Blazed trail stories, and Stories of the wild lifeWhite, Stewart Edward
General
Blazed trail stories, and Stories of the wild life
White, Stewart Edward
Frontier and pioneer life -- West (U.S.) -- Fiction; Western stories
"Well, then, just look at that girl, I say," the Easterner went on.
"She's as pretty and fresh and innocent as a mountain flower. She's
having the time of her young life, and she just thinks it means a good
time and nothing else. Some day she'll find out it means a lot else. I
tell you, it's awful!"
The Westerner surveyed his friend's flushed face with silent amusement.
The girl finally succeeded in blowing the light out, and everybody
yelled.
"Same old fellow you were in college, aren't you, Bert?" he said,
affectionately; "succouring the distressed and borrowing other people's
troubles. What can you do?"
"Do, do! What can any man do? Take her out of this! appeal to her better
nature!"
Bert started impulsively forward to where the girl--with assistance--was
preparing to jump from the bench. The miner caught his sleeve in alarm.
"Hold on, don't make a row! Wait a minute!" he begged; "she isn't worth
it! There, now listen," as the other sank back expectantly to his former
position. His bantering manner returned. "You and the windmills," he
breathed, in relief. "I'll just shatter your ideals a few to pay for
that scare. You shall now hear a fact or so concerning that pretty,
innocent girl--I forget your other adjective. In the first place, she
isn't in the mountain-flower business a little bit. Her name is Anne
Bingham, but she is more popularly known as Bismarck Anne, chiefly
because of all the camps of our beloved territory Bismarck is the only
one she hasn't visited. Therefore, it is concluded she must have come
from there."
"Bismarck Anne!" repeated the Easterner, wonderingly. "She isn't the
one----"
"The very same. She's about as bad as they make 'em, and I don't believe
she misses a pay-day dance a year. She's all right, now; but you want to
come back a little later. Anne will be drunk--gloriously drunk--and very
joyful. I will say that for her. She has all the fun there is in it
while it lasts."
"Whew!" whistled the Easterner, in dazed repulsion, looking with
interest on the girl's animated face.
"Oh, what do you care!" responded the miner, carelessly. "She has her
fun."
Bismarck Anne jumped into the nearest man's arms, was kissed, bestowed a
slap, and flitted away down the room. She deftly stole the accordion
from beneath the tall look-out stool on which a musician sat and ran,
evolving strange noises from the instrument, and scampering in and out
among the benches, pursued by its owner. The men all laughed heartily,
and tried to trip up the pursuer. The women laughed hollow laughs, to
show they were not jealous of the sensation she was creating. Finally
she ran into the proprietor, just turning from relighting the big lamp.
The proprietor, being angry, rescued the accordion roughly; whereupon
Anne pouted and cast appealing glances on her friends. The friends
responded to a man. The proprietor set up the drinks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account