The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-12-09
The Girl, a Horse and a DOG
By FRAncls lunDE

hasn't always been as dead as 1t Is
now, has tn What was its name when
| 1t was alive and able to sit up and take
nourishment?"
@Huh7" he queried; and then: .Oh,
l get you, now; 1t used TO be called
Placerville."
"Thank you; that helps. Now how
much farther Is It to Angelsi"
Bout twenty miles"
"All right. And when will there be
train coming back to this Atropia
| placer"
"Way-freight tomorruh mornin'-
| eight-thirty out o. Angels
"Good. Now If those fire people and
i the brass band don't miss me-"
| couldn't resist the temptation to give
/ him d final shot, and 1t hit the bulls
eye. AS he edged away could see by
!. his expression that he still thought me
crazy.
4 When got back to my Pullman
after luncheon perceived at once that
4 the train conductor had promptly
passed the, word about the episode In
the dining car. The Pullman conduc-
tor evidently had his weather eye on
me, and the negro porter SHE'D every
time he passed my section. This was
| rich, but If | could have known the
tenth part Of what was going to pop
out of this Pandora box that / had
foolishly dug up in the dining car, the
amusement feature would speedily
have been forgotten in a pretty
strenuous effort to straighten things
out while there was yet time.
i descended from the train at my
ticket-named destination Of Angels,
and found a typical mining camp of a
single street and tawdry, dusty
drearness scarcely exceeded by that
of the dead-alive Atropia. The first
thing / saw on the station platform
was my train conductor talking earn
estly to large, notwithstanding
man whose greatest need was for a
clean shave. BY the manner of the two
saw that their talk was aiming itself
at me; the railroad man was only too
plainly warning the Angelic person
that Angels the Blest had a probably
harmless, but possibly dangerous,
J maniac in its midst.
Still / saw only the humorous side
of it and refused to be disturbed. Fired
by the ambition to find some way of
returning at once to Atropia, before
the magic horse and dog should disap-
pear, tramped off in search Of place
where could leave my two grips. The
place that offered, and the only one,
was the Celestial Hctel," and won
dered what sly wag had suggested the
name, which was double pun upon
the name of the town and the fact that
| the tavern, half restaurant and half
clearinghouse, was kept by China.
man.
But | secured accommodation, and
as l was turning to leave the restau.
: rant-tayern trouble doomed up In the
: shape of the heavy-shouldered des
5 peradoish-looking person whom / had
seen at the station talking with the
5 train conductor.
t 'pm onto you with both feet" he re
marked, boring me with an eye that
could easily fancy might strike terror
into the heart of the most reckless
criminal. "Im givin' you warnin' righi
now that no funny business don't go II
this mans town; see?"
I'm quite harmless" assured him
give me a little information, and III
forthwith remove myself from the con
fines of your charming city. How fai
is 1t by wagon-road to Placeryllle
Atropia, and how can get there7''
My gosh r. he said gloomily; '.twt
of you in the same dog-goned week /
"Even so. When did the other on,
arrive?
DAY before yistidday. He didn'
look so much bughcuse as you do, bu
| reckon he must "a been off his ka
wheop, too, r he wouldn't "a gone t,
'Tropia."
Let him rest in peace. Do get m,
information?'
Shore: we speeds the partin' guest
fau'ye come apast your place. Twenty
oSs mile back; and the way-freight Il
gS you there to-morruh mornin,."
Tn going to Atropla- this after
s5on," Dragged.
He let me pass, and tramped u
hae street until found the one liver
stable. Here, again, my fool reputa
1on had quite evidently outrun Inc
i The man had idle horses, plenty o
them, as couldn't help seeing, but
couldn't hire one for love or money
I When It came right down to the pincf
ne wouldn't even sell me one.
BY this time ! was in hot swea
"a of impatience to be on my way: t
! bridge that twenty-one miles befor
the elusive clue-if 1t were the clue
re could once more dodge me and wants
u into thin air. In that frame of mind
told the cautious liyeryman, In gent