The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1930-06-27

~ dig moment Udu dEIlNSu
lV the very instant he met Sal
lie West. Such a little doll
of girl she was with her great ques-
tioning eyes and her fluffy hair that
needed no artificial wave TO make it
curl on a wet day!
The consensus concerning Sallie
was, to his sorrow, that she was
useless. helpless little thing that would
be of little help in any mans life ex-
cept for ornamental purposes.
Because he knew that Sallie would
be at the Mannering house-warming
and because he felt that it would he
only wisdom to avoid being with her
too much, Mark Mason took his small
nephew with him in his low-swunS
sport roadster. He was accepted with
shouts of joy from the others in the
party when he turned up the natural
roadway to the lodge, as they called it.
"What are you going to do with the
boy| they all called merrily.
Mark West packed the siX-year-old
out of the seat serenely. "Give him
a good time in the woods" he replied
calmly. "We'll bring you folks
string of fish for your supper tomor-
row night, Ell, BOLSTER
"Betcha," Bobbie answered gravely.
1t wasn't much of a lodge yet.
small square of ground had been
cleared, with a log cabin at one side
and a garage much larger than the
cabin at the other end. Only the CEN
trail living rooms and half dozen
sleeping rooms had been finished thus
far, but the Mannerings were so In
love with their woods home that they
had decided to have the house-warm-
ing now and then another one later
on when the house was completed.
isn't this just like the forest where
Goldilocks found the home of the
three bears?" Sallie asked Bob.
Mark clenched his teeth. This was
more than he had bargained for. He
had never seen Sallie before with
children and the fact that Bob fol-
lowed her about doggishly made it diff
ficult for Mark to keep away from
her. And, after all, that was the rea-
son that he had brought Bob along
so that he wouldn't see to much of
Sallie.
When evening came Bob suddenly
recalled the fact that he had mother.
81 want my motherr' he kept moaning
over and over again.
81 thought you wanted to come with
Uncle Mark and fish and swim and be
a big boy" reprOved his uncle GROSSLY.
They were playing bridge before the
great fireplace and Bob had been
sitting on the floor playing conteneedly
until he wanted TO be tucked into bed
for the night. For a moment Mark
was sorry that he had brought the
child. His sister hadn't wanted Bob
to come In fact, she had questioned
him closely about his reason for this
sudden affection toward Bob.
Snow, I'll take good care of him
and bring him back Monday morning"
Mark had told him. It'll give the
child. dandy week end where there
are real woods for miles and miles in
every direction"
"Mind you, don't let anything hap
pen to him." she had said the last
moment before they had left.
"Here, Mark, take my hand, and I'll
put him to bed," Sallie said suddenly.
Mark took her cards and dropped
into her chair, trying not to notice the
broad smiles on the faces of the other
three at the table. In the room off the
gallery, where she had taken BObbie,
Mark could hear her singing a little
song about three little kittens who
had lost their mittens and Boobies
contented murmurs came now and
again. Fhen a scream startled them
all galvanically.
"Oh!" screamed Sallie. It's for
est fire! Look! Look! J"
There was an instant of silence and
then mad rush toward the door.
sect the cars out of the garage"
said Mannering, ''and We'll make it
all right!'
But the opposite end of the clear
ing was already in flames that leaped
thirty and forty feet into the air.
Sparks showered down Roaring al
most like that of surf filed the air
and acrid smoke filled their nostrils
and mouths so that speech was almost
impossible.
No one waited for any one else.
Primeval days had returned and each
one flung himself or himself into the
darkness, with self-preservation as the
only thought of the moment.
Sallie alone remained behind, her
great eyes seeming to question won
deringly what should be done. Even
N II II