Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1899-02-24
TO-RROW AT NOON

!, entereds Grand Central Station
s passengsn the sleeping-car Arcadia
was in ate bordering on frenzy.
II He hamoked SO many cigars that
: the poH Regarded him with appre-
!. hensione nad stamped up and down
The aissso fiereeiy that a baby had
shriekeaffright whenever he appear
ed. He'd cursed so horribly that the
ancientsnster in the section next his
had been the point of swooning sew
eral ia.
He VA big, athletic fellow. with a
ruddy lplexion, determined lips, and
eyes likray velvet. with black lashes
and hss- His face would have been
notices at any time, but now, crown
ed wisan enormous siIyer-embroid-
cred abrero and distorted with i'm
patiens it was doubly conspicuous.
'Thscowboy must be getting ready
| to kill3mebo body" said the commercial
man I'm Omaha to the railroad man
from lffalo
"Eier that or he's going to see his
| girl, spilled the other.
Theailroad man was a keen judge
| of huan nature. Tom Weir, ranch
man ON the Valley OF the River of
| Lost ouls, Col. was on his way to
News ork to find his sweetheart.
ASS sat moodily biting an unhghted
cigannd counting the mile-posts he
recasd, as in a dream, his meeting
with the exquisite creature he was
seellg. He remembered that clear,
briee morning when he rode jingling
and iattering into Durango, just as the
traiAfrom Alamosa was pulling up to
the tation; how he threw himself on
his austang and joined the crowd of
minrs, cowboys, loafers and ..greas-
ers On the station platform to see the
passengers aiight.
HI heard again the murmur OF ad-
mintion as she stepped from the train
and walked through the throng with
the Air of princess.
His heart pounded madly as he re-
caiAd the masses of red gold hair, the
luscious lips, the eyes of most unholy
blste- the blue of the mountain sap.
pfissze9a l tAe 4 kEassfgs Iigs u M..s. sxslse form.
fsnch adjoining MS 6swte. h.ss ssFast dh!
come to visit her school friend. the wife
of his neighbor. ne remembered hel
wonderful pink gown with clouds ant
biilows of lace, the tiny fan she welded
so coquettishly, the rings on her white
fingers. She looked like an angel Il
the big, clumsy, blushing, stammerine
ranchman-a pink and white ange
with halo of dazzling blonde hair.
Poor Tom Weir then and there lay
his great, unsullied, honest heart at hel
tiny feet From TIE first moment SHE
spoke to him he was her slave.
Now he thought OF those heavenly
days that followed; the long walks ant
rides in that glorious air that mounted
nights when the great red moon swung
over the snow-covered mountain
peaks; the first mad kiss, the tende
confession, the sweet surrender and tn,
solemn betrothal.
And now he was going to see her.
Two years had gone by since the gir
of his heart had said good-by TO him
since he had held her TO his Drawn.
breast and with swimming eyes an,
get him.
She had written him often sweet
kind, tender letters, letters he hat
kissed and cried over and put under hi
pillow at night. She had kept he
word. She had not forgotten him
that radiant creature. o, where was
man so madly happy as he? And O
when. when, would this train get int
New York?
There was only one little bit of allo.
in this happiness; mere trifie, to b
sure, but still there. A few words il
her last letter had troubled him. II
had read and re-re2d them, trying t
discover just what caused his uneasi
ness. but in vain. Still a vague. intan
Gible something seemed threatenin
him. Some instinct sounded note o
alarm as he pored over the perfume
paper in his hand.
Il am tired of teaching" the lette
ran. The life of a goyerness is S
narrow, so confning. So / have gon
In for art"
That was ALL
Art-arts Art is perfectly harmless
10 be sure, but 1t was strange be ha
Qever seen her draw or paint anything
endeed. he remem bered that when wit
the enthusiasm of the typical Wester
sanchman, he had pointed out th
beauties of his beloved mountains sh
had seemed rather bored than Other
wise.
He made a sudden resolution II
would go to New York. He would Sc
her and beg her to give up art an
come near to natures heart with hiE
There was no reason why their ma
riage should be longer delayed. ]
could give her pleasant home even
trine lonely. But she would nev
be lonely. Would he not be with he
And she could paint all the pictur
she wanted in Colorado as well as
New York.
! Yes. he would 90 to her. He wou
sweep her on her feet by his passiona
pleading; he would carry her awi
with him; he would bring her back
the mountains and 10 his home
The train thundered into the static
Tom Weir had never been east
Denver before The babel and cont
sion annoyed him. He thought OF (
solemn, wind-swept mountain spae
and of the wide-spreading, peacei
plains. He longed TO ind = quiet e
ner. But the clatter and hubbuo pl