Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-11-24
Dunno his other name. That's him

"Dunno his other name. That's hin
COMM
He pointed with his whip at an ap
preaching figure.
1t was the figure Of tall young mar
in slouch hat, a coarse flannel shirt
rough breeches and long. clay stained
boots. He had plentiful crop of hair
face extremely sunburned where il
wasn't covered by brown curly beard
and his arms, exposed by his rolled ul
shirt sleeves. were brown and sinewy.
He took off his hat to Grace and ex
tended his hand to her father.
"By George" cried the latter, ''it's
Conklin-it's Robert" And he leaned
over and vigorously shook the young
mans hand. Grace gave little gasp
Was this rough young Adonis. bearded
and tanned, the white handed darling
of the ballroom?
Then Robert quickly stepped to the
wagon, and reaching up swung hel
lightly to the ground.
"Glad to welcome you to the mines,
Miss GraoA," he said in an easy man.
ner, with no trace of self conscious
ness. And what astonished Grace most
of all was that he made no excuses for
his decidedly unconventional garb.
Hold on," cried the capitalist as
they walked toward the superintend-
ent's cottage. 'Are you Bobsy?"
s.sThat's what the Chinese ceok calls
YltiH laughed the young IN, i"and i
he p'eve the rest Of the camp has adopt
Acti the title. We all have our nick
names out here, you know. But this is
the superintendent cottage. Miss
Grace will take my room, and you, sir,
will take Mr.. Ingersoll's. The Chinese
servants viii serve your meals here"
"And will you not join us?" asked
Grace in her sweetest manner.
II should be pleased to-" he answer
ed simply and turned away to talk
with her father.
Robert came to supper and the only
changes he had made in his toilet were
the removal of his slouch hat and the
addition of rough sack coat. But he
was nowise embarrassed. He certainly
talked well, and Grace saw that her
father was greatly taken with him.
Robert went away early, knowing
they were tired and presumably sleepy.
AS the sound of his footsteps died on
the gravel walk the capitalist turned to
his daughter.
Seems little different, doesn't hei"
he asked.
Different from what, daddy?"
"Why. from the whole tiresome lot of
conventional young men,"
''He does" said Grace lightly.
There was pause.
aren't you just a little sorry now
you refused him?' chuckled the old
man.
''This isn't the man 1 refused" said
Grace softly.
The ten days Of their stay passed
rapidly. Thanks to the preparations
made by Robert for their coming the
roughness of camp life was greatly
softened. He had worked like a Tro-
jan to make them comfortable He had
actually brought water in sluice pipes
- JILL a oPlAhS IL tuC Siuc anu
fitted up rude but very serviceable
bathtub in the cottage for the use Of
Grace. In fact, she heard of his en-
ergy and industry on every hand. And
She noticed, too, that her father leaned
upon him more and more.
Once she took her parent to task a
little for absorbing so much of Rob
erts leisure time.
''The boy is full of business" said
her father shortly. "He's carrying a
big load here, and there's no shifting
it till Ingersoll comes back. I've been
doing what l can to tighten it lit
tle."
Whenever she saw Robert he was in
his rough and ready mining garb-stal-
wart, sunburnt. sinewy. He never al
luded to his clothes, and Grace came to
believe that he never thought of them.
He was always at ease in her pres
ence. and yet. strange to say, paid her
no compliments, fact which seemed
all the more remarkable when she
glanced in her little mirror and saw
the pleasing effects of the pure noun
tain air and the simple, wholesome
diet
She couldn't understand it.
Had he-had he ceased to care for
her? and she whispered this contin-
gency with sinking heart Had she,
like the ignorant Ethiop. thrown away
her pearl? Had this splendid. uncon-
ventional fellow quite outworn her
earlier destinations? 1t sadly looked
like it.
Then came the day of their depar-
ture, and still Robert hadn't spoken.
But along in the early morning he said
to her:
"Shall we take a farewell look to-
gether at the happy valley?"
So they walked up the hillside path