Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1921-09-23

clothing she wore, ana because they
were too busy to pay any particular
attention to her.
Farther out toward Doe river an.
other crew Of men was at work clear
ing the way for the little narrow
gauge. She heard the sounds Of the
ak and the saw, the hammer and the
steel. and once there came to her ears
the great dull roar Of exploding dyna-
mite as a cliff was blown clear OF its
| foundations.
Miss Elizabeth Littleford smiled
happily. And she had not been happy
| for long time. Patricia McLaurin,
with whom she ha dbeen staying, had
| been kindness itself, but the mother
of Bill Dale, her Bill Dale, had
snubbed her-and besides the longing
| for the old home hills was riotous in
her blood. SO she had come back, run
away at less than a moments notice
as had Bill Dale before her, and how
good it seemed to be at home! She
would have gone to see the men, had
| it not been that she feared she would
| be a bother.
There was another interesting sight
| when she had reached the crest OF
| David MOreland's mountain. In the
| upper end of the broad valley, mid
way between the settlement" and the
opening of the Moreland coal vein, two
large buildings were well along in
| their course of construction.
| She put down her bundle of cloth
ing, shaded her eyes with her hand,
and tried to find Bill Dale among the
! builders But the distance was too
great; a man down there was but a
mere Speck. Before she went on,
she removed her shoes and stockings.
| 1t was hard for Babe LittlefOrd to be-
come accustomed to wearing useless
shoes and stockings in warm weather
When she had reached the foot of
| the mountain, she didn't take the by
! path her people had been wont to use
| in order that they might avoid con-
| tact with the Morelands. There was
no need of avoiding contact with the
Morelands now, thank goodness
Then a voice hailed her from the
| laurels out at her right, the voice she
| loved better than any other
Hello, Miss Littleford!"
Babe stopped and faced him, and
| she blushed furously whee she saw
| him. He was coming rapidly toward
| her with his hat in his hand, and his
| brown hair was rumpled and damp
with perspiration. She saw that he
was in boots and corduroys, the cloth
| ing of a timber-jack and he looked
/ bigger in them; about his waist there
was a cartridge-belt, from which hung
a big and dependable looking revolver
in leathern holster.
Hello, Mister Dale!" she mimicked
He shook her hand, then he dropped
to a moss-covered log that lay beside
the narrow trail.
| "Sit down here beside me-" he said ;
| and he added: 1--WE been going hard
| all day, and I'm pretty tired"
She let fall her bundle and her
shoes and stockings, and Obeyed.
"Why did you come back, Babe?" he
asked as though he were dispensed.
"Cause," she answered-and she
corrected herself quickly, Il mean e
cause"
mo reason whatever" smiled Dale
well" and her clear brown eyes
looked at him squarely, II come back
beca Hse yore mother she said | would
be a burden to Mis- McLaurin, that's
| why"
Mrs. McLaurin," said Dale; moi
Mis- McLaurin."
"A burden to Mrs McLaurin, and
amt a-gOin' to be a burden to no
body!" vehemently. In softer voice
she went on, Mrs. McLaurin and her
husband and her folks has done made
up friendly, Bill Dale. Mrs. McLau-
rims pap-I mean her father-he
brung Gem big lot o. silver
things.
"Bill Dale, 1 had big time Every
| body liked me but yore own maw-l
mean yOre mother. My goodness
gracious-they dress awful fine, don't
they? Why, silk amt nothin'. But
whar all O. their money comes from,
shore CANT see. Say, showed some
o. Pats friends how to dance our old
hill dances, and the whole town was
crazy about em when l left. Jimmy
Fayne is awful good-lOokin' and rich,
amt he, Bill? He liked me better'n
any Of 'em, less it was Pat herself.
You know Jimmy, don't We, Bill?'
Dale nodded, frowned, and turned
his sober gaze toward the toes of his
| high laced boots. Yes, he knew Jimmy