The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1891-05-09

can ucScflDc OF picture cA press.
Howard IIerndon had loved Grace
Edrington with such Il deep, absorbing
love; had cherished for her such a fer
vid alteration that to be cast off from
her thus was worse than death.
He did not 90 at once to his room,
but walked on for hours, trying to cool
the fever at his heart. At last he
sought his couch, but no sleep came to
his eyes, no balm to his poor, tortured
soul.
When the hour for resumption of
business came, he went to the store and
astonished his employers by announc-
ing his intention of throwing up his
situation and going west.
At first Mr.. Il tried to diSsuade
him from his intention, for he held the
young man in the highest esteem; but
finding him firm, accepted his resigna-
ton, to take effect at once.
About this time new and valuable
gold fields were being discovered in
Colorado, and Denver City, though yet
unnamed, was growing to be an impor-
tant mining center.
Four days from the time Howard
had announced his intention of leaving
l., he had arranged to join Il
party ready TO start to the new Edo
radO.
During this time he had not seen
Grace, nor did he know even if she
were in the city.
At the time write of, there was no
Union Pacific railway driving its great
iron engines across the vast plains that
intervene between Missouri and the
Rocky mountains, and all travel to the
gold fields was in wagons, drawn by
mules or oxen.
The morning for the departure of
our hero and the party he was to ac-
company came, and well equipped for
the journey, they started, and after an
adventureless trip of five weeks, camp
ed under the towering peaks of the
Rocky mountains.
Howard Herndon soon discovered
that while some men delyed in the
mines, others made more money by
furnishing the miners with supplies
and the necessarles of life. Appreciat-
ing the necessity for fresh meat, he con-
ceived the project ot establishing a cat
] tie ranch. He soon secured thrifty
herd of young cattle, and employing u
few trusty rancheros, tried to forget his
sorrow in the active pursuit of business.
Not caring to be associated continu-
ally with the rough characters of the
ranch, he established n home in love
ly mountain valley, from which mag
nilicent view of the broad sweep of
the plains, rich with the nutriciOus
herbage of nature, could be obtained.
At his back the mountains lifted their
snowy crested peaks high above the
swift sailing clouds.
A little way below his lodge rippled
a stream of limpid water, which went
laughing along its pebbly course, on its
way to the green meadows of the plains.
Near by Il babbling spring poured its
pure, cold waters out upon the glisten-
ing rocks, and gave moisture to Il little
plot of arabic land, which he converted
into II flower garden and vegetable
field.
The lodge he built was firm and
strong. IL had to be to resist the force
of the storms that sometimes swept
down those mountain gorges.
A commodious room was built for an
office. To the rear of this another one,
answering the triple purpose of kitchen,
dining room and storage. Near by
twas comfortable stable connected 10
the main building by Il strongly built
hallway, constructed of slabs.
He was very careful in his household
arrangements, and endeavored always
to keep plentiful store of provisions
and fuel on hand.
He had been in this lodge nearly
seven years and had amassed u hand
some competency. In his dealings with
men he was very successful, and was
always scrupulously honest and fair in
all his transactions. His annual sales
were large and not caring to keep his
money in his house where it would be
a constant temptation to the scores OF
desperate and lawless characters who
then infested the mining districts, he
took it to future Denver City and en-
trusted it to the business house of T
& Co., where, year by year, it had ac
cumulated until many thousands o.
dollars stood to the credit side of his
: bank account.
Though he lived the life of reclust
he often entertained tourists and hunt
ers. More than once he had been at
tackled by hostile bands of Indians, bu
SO true was his aim, SO defensible hi.
stronghold, that they were invariably
driven off. Nor had he ever been at
tackled twice by the same party.
He had never been back to L.
and strangely enough had never asked
any questions concerning the peopl,
there. Though by no means q savage
or II barbarian, he seemed TO have III
care for the world of civilization he hat
abandoned.
OF Grace Edrington he had not hear,
q word, and had given no sign of de
sire to. But on many an evening whei
his days labor was over and the gilt
tering stars were flashing through tn,
clear crisp air of the mountain, h,
would sit for hours gazing upon :
small ivory type he carried next hi
heart, and then shutting it up in it.
golden case, heaye sigh so deep, 81
sad, that his faithful nfog, "Santo, ;
would rise up and lickS-sis hands IL
mute, unspeakahle sympathy.
Did he love her still? Aye, he wor
SHIPPED her Every dream was of her
In the flashing sunshine he beheld th'
CLEAN of her golden tresses. In tn
deep blue of the sky he saw the retiec
ton OF her eyes. In every flower h
saw her beauty typefied. In the lullab,
of the mountain breeze he heard he
voice. She was the one constant vision
of his sleeping hours, the Mecca a
every thought by day. And yet sh
was not his Mecca. Mecca To the tru
Mahomedan was the basis of Il hope
but hope To- Howard lierndun was dea,
and he dared not even approach it
tomb.
But while his heart, which had re
sisted every effort of reason to cast he