Evening star., 1927-10-04

This picturesque name hau
beep bestowed by its young
purchasers chiefly with an eye
to the sensation it would create as a
lettorhead in eastern correspondence
back home.
Charlotte Bowman. unprofesslonal
nurse, looked at her s feet Il men Oh
patient and sighed. There was some.
thing distinctly wrong with world
where fine, outstanding young men
with bright, gold-fecked green eyes
and a CORRESPONDENCE bright smile
drove tractors on Montana wheat
ranches. said Yes. mom." and NO,
mon" YOU was" and have saw ana
plaved fast-and-loose with kniIe AT
their meals. His manners save tor a
few pcccadillOes at the dinner taDie
greatly outclassad his grammar Whlch
Mrs. Maddox. her hostess ana eA'
roommate at college. assured her was
common in Western men.
Three weeks ago Mrs. Maddox. who
was bride and new to ranch lie
had rushed into her guests room with
visible excitement to announce:
1--WE have a Greek god with green
eyes for a new harvest hand.
The Greek god had been promptly
dubbed Red" by the men--not as
Mrs. Maddox had remarked, because
his hair was really red--only copperN.
but, then, every ranch must nave lts
Shorty" and it's Red
A cat NAV look at queen, and by
the same token SO may Dllndie
stiff" at his employers guest from
Boston. How assiduously. Yet respect
fully, the new hand was availing him
self of the privilege Mrs. Maddox had
pointed out on more than one occa,
sion to the visitor.
Pooh" discounted Charlotte. men
always look at any girl around and
| happen to lie the only one on the
horizon"
And now. - few hours ago. poor
Red had been brought in from the
field with A temperature of 103 2-5
and eyes too heavy with fever to ac-
cord her more than a tieetinS glance.
Typhoid, it looks like. the doctor
said, as he took a drop of blood from
the patients ear to send to Helena for
analysis.
The sick man had been removed
from the bunkhouse TO the only spare
room in the ranchhouse: Charlotte.
as having the most leisure and the
only speaking acquaintance with a
clinical thermometer, had volunteered
as nurse: a hand had been laid off
from the field to administer the cold
sponges prescribed by the physician
when the fever was up. and affairs at
Poker Chip ranch had rolled on as
usual.
The patient was sleeping. Charlotte
rose softly and tiptoed out of her room
for paper, pencil and watch. She was
to keep a chart of tempera ture and
pulse.
The heavy silver toilet articles and
embroidered silk kimono flung over the
foot of the bed were conspicuous
touches of metropolitan elegance in
the plain ranch house. AS she lifted
the lid of the jewel box on the dresser
one of those conceits at which the
Swiss are so adept-the strains of the
"Miserere" fioated out faint and fairy
like in tinkling melodys
For two successive days the sick
mans temperature mounted and upon
the third reached 105 3-5. Then he
went out of his head and babbled of
many things-his childhood. foot ball
and college. Washington and promin-
ent public men. And it was borne in
upon the amateur nurse that delirium
improved his grammar and that he
called upon ner frequently by her first
name.
Though they had always been most
confidential, Charlotte did not mention
these facts to her friend. Nor had
she chronicled an encounter week
earlier with this young man at the
back gate.
After the evening meal In the cook
car, which was situated at this time
in field they were cutting about a
quarter of mile from the house, a
neighbor dropped in to call, and as his
conversation turned persistently upon
equine diseases Charlotte had slipped
out unnoticed, as she thought. to re-
turn to the house and read a book.
During the hour spent in the cook
car it had rained and cleared. They
dined late during harvest at Poker
Chip ranch, and when Charlotte
emerged the stars were struggling
with the clouds. The arid earth re-
tanned no traces of the recent shower
except in depressed places where an
occasional miniature lake cleaned
paleIy in the muffled light. Brought
to a sudden halt by a puddle some
eight feet long completely filling the
gateway, she was debating the possi-
bility of scaling the fence in her mar
row skirt. when suddenly from the
shadows there loomed up stalwart
silhouette.
mo, indeed" returned Charlotte
firmly.
Before the protest was well out of
her mouth she was lifted up and half
across the little pond. Charlotte was
a tall Dianalike girl, but he made
nothing of her weight. She was set
'".~n with great deliberation.