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a PAGE SIX "North of Fifty-three " by BERTRAND W. SINCLAIR LS She spent that evening going thor- oughly over the papers and writing letters to various school boards, tak- ing a chance on one or two she found in the Manitoba paper, but centering her hopes on the country west of the Rockies, Her savings in the bank amounted to three hundred odd dol- lars, and cash in hand brought the sum to a total of three hundred and sixty-five, At any rate she had suffi- cient to insure her living for quite a long time, And she went to bed feeling better than she had felt for two weeks, Very shortly thereafter--almost, it seemed, by return mail--Hazel got replies to her letters of inquiry. The fact that each and every one seemed bent on securing her services astonished her, But the reply from Cariboo Mead- ows, B, C_ the first place she had thought of, decided her. The mem- ber of the school board who had re- plied held forth the natural beauty of the country as much as he did the advantages of 'the position. The thing that perhaps made the strong- est appeal to Hazel was a little Ko- dak print inclosed in the letter show- ing the schoolhouse, The buitamg Itself was primitive enough, of logs, With a poleand- sod roof. But it was the huge back- ground, the timbered mountains ris- ing to snowclad heights against a cloudless sky, that attracted her. She sat for a long time looking at the picture, thinking. Here was the concrete visible presentment of some- thing that drew her strongly. She found an atlas and looked up Cariboo Meadows on the map. It was not to be found and' Hazel judged it to be a purely local name. But the letter told her she would have to stage it a hundred and sixty-five miles north from Ashcroft, B. C.. where the writer would meet her and drive her to the Meadows, "What a country!" she whispered. "It's wild; really, truly wild; and everything I've ever seen has been tamed and smoothed down, and made eminently respectable and convent- jonal long ago. That's the place! That's where I'm going, and I'm go- ing it blind. I'm not going to tell anyone--not even Kitty--until, like a bear I've gone over the mountain to see what I can see." Within an hour of that Miss Hazel Weir had written to accept the terms offered by the Cariboo Meadows School district, and was busily pack- ing her trunk. CHAPTER IV. Cariboo Meadows A tall man, sunburned. slow-speak- ing met Hazel at Soda Creek, the end of her stage journey, introducing himself as Jim Briggs. "Pretty tiresome trip, ain't it * he observed. "You'll have a chance to rest decent to-night though, and I got a team uh bays that'll yank yuh to the Meadows in four hours and a half. My wite'll be plamb tickled to have yuh. They ain't much more than half a dozen white women in| ten miles uh the Meadows. We keep | a boardin' house, Hope you'll like | the country." That was a lengthy speech for Jim | Briggs, as Hazel discovered when she | rolled out of Soda Creek behind the | "team uh bays." His conversation was decidely monsyllable. But he | could drive if he was no talker, and | his team could travel. By eleven | o'clock Hazel found herself at Carj- boo Meadows. "'Schoolhouse's over yonder." Brig- gs pointed out the place--an un- necessary guidance, for Hazel had already marked the building set off by itself and fortified with a tall flag- pole. "And here's where we live Kinda out uh the world, but blame good place to live." Hazel did lke the plage. Her first impression was thankfulness that her lot had been cast in such a spot, But it was largely because of the surroundings, = essentially primitive, the clean air, guiltless from smoke taint, the aromatic odors from the forest that ranged for unending miles on every hand. So with the charm of the wild land fresh upon her she took kindly to Cariboo Meadows, Her first afternoon she spent loaf- ing on the porch of the Briggs domi- cile, within which Mrs, Briggs, a fat good-natured person of forty, toile at her cooking for the "boarders," and kept a brood of five tumultuous youngsters in order--the combined tasks leaving her scant time to epter- tain her newly arrived guest. Cariboo Meadows, as a town, was simply a double row of buildings fac- ing each other across a wagon road. Two stores, a blacksmith shop a feed stable, certain other nondeseript buildings, and a few dwellings, mostly of logs, was all. Probably not more than a total of fifty souls made permanent residence there. Directly opposite Briggs boarding house stood a building labled '"'Re- gent Hotel." Hazel could envisage it all with half a turn of her head. From this hotel there presently is- sued a young man dressed in the or- dinary costume of the country--wide hat, flannel shirt, overalls, boots He sat down on a box close by the hotel entrance. In a few minutes another came forth. He walked past the first a few steps, stopped, and said something, Hazel could not hear the words. The first man was filling his pipe. Apparently he made no reply; at least he did not trouble to look up. But she saw his shoulders lift in a shrug, Then he who had passed turned square about and spoke again, this time lifting his voice a trifle. The young féllow sit- ting on the box instantly became galvanized into , action. He flung out an oath that carried across the street and made Hazel's ears burn. At the same time he leaped from his seat straight at the other man. Hazel saw it quite distinctly, saw him as he jumped to dodge a' vicious blow and close with the other; and saw_ moreover, something which am- azed her. For the young fellow swayed with his adversary a second or two. then lifted him bodily off his feet almost to the level of his nead, and slammed him against the hotel wall with a sudden twist. She heard the thump of the body on the logs. For an instant she thought him about to jump with his booted feet on the prostrate form, and in- voluntarily she held her breath. But he stepped back, and when the other scrambled up, he sidestepped the first rush, and knocked the man down again with a blow of his fist. This time he stayed down. Then other men--three or four of them-- came out of the hotel, stood uncer- tainly for a few seconds and Hazel heard the young fellow say: "Better take that fool in and bring him to, If he's still hungry for trouble, I'll be right handy. I won- der how many more of you fellows I'll have to lick before you'll get wise enough not to start things you can't stop?" They supported the unconscio#s man through the doorway; the young fellow resumed his seat on the box also his pipe filling. "Roarin' Bill is going to get him- self killed one of these days." Hazel started. but it was only Jim Briggs in the doorway beside her. "] guess you ain't much used to seein' that sort of exhibition where you come from Miss Weir," Briggs' wife put in over his shoulder. My land, it's disgustin'--men fightin' in the streets where everybody can see 'em. Thank goodness it don't hap- pen very often. 'Specially when Bill Wagstaff ain't around. You ain't shocked, are you, honey?" shocked," Hazel laughed. done so quickly." alone," Briggs remarked, wouldn't be no fight. "Why I didn't have time to be "It was "jf them fellers would leave Bill "there But he goes The new C.P.R. liner, the oil b The appointments will be the finest standard of "Safety, Speed, Comfort . The Empress. of slain Se RA EE [ "om urning Empress of Canada is built especially for the Pacific service. and most luxurious possible to-day, with particular regard to the C.P.R. But not until Hazel glanced at the newcomer did sherecognize him as the, man Who had "fought in the street. He was looking straight at her when she did glance up and the mingled astonishment and frank ad- miration in his clear grey eyes made Hazel drop hers quickly to her plate. Since Mr. AAnAdrew Bush, she was beginning to hate men who looked at her that way. And she could not help seeing that many did so look. The next Saturday Hazel went for a tramp in the afternoon. The few walks she had taken had dulled all sense of uneasiness in venturing into the infolding forest, She felt that those shadowy woods were less sin- ster than man. And since she had always kept her sense of direction and come straight to the Meadows whenever she went abroad she had no fear or thought of losing her way. To reach her objective point, she crossed a long stretch of rolling land, well timbered, dense in parts with thickets of berry bushes. Mid- way in 'this she came upon a little brook, purring a monotone 'as it crawled over pebbled reaches and bathed the tangled roots of trees al- ong its brink. By this she sat a while Then she idled along, coming after considerable difficulty to abruptly rising ground. She could not see the town, but she could mark the low hills behind it. At any rate she knew where it lay and the way back, So she thought. But the short afternoon fled, and, warned by the hillside to make her home. Though it was near sundown she felt no particular concern. The long northern twilight gave her am ple time to cover the distance. But once down on the rolling land among the dlose-ranked trees she began to experience a difficulty that had not hitherto troubled her. With the sun hanging low, she lost her absolute certainity of east and west, north and south. She blundered on, no admitting to herself the possibility of being unable to find Cariboo Meadows. As on the low dip of the sun, she left her nook way best she could and to the best of her belief, she held in a straight lin for the town. But she walked far enough to have overrun it and was yet upon unfamiliar ground, The shadows deepened until she tripped over roots and stones, and snagged her hair and clothing on branches she could not see in time to fend off, As a last resort, she turned straight for Ithe light, patch still showing in the northwest, hoping thus to cross the wagon road that ran from Soda Creek to the Meadows --it lay west, and she had gone northeast from the town, And she hurried, a fear beginning to tug at her heart that she had passed the Meadows unknowingly. Presently it was dark and dark- ness in the woods is the darkness of the pit itself. She found a fallen tree and climbed on it to rest and think. After what seemed an age she fan cied she saw a gleam far distant in the timber. She watched the spot fixedly and thought she saw the faint reflection of a light. That heartened her. She advanced toward it, hoping that it might be the gleam of a ranch window, Her progress was slow She blundered over the litter of a forest floor, tripping over unseen ob stacles, But ten minutes established beyond peradventure the fact that it was indeed a light. The wavering gleam thicket--an Beyond sneeze thicker yellow with a She kept on, came from behind a open fire, she saw at length, the fire she heard a horse Within a few yards of the through which wavered the gleam, she halted, smitten seconds. All that she knew or had her. She had found them to a man courteous, awkwardly cnsiderable, And she could not wander about all night. She moved cautiously, however, to the edge of the thicket, to a point where she could see the fire. A man sat humped over the glowing bers, whereon sizzled a piece of meat His head was bent forward, as if he were listening. Suddenly he looked up, and she gasped--for the fire- light showed the features of Roaring Bill Wagstaff, She was afraid of him. Why, she did not know nor stop to reason, She turned to retreat. In the same instant Roaring Bill reached for his rifle and stood up, y "Hold on there!" he said coolly. "You've had a took at me--I want a look at you, old feller, whoever you are. Come on---show yourself," He stepped sidewise light as he spoke. Hazel started to run. The crack of a branch under- foot betrayed her, and he closed in before she took three steps. He caught her rudely by the arm and yanked her bodily into the fire-light. "Well--for the --jove of---Mike!"' Wagstaff drawled tne exclamation out in a rising crescendo of astonish- ment. Then he laid his gun down wross a roll of beding, and out of stood Mike!" What are you doing wandering around the woods at night? Good Lord! Your teeth are chattering. = Sit down here and get warm. ' It is sort of chilly." Even in her fear, born of the night he circumstances, and partly of the man, Hazel noticed that his speech was of a different order from that to which she had been listening the past ten days. His enunciation was perfect. He dropped no word end- bp "For the love of Bill said again, sudden panic. This endured but a few | been told of frontier men reassured | em-| ings nor slurred his syllables. And cast in so odd a mould is the mind of civilized woman that the small matter of a little refinement of speech put Hazel Weir more at her ease than a volume of explanation or protest {on his part would have done. | "I got lost," she explained growing | suddenly calm. "I was out walking, and lost my way." | "Easy thing to do when you don't | know timber," Bill remarked. "And lin consequence you haven't had any supper; you've been scared almost to death--and probably all of Cariboo » Meadows is out looking for you. 2 favor are desired. Offsetting Competition The thing for the merchants of this community to do in their own interests is to advertise faithfully, and to make their printed announcements interesting and helpful to those whose trade and the | looking at her in speechless wonder, | Roaring | EE -- Well, you've had "an adventure. That's worth something, Better eat a bite and you'll feel better." He turned over the piece of meat on the coals while he spoke, Hazel saw that it lay on two green sticks, like a steak on a gridiron, It was quite simple, but che would never have thought of that. The meat ex- haled savory odors. Also, the warm- th of the fire seemed good. But-- "I'd rather he home," she confess- ed. "Sure! I guess you would--nat- urally. I'll see that you get there, though it won't he easy, Its no snap to travel in these woods in the dark. You couldn't have been so far from the Meadows. How did it come you didn't yell once in a while?" "1 didn't think it was necessary," Hazel admitted, "until it began to | get dark, And then I didn't like to." He dug some utensils out of his pack layout------two plates, knife fork, |ana spoons, and laid them by the fire. Opposite the meat, a pot ofwater (Continued on page 8) - : MAN'S WONDERFUL INGENUITY, New York Evening Post: John had just left the house to catch the 7.56 for New York. He had been gone about ten minutes when the telephone rang. Mrs. John answered it. Her husband was on the other) end. "Hello!" he said, all right, Mary?" "Why, yes," said Mrs, John. "You're all right?" "Why, yes." "And the baby?" John asked anx fously. "The baby is all right?" "Of course," said Mrs, John, "What makes you think we aren't? nothing has happened since you left the house. What's the matter, John?" "Well, I'll tell you." He dropped his voice almost to a whisper, "There are several pretty girls in this station collecting for the Wilson Fund and 1 thought it would be less expensive to get into this telephone hooth and telephone to you than it would he to stay outside." "is everything | | [ | | 1 | | Remember that | | | | ON'T allow cheap imitations of Cowan's Maple Buds to be foisted upon you. The keeper pays less for imitations than for genuine Maple Buds. When you ask for Maple Buds and receive substitutes you get an inferior article at a price that en- titles you to the very best. GET THE BEST! Bud is the name "COWAN?". Look for it! Hand the dealer back his substitutes. store- on each Maple seam anywhere. eliminate. shades. foot without seams. Marked Points 9 Supenority : 2 Fashioned Ankle (Knitted to shape) MERCURY Hosiery for women is knitted ; on the only machines that knit a stock- ing to perfect shape from toe to top without a This exclusive process permits of a nar- rowed, perfectly turned ankle whose snug- fitting comfort neither washing nor wear can The fit is knit into the stocking, not stretched or pressed. : Silk, (plain or drop stitch), cashmere, lisle, mercerized and cotton--or two-tone effects of heather and Lovat --Other Mercury superiorities: absolutely no seams, generous length, widened top, full fashioned calf, shaped off like a hair-trigger gun and he'd scrap a dozen quick as one, I'm look- in' to see his finish one uh these days" What a name!" Hazel observed, caught by the appellation Briggs had 2 first used. "Is that Roaring Bill |= or there" oN That's him--Roarin' Bill Wag- staff." Briggs answered. If he takes : - a few drinks, you'll find out to wight : The poorest way to offset this competition is for our local mer- how he got the name. ngs--; E : . rh : ike vo ose- iiss Rise a chants to remain silent. For them not to "speak up" is to give town. ro y wi tree Me Before sora { hat hat 12 the mail-order houses a better chance to get business from this 18 S| ment, Briggs detailed no more infor- mation about Roaring Bill. And Ha- zel sat the way with considerable int had encountered in the pages of fic- tion---a fighting man, what the west called a "bad actor." She had how- ever, no wish for a eoser study "* that particular type. men her world had been altogether dif- frontier speci-|3 The serious competitors of the retailers of this community are the big stores of the big cities--those that send out catalogues and have mail-order departments. community. A WORD TO THE PUBLIC When you send your money out of this community you enrich the great shops and impoverish this community. .Strengthen--not weaken--the merchants of this community. It will all be returned to you in the form of better service with anything except their shyness and better values. and manifest awkwardness in her presence. The West itself, appealed to her, its bigness, its nearness to the absolutely primeval, but not the people she had so far met, And so she looked at Roaring Bill Wagstaff, over the way, with quite an imper- somal Be Loyal To Your Own Community came into Briggs place for sup- . Briggs was her own wait- tress. beside Hazel. She heard him grunt, and saw a mild Jook ut surprise Mi eRevl his countenance when Roaring Bill alked in and cooly took a seat, AT y A