The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-02-11
ned. blue depths Of Miss Raxter,s glasses

See here. now do you suppose just be-
cause a girl jilts me'-Miss Baxter here
interposed a deprecating gesture-"yes, 1
repeat it. DO you suppose just because a
girl jilts me, and have reason TO believe
Is going to the ends of the earth to get
where she will never see me again, that
my sense OF responsibility ends till I've
seen her safely whore she wants TO go?
No. I've made New York uninhabtable
for you. and l shall make what amends
can by chaperoning you to Colorado or
kamchatka, or wherever II is you are 60
ing. Now, what shall l order for break
fast?"
Harry, you are cruel. You know Mr..
Fleming was going out there for the
color, and / thought II would be a good
chance 10 continue my outdoor work"
Fleming! That prigl Well. l didn't
know before that he was going. l see
there is still more reason why 1 should
80 now-and stay
But forbid you doing any such foolish
thing"
ITO tell the truth, Grace, thought of
staying all the time-of going into some
other business there"
"Why. YOU never told me OF Il before"
'Wel, never thought Of II till after l
left you last night. Then 1t occurred 10
me / might go into the sheep or cattle or
something like that"
AT Manitou?"
"Why not?"
ITS a summer resort"
80 much the better. Ia only be there
in the summer, anyhow"
Harry. you're a tritier."
well, can peel an orange. anyhow-if
you'll allow me-" Woodson exclaimed.
taking from her hand the one she was
making a sad mess OF.
Harry, l can never forgive you for
doing this" Miss Baxter concluded, after
a moments contemplation Of the whirl-
ing blur OF green through the car win
dow.
'Well, I never could have forgiven my
self If / hadn't-and there II was" he as
serted dispassionately, laying the pulpy,
broken sphere OF the orange before her.
1t is quite a jaunt from Manhattan to
Manitou. but one morning they exchanged
the cushioned WEAKNESS Of the train for
that blue hollow of the hills, with its
gayly colored roofs and gables showing
here and there up the canyon, like a scat
tered troop OF butterflies. Then life be-
came one long breath of delight. What
color there was! The earth seemed hung
in some rarer medium than common air.
The yellow cactus blossoms were like
flakes Of flame. A scarlet flower fairly
burned into The sight Grace developed
a new enthusiasm every day and piled her
palette with cobalt and chrome. Even
Fleming. who had preceded them. smok
ed a trihe faster tran usual, and grunted
out now and then: Put in your color
pure. Make her jump"
SO they painted from morning till night,
keeping two or three studies under way at
once-putting I'm blues where Woodson
saw greens. and puppies where he saw
nothing but nondescript sand, and doing
all the inexplicable things that should be
done according to the gospel OF the lu-
minists.
Woodson sat by and chaffed. He
couldn't paint. He wouldn't smoke. He
parried Graces occasional inquiring
glances by explaining that he was nego-
tiating 10 go into the cattle business-a
man was going 10 bring him herd on
trial.
Meanwhile he arrayed his shapely figure
in cowboyish top boots. blue shirt and
SLOUGH hat, which became him immensely,
and made a sinister impression among the
blazers and tennis suits of summering
Manitou. Grace was absorbed and salts
fed. One day an idea struck him.
Grace" said he. II found a little bit
down here the other day that I'd like 10
have you sket9h-to send home. you
know. You'll do it. won't you?"
why. of course. I'll speak TO Mr..
Fleming"
"Oh, hang Mr.. Fleming. Woodson
broke in. '"Fleming's all right in his way.
but want you-your sketch. you know"
The place was quite a distance away,
over the mesa. They set out for it the
next day.
Here IL is" Woodson exclaimed, after
quite tramp. pointing over the burning
plain TO where a row of cottonwoods were
banked against the sky, tremulous In the
vibrant air. There. do that; call II "A
Hundred in the Shade or something like
that"
1T doesn't seem 10 compose very WELL"
Grace murmured, holding the tips OF her
fingers together and inolosing the picture
IN a rosy frame through which she gazed.
half shutting her eyes in truly artistic
intentness.
We'll. never mind that; get the charac-
ter OF IT. You know Fleming says the
characters the thing. That's what l
want-the Characteristic true character
OF this beastly country"
SO Grace donned her big blue apron and
set to work with her biggest brushes.
But somehow she had trouble. The quail
ty OF that sky, burning with light and yet
deep in hue. did not seem to reside In
cobalt, however fresh from the tube. The
value OF the stretch OF plain, tremulous
under the fiaring heavens, disturbed her
too and when she came TO put In the
airy wall of cottonwoods along the hori-
zon the whole thing ended In a painty
muddle.
"Oh. can't do anything today Grace
exclaimed petulantly. wiping her trou-
bled brow with the back of her hand and
leaving n streak OF blue along her fore
head that intensified her puzzled look.