White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1925-05-22

lOlB0l. f-ls NJ
One of the cowboys helped him to
mount a horse which gratefully and
Immediately picked up. the home trail.
Jessie watched him disappear into the
dusk, then led the way on toward the
peak.
Jessie and Miriam returned to Fort
Sioux the next day in the Dinosaur,
the latter somewhat battle-scarred,
but, Marten insisted, as good as new.
Fort Sioux, what with one aspect and
another of Hugh's private and public
affairs, was entirely consumed with
curiosity and flocked to meet the re-
turned adventurers. Even Pink was
there, still swollen with secret i'm
portance and blatant impatience.
Hugh, making his way slowly through
| the crowd, saw Jessie and Miriam
leave the machine, and apparently on
cordial terms with each other, smile
as they greeted Pink.
ANY trouble getting cut, Miriam? 2"
asked Hugh. Are you awfully done
up?"
mot bit, Hughie. I'm quite in
shape to go on with my trip. shall
take the 6 o'clock westward-bound train
evening" Miriam spoke in clear
voice that carried far.
"You haven't much time to waste
then said Hugh looking at his watch.
"Marten, will you bring Miss Pages
suitcase to the station?" He turned
back to Miriam. "I'll walk along with
YOU"
They reached the station, and said
good-by under the frankly watchful
eye of the stationmaster. After Mir.
JAMS train had pulled out, Hugh re-
urned to The Lariat, where Mrs. Ellis
Mrs. Morgan and Johnny Parnell
were waiting to formulate the pre-
election campaign with him.
For the first few weeks Of the cam
paign there was, as Mrs. Ellis had
prophesied, a great deal of nasty in
nnendo about Hugh and Miriam thai
for time caused not little disaf
lection among the women. But the op
position overplayed their hand in
meanness and the reaction that Mrs
Morgan had foreseen set in, the WON
en- coming to the rescue of the Gray
Stations moral character with a
gusto that caused this method of at
tack to be dropped very suddenly.
i AS the summer wore on, Hugh grew
unutterably weary of the muck of the
fight. But neither Mrs. Ellis nor Mar
ten, who grew to know him best, ever
heard him complain. He had set his
long jaw for the end in view.
By October his splendid nerves be
gan to show strain, due less perhaps
to actual physical exertion than to the
more insidious effects of strenuous
self-control. Mrs. Ellis watched his
increasing symptoms of strain with
considerable anxiety and talked with
Johnny Parnell about the possibility
of giving Hugh a weeks rest But
! Hugh refused all suggestions Of this
order.
| Hugh found Johnny Parnell stand
ing before the stove at Fort Sioux. He
did not greet Hugh, but walked very
Deliberately over to the door and
locked it.
Johnny's ruddy face was set. Il
don't want to be interrupted by the
women folks. Hughie, you will recall
that Jimmie took Grafton back to the
horse ranch with him and that Graf
ton was there when they. brought in
Miriam Page from her night on the
ledge
Hugh, in his old place against the
counter while he lighted his pipe,
nodded.
Jimmie says that they knew each
other and had long talk together"
What of it?" grunted Hugh, while
his fingers frightened on his pipe bowl.
II don't know what Of it, Hughie.
But feel badly about what I picked
out of Jimmie. He was in the stable
! while Grafton and Miss Page talked
! in the corral He doesn't seem to
have paid lot of attention to what
they said. But Grafton was report