm no hand 10
cook. / just run the place and see
that everybody gets served. It's
daughter Mary that's the cook. She
can take a little flour and some milk
and an egg or so and make you think
you're sittin' right at your mothers
own table,
Really why haven't | met this
paragon Of the kitchen? You are self
ish, Mrs. Ward"
From another mar the implied re-
quest might have made Mrs. Ward
angry. hut her favorite boarder could
do no wrong.
"You just set where you are, sir,
and III ask her to come in" she re-
piled eenlalIy. Then, calling to the
back Of the house:
MARY Oh, Mary Come here a
sperr
"Yes. mother" replied a voice. In a
moment the door swung open and
Mary entered. Stephen rose from his
seat ana waited expectantIy.
"Mary. this is Mr.. Hartridge, the
engineer down at the river shack"
beamed Mrs. Ward. AN this is my
daughter. Mr.. H%artridge-the one that
makes them wafles you like so much"
Mary bIushed and laughed delight
fully. Stephen Hartridge looked at
her more closely. Above the STROUD
ing apron that covered her from shout
ders to ankles ne saw a roguish face,
lighted by her smile, with two merry
blue eyes and curling light hair that
even the handkerchief knOtted about
It could not entirely keep In order.
And she, as she looked at his sun
Drowned cOuntenance and saw his six
feet OF strength and poise. felt that
for the FIRST time in her life she had
met a real man. But the thoughts in
both their minds were not expressed.
Stephen said:
81 liked your wafies so much that
l couldn't resist the temptation to cry,
Author! AuthOrr"
aust so you don't ask me to make
a curtain speech she laughed. I'm
sure ! don't mind appearing and bow.
ing" And she suited the action to the
word.
Stephen was delighted. He had not
expected her to understand his the
atrlcal allusion, but she not only un.
derstOOd II hut capped Il as well. He
would have said more, but that she
fled to the kitchen to attend to the
wants of something or other that wa;
e in the oven, Stephen sat back with {
sigh.
Mrs, Ward" he said. ''you must le'
me come to call some evening
| 'Td love to have you" replied tn,
motherly old soul "And I'm sur,
Mary'd like it, too. You com RICH
? along any time you feel like It."
Y. That was the beginning Of thei
acquaintance-an acquaintance tina
quickly ripened into warm friendship
Stephen found MARY delightful IN ever,
way, and she in t9rn learned to thin
often Of the bronzed young enginee
who spoke so quietly and moved S
gracefully and comported himself i
such manner as she had always imal
lned n gentleman would.
Then one day Stephen failed to az
pear at mealtime. The day passed
and another, and stlll no Stephel
Mrs. Ward, anxious, made inquiry an
discovered from some ~grizzled miner
that Stephen was holding a claim h
had located for his company-a 10
that necessitated his staying on tn
land night and day till the prop,
papers could be made out.
"But he hasn't anything to eat
cried Mary In dlsmay.
"Oh. he'll git along somehow
other" replied the miner. Il see hi
cookin' onct er twict IS J passed h
shanty. Got any more o. them grlddl
cakes. Mis- ward7"
That night-the fourth OF Stephen
a~bsence-a cold rain set ID. AIT
clearing the supper table Mary sto,
looking out at the gray swirls Of "
ter that swept across the valley. 81
thought OF Stephen In his cheerle
little shack, eating food he had cook
himself-he hated cooking, he HI
said once. She looked and saw
light In the shack. In a moment h
mind was made up. She darted IN