The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-29
Jenet Deans Home Coming.

1
Hobson's Pocket when Delafeld Dean
brought his young bride over the Divide
70 occupy the shack he had put up on
Pine Hill. There were a number Of gen.
| tlemen in the population of five thousand
expeetant souls. Mary McGees husband
made his pile in placers; and Rene Fonta
nellie was wearing diamonds because her
husband had understood the art of mix
ing drinks for a chemically thirsty popu-
lace.
But Delafield Deans bride was different
All Hobson's Pocket saw that 1t was
| discoveFable in the set of her modest
clothes, in the indescriba5le grace and
gentle hauteur Of her movements, and in
the accents of her voice. Nay, If any che
| mad been in doubt upon the subject, this
| doubt would have been settled by the
| fashion of home she made In the " I'D
| place. The men who were invited 10 her
| table almost wept with gratitude at the
| homeliness and comfort Of the place, and
at the "reminiscences awakened by the
| observances of the household.
To hear talk of music and books, to get
back into the atmosphere OF the polite
world, modified by the surrounding and
| by the innocent bohemianism Of the lady,
was a pleasure indeed to these exiles
| And to look into the eyes Of a lovely and
| high-bred koman and to feel the kindly
| Influence of here ideals insidiously yet
| palpably elevating the tone of the place
was privilege beyond mere pleasure.
| At any rate that was what John Crane
| thought. He was one of those who. in
! coming to Colorado and the life Of a
| miner. had burned all his bridges behind
| him. He had cast in his lot with the
mountaineers, as his people, generations
| before, had cast in theirs with the people
! Of Virginia. Moreover, John Crane was
! suited very we'll He liked the adventure
| and even the uncertainty of the life; he
| enjoyed, with keen sense OF humor, the
! idiosyncracies Of his friends, and he loved
| with deep and abiding love, the majes-
! tic solitude of the mountain roads, the
wind-swept passes and canons where the
stars shone at midday. To set his foot
on place virgin to the tread of man
was the greatest joy he had ever known
up to the time that he met Janet Dean.
After that, his greatest pleasure was
to give her pleasure. At first, his service
to her consisted Of nothing more than
attempts to keep her from inconsistencies.
He brought to her all the most character
istic and grotesdue tales of the camp.
He presented her with the skin OF the
mountain lion that he shot. He got up
riding parties for her benefit, and, though
he did not care for magazine reading he
recommended. and faithfully read them,
that he might be able to talk over the
contents with her.
The time came, however. when the ser
vice he was able to render Eer was of
vastly different sort. He lay s<ross the
doorstep of her house every night for two
weeks, with the pistols in his belt loaded
and rife on his arm, while the cries
of drunken and angry miners at no great
distance announced the fact that 200 de-
frauded men had much more than half
a mind to be revenged upon Delafeld
Deans property and person for the fact
that he had "miscalculated, and in
volved them in the miscalculation. AS a
matter of fact, Delafield Dean had fled
town and left his young wife behind him
to the mercy of a drunken mob. 1t was,
however a mob that respected women,
and the fear that sickened the heart of
Janet was not of the miners, but of the
black fact that her husband was not an
honest man.
The day came when she sold all Of her
household goods, her riding horse, saddle,
jewels, and part of her wardrobe by
auction, paid up all bills not relating i'm
mediately to the mine and the mill, and
made her way back to the east, where
her husband. deep in the club and social,
life, and full of new schemes. had al
ready grown philosophic about his west
ern losses.
In those bewiIdering days OF the break
ing up of her home at Hobson's Pocket
it was John Crane who did the disagree
able work, who softened the truth, and
who made Jsnets position endurable. 1t
was he who was the last to grasp her
hand before the train moved out of town,
and when she sought for her place in the
sleeper she found that the stateroom had
been set apart for her, and that there
We're roses awaiting her and dainties and
a travelling blanket.
But these attentions, which, from an
other man, might have meant too lavish
expression of admiration, indicated from
John Crane nothing more than a desire
to be of service.
So Janet Dean concluded as she went
dutifully to take up with 1le somewhat
indolent affection of husband who had
left her alone to face the responsibility
of acts Of which he was culpabe
Ten years passed. Janet Dean lived her
life bravelv She held her social place,
won celebrity as a wit, did her share in
clubs. read till she was stated with ideas
a benevolent way worked some IN the
which were not her own, and all the time
wore q brave front over a weary heart.
In all that time she heard no word Of
John Crane. 1t is true that once in three
months some man from Hobson's Pocket |
called. Now it was one man and now it
was another; but in every case the caller /
was a friend Of John Crane. 1t did occur /
TO the lady now and then that these men
We're emissaries. but she dismissed the /
notion as untenable.
It happened quite Unexpectedly that /
Delafeld Dean left his wife free-without /
taking the trouble to die. The details /
are not pleasant. and. anyway, they do /
not matter. Let it suffice that Janet took /
her liberty as she had her servitude, with /
dignity. She went away to new town (
to earn her living, and being a woman /
with a special talent, she had little trOu- /
Die in doing it.
One month after she had started upon
this new career. tan, severe deep-voiced I
man paid her a formal call He had trav-
eled go miles to do It, and, having done
il, ne took the train back to the noun
tains again. He did this once a month
for a year At the end Of that period he +
announced the fact that he, john Crane, !
was going to marry her. Sac wePt She
said It was not IN accordance with her
principles. She swore that she would al
ways live alone always work for her own ,
bread, always lament her ruined happi-
aess.
But Just the same one day IN midwInter
John Crane went westward with the
woman he loved by his side. and Il she
had lost some Of her enthusiasm. ne had
not. After the mountains were reached az
every station he dashed ont 70 the plat
form and brought in men to meet his
wife.
Got 4 house ready for Mrs. Crane.
Ichn?' his friends would ask.
20. I've got roof for her hsad-n3t
much more" John would reply
Half the town was down AZ TIE depot