The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1900-01-26

dickens didn't we divine tins sooner! It's
been horribly dull-this beastly desert"
Miss Hill protested. "It's not beast
ly desert"
at isn't now" he admitted, which she
ignored and went on:
"It's very beautiful and grand if you
only understand it. / dare say you were
not brought up on it?'
81 wasn't, thank heaven"
"Well, l was. ! was born on it.
made my first mud pies with ella water,
l rode my first burro around Thomas
and had my first spill into this alkali
dust. / suppose one has to be used to it
from the very beginning TO love it."
Harrington began to feel that it was
anything but creditable not to love it.
He defended himself. New England
gave me birth, and still prefer the lilac
to the mesquite bush. It's all n matter
of education of course"
''Of course" she agreed. "Tell me
about the Preside"
He told her about it with the zest for
word painting which California fosters
and left her with the belief that she was
about to enter paradise on earth.
you play golf of course"
1t. is the question which must come
sooner or later She answered that she
did not, and Harrington was glad, be-
cause now he could teach her, and life
would be all one beautiful driving little
white balls across green slopes and fields
of flowers-de-lucc, with a blue sky over
head and a sapphire sea beyond 1t was
eternal spring in HarriuGton's heart just
now, so he overlooked the detail that
fowers-de-luce don't bloom in August.
Outside of section was a stuffy Sleep
er, where sat q scandalized man and wo-
man, whispering and casting looks, and
beyond that was cleaning desert,
where the thermometer would have reg
istered incredible things, but in section 2
all was charming. The crunch of feet
on the cinders, the tinkle of the hammer
on the hot box, the murmur of mems
voices, came family to it.
"How long shall we stop here?" Miss
Hill asked.
Harrington did not know and said SO.
Neither did he care, but he kept that to
himself. He liked southern Arizona.
Then Miss Hill wanted to know where
are weep
'"The question is the answer" he told
her. She looked puzzled. do you I'M
derstand SPANISH" She remembered
some from the days of Mexican nurses
time when It was her most fluent speech.
"Well, then, the name of this garden spot
In Adonde-at least within q half mile of
IT,"
"That means where" she said.
"Isnt it jolly we'll named? To look
out upon this world here is to ask where
and whittier and why and what for
The plains are such forcible reminders Of
the eternal ungetatableness of things in
general"
Miss Hill was resentful. 81 dare say
they are not all measured off by human
footrules like New England. But they
are lovely. I am quite sure I shall not
like the Preside links half so well.'
This was dangerous. Harrington launch
ed off upon the delights of golf. The
conductor called Gan aboard" and feet
hurried along the cinder bed. But the
train was going 30 miles an hour before
they really realized it had started, and
they were at Yuma and had % minutes
in which to eat dinner before they were
aware that they had passed Adonde.
Adonde, indeed! 1t was only too plain
where and whittier.
1t was palmer still by the time they
crossed on the ferry. Major Hill saw it
and so did Mrs. Hill and some others
who had come over to the train, so they
were very considerable about it and went
to listen to the music in the social hall.
Harrington leaned on the rail beside her
and showed her the gulls and said this
was San Francisco, as though he were
personally responsible for it, which is the
way we get in California. 1t was only
too evident even to the watching stran-
gers where and whittier. Where they
were was in the seventh heaven of con-
tentment, and whittier they tended was
reached just two months later.
Upon that occasion, which was none
other than his wedding day, they called
upon Harrington for toast. He stood
up and looked at Mrs. Harrington. The
bouclcs folles were still there, though
half hidden by the white veil, and she
was blushing as pinkly now as upon that
first day in the stretch and silence of the
prairie, that ever memorable and delight
full day at the place of the unanswerable
question, Adonde. Harrington thought
Of that day and, raising his glass, made,
in the opinion of all assembled, the fiat
test failure of 4 toast But his wife
understood, and the others did not mat
ter. He had looked into her eyes and had
said "How"-Argonaut.