e wooden floors to the tents, towels to
the tent-poles, and expert cooks to the delectation of the campers, had
convinced her that "roughing it" was her favorite recreation. So, of
course, Caldwell senior had, sooner or later, to take her across the
plains on his annual trip. This was at the time when wagon-trains went
by way of Pierre on the north, and the South Fork on the south.
Incidental Indians, of homicidal tendencies and undeveloped ideas as to
the propriety of doing what they were told, made things interesting
occasionally, but not often. There was really no danger to a good-sized
train.

The daughter had a fiance named Allen who liked roughing it, too; so he
went along. He and Miss Caldwell rigged themselves out bountifully, and
prepared to enjoy the trip.

At Pierre the train of eight wagons was made up, and they were joined by
Alfred and Billy Knapp. These two men were interesting, but tyrannical
on one or two points--such as getting out of sight of the train, for
instance. They were also deficient in reasons for their tyranny. The
young people chafed, and, finding Billy Knapp either imperturbable or
thick-skinned, they turned their attention to Alfred. Allen annoyed
Alfred, and Miss Caldwell thoughtlessly approved of Allen. Between them
they succeeded often in shocking fearfully all the little man's finer
sensibilities. If it had been a question of Allen alone, the annoyance
would soon have ceased. Alfred would simply have bashfully killed him.
But because of his innate courtesy, which so saturated him that his
philosophy of life was thoroughly tinged by it, he was silent and
inactive.

There is a great deal to recommend a plains journey at first. Later,
there is nothing at all to recommend it. It has the same monotony as a
voyage at sea, only there is less living room, and, instead of being
carried, you must progress to a great extent by your own volition. Also
the food is coarse, the water poor, and you cannot bathe. To a
plainsman, or a man who has the instinct, these things are as nothing in
comparison with the charm of the outdoor life, and the pleasing tingling
of adventure. But woman is a creature wedded to comfort. She also has a
strange instinctive desire to be entirely alone every once in a while,
probably because her experiences, while not less numerous than man's,
are mainly psychical, and she needs occasionally time to get "thought up
to date." So Miss Caldwell began to get very impatient.