The Princeton union., 1901-08-22
FILE PRINCETON UNION: THURsDAY, AUGUsr % 1901.

Iby way Of Belmont a roundaDours
way, but the best travelling. was.
born there and know the country thor
oughly. I used to know you when l
was a boy"
"Shake! You're all right! Now I'll
find you something to eat.''
One week later Craig Thompson ar
rived in New York, and it is doubtful
if his familiars in Nevada would have
known him had any Of them Glanced
to encounter him on the street. All the
roughness had disappeared. His I'M
kempt beard was gone His mustache
had been trimmed and trained, his
hair was shorn, and his costume was
all that the most fastidious city bred
man could desire. But the strangeness
Of it all was in the fact that the alter
ations seemed entirely familiar to him,
and ne was as thoroughly at ease as
if he had lived all his life in the sphere
to which he had been born.
''Home!" he said aloud as he stepped
from the train to the platform. "Home
again after all these years, after hav
ing sworn that would never again put
my feet upon the pavements of New
York! twenty-five years since l lert
home and lost myself on the Nevada
plains and among the mines in the Sier-
ras! Eighteen years, or nearly that,
since I came back for that one flying
visit-arrivel in the evening and left in
the early morning, bitterly sorry that l
came, more than ever determined nev-
er to return-and here amp
He signaled to cab, entered it and
was taken to the Holland House, where
he knew that he would find the object
of his journey, and an hour later he
rose from the couch where he had
awaited the return of the boy, who had
taken his card to Miss Maxwell-rose
to meet tall, faultlessly clad figure
that entered the room, a figure which
rapidly approached him, which had
Llsle's face, which looked upon him
out of Lisle's eyes, which spoke to him
in Lisle's voice Of rich contralto, but
Which in no other way resembled the
young friend from whom he had parted
on the plains of Nevada.
Craig" she said and hesitated. Her
surprise was as great as his, for the
transformatiop in him was not less
marked than it was in her. But the
hesitation was almost imperceptible,
for with both hands she drew his head
down and kissed him upon his brow.
"Have you been undergoing a course
of instruction also?' she asked, seat
Ing herself beside him. "The change
In you is as great as it is in me- It is
an improvement in both cases; don't
you think so?''s
Yes. With me, Lisle, it is simply
the resumption of my own. was born
here, lived here until was 1S; then l
went away. Once came back. That
was lS years ago. I intended never to
come again, but you needed me, and
here am"
"Have you forgotten how to swear,
Craig?'
mo; have only laid the habit aside
with my other clothes. They fit each
other and are to be worn at the same
time. Lisle, has any one told you that
you are beautiful woman?"
"Yes"-laughing gayly-"1 have not
lacked for information on that point"
"You were handsome boy, but now
you are superb. Before you go into
anything else I want you to tell me all
that has happened during these two
months and more since l parted with
you"
"Oh, that is quickly told. My father
always kept a supply Of cash in the
house. There were several thousand
dollars there at the time he died. l
took it and went~ to San Francisco,
travelling in my cowboy costume, for it
was the only dress with which I was
familiar. l had formed plan of pro-
cedure, and when I arrived at my desti-
nation carried it out to the letter. 1t
consisted in finding a woman who
would be at once a friend and an in
structor, and found one. knew of
a gentleman who had visited us once
when l was quite young He was a
banker, and my father had business
dealings with him, so that letters fire.
quently passed between them. Among
those letters l discovered his address,
and as soon as I arrived in San Fran
cisco l applied to him. l told him, of
course, that l was Richard Maxwelps
son, that my father was dead and that
1 desired his advice regarding several
matters, the first one being a suitable
place to live. He settled that in the
way l wished him to do, for he invited
me to his own home, and in his wife I
found the friend needed My course
OF instruction began that same day,
TOR l at once told her what 1 was, and
l can assure you that my path has been
strewn with roses from that day to
this. Mr.. and Mrs. Parsons came east
with me and are here in the hotel,
They are in their parlor now waiting
for me to take you to them, for YOU
may be sure that have told them all
about Craig Thompson. Will you come
now and let me present you to them?
They will be surprised, for you are not