Evening star., 1936-05-02
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E1$YWwKATHLEEN NORRIS ~

! she rode. and smiled so gallantly at
| George that he could have no idea
that anything was wrong.
/ After while they were going down.
hill a little more quickly. Tam
thought in her secret heart that
Sally's lope would break every bone
/ in her body, but it did take them over
the ground more quickly, and she was
! genuinely astonished when Roy said
suddenly:
Wall, here we be-"
And here they we're in glorious
late afternoon light in the high noun
| tains with sunshine still flooding over
a strip of forest meadow and branch
of the mighty Kings River plunging
down over the rocks through the
woods and spreading itself placidly
over the meadows with a ripping,
gurgling. flowing sound infinitely rest
full after the hot, tiring day. Tam
had to be helped from her horse, and
for a few PAGES she walked stiff1y and
had to hold tightly to Georges arm.
Then she could explore the exquisite
kingdom of the first camp with an
enthusiasm that pleased even the nom
committal Roy.
Coming back to camp, damp Of
head and scented from head to foot
with the sweetness of it all, Tam
found George ready for dinner and
comfortable in old clothes, waiting on
a great log that formed seat by the
fire. There was still broad light every
where, but the sun was gone except
from the tops of the trees. and the
air had suddenly dropped 20 degrees
in temperature. Young Roy was ready
with steaks and coffee. baked pota-
toes and watermelon. But you won't
git this sort of thing 'ceptin' fer few
days" young Roy reminded them,
serving the most delicious meal Ia
mara thought she ever had tasted.
We git into cans round about Sun
Gay."
We'll, if we must get into cans on
Sunday, we'll manage it," Tamara
told him with a joyous laugh.
He and the elder Roy shared their
supper with them. Tamara was so
tired, so sleepy, so deliciously ready
for the night that she could hardly
keep her seat at the smooth-topped
stump that served them for a table.
But quite suddenly, after supper, she
felt almost rested again, and she and
George went with Roy to the river
bank and tried for trout, her first
experience of the raptures of fishing.
before they returned for a drowsy
half hour of campfire talk and the
good-nights that said that it was 9
o'clock in the mountains.
In the night she awakened to hear
the horses big teeth tearing at the
grass and the river running and rip
pling and little wood animals, con-
tributing cheeps and crackles and
grunts to the utter peace and beauty
of the mountain night. Twenty days
of it-20 days in heaven!" Tam
thought, as she went off again to deep
sleep.
The enchanted hours went by, and
they were all beautiful, and all too
short. Sometimes they moved their
camp days ride farther into the
mountains and tried new fishing. new
picnic places. new galley sites. Some
times they stayed for one day, two,
three in one spot.
Every day there was fishing, idle
sweet endless hours of it as she and
George cast their flies down the rush
ing little streams and loitered on the
hot rocks beside the pools, and every
day there was a picnic, with broiled
trout and hot biscuits and beans and
canned apricots for their fare.
And at night. when supper was over.
she sat with her back braced against
the great logs by the fire with Georges
arm about her. and they heard the
owls cry far of in the trees, and the
cracking of branches as some stealthy
mountain wildcat crept along them.
and the lazy clink of the mules hooves