The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1901-08-08

~ tRAII IHOMRSON did wish
~ to go. The fact was un-
YTFTsS precedented in the experience
t2&&gy that others had known of
MIN, put 1T was true, and when at the
close of the second day they arrived at
the ranch Lisle remembered with sur
PRISE that he had never known his ia
ther to be SO companionable with a
stranger before, but in this case he had
appeared to find much that was con-
genial in their tastes. It is possible
that his own intense love for Lisle per
mltted him more readily to appreciate
the good qualities of another who also
loved him. 1t may be that he intui-
lively foresaw the time when Lisle
would need a friend and that he dis
covered in Thompson the man whom
he would select for that position.
Ihompson's ranch adjoined Max
Wells, although 30 miles separated the
buildings which the respective owners
called home. In that land Of magniti-
cent distances such an interval of
space was trivial, but Richard Max
we'll had always isolated himself from
his neighbors in way that utterly re-
pulsed friendly advances, so that lie
was known more as ranch owner
than as man, but now he volunteered
every outward demonstration that he
desired to create more friendly rela-
tons with his nearest neighbor. .-.
During the journey to the ranch
Lisle's father permitted it to be under
stood that he preferred that no refer
ence should be made to the lasso duel.
He seemed to have blotted it out of his
memory as utterly as though it had not
occurred. =, -
At home the old life was taken up
where it had been left off, and with the
exception of the presence of a guest
and within the memory of Lisle an in
vited guest had never before been
part of the household-it was the same
as it had always been. Studies were
resumed at, the point where they had
been abandoned, occupations recon-
menced where they had broken off, and
everything resumed it's accustomed
routine, for the master of Crescent and
Cross never permitted anything to in
tertere with the rules of his daily life.
But the week Of Thompson's stay
came to an end, and Lisle was surpris-
ed when he remembered that during
the entire time he had rarely been
alone with their guest-never, in fact,
except at such times as they passed
upon the broad veranda, where the
old frontiersman loved to sit and smoke
and chat with the "kid,'' interspersing
his stories and anecdotes with whole
some advice that was always given in
his inimitably blunt and forcible man
ner. Lisle was often astonished by the
deep learning of the strange man,
whose customary disregard of correct
English was at once a mixture of as
sumption and carelessness. The youths
intuition revealed to him that behind
and beneath the rough exterior of his
new friend there existed fund Of ten
derness and sympathy most profound
He was like lump of rich quartz.
the intrinsic value was all there in
cased within the toughest and hardest
Of substances. =. ..z
On the other hand Craig also met
with surprises which puzzled him
greatly, although he made no com:
ment unless to Lisle in person. One
of them came during an evening when
Richard Maxwell was not present.
Craig was smoking his pipe on the We
randa, lolling back in one Of the COM
Portable chairs, when he heard the pi-
ano.
That's right, boy" he called out.
I'm in just the mood for some music.
Couldn't you sing something for a
changer
There was no reply in words, but the
melody changed, and presently a su-
perb voice, in tender contralto, foated
out to him. With increasing power it
swelled into the pathetic air of Ash
er's "Alice" until the clear high notes
swept out across the starlit plain so
sweetly, SO purely, so longingly that
Craig forgot his pipe, forgot Lisle, for
got where he was, forgot everything
except a memory that the song con-.
jured up His head sank lower and
lower upon his breast, tears stood in
his eyes and splashed UNDECIDED upon
his tightly clasped hands, and when
the melody ceased he did not move.
Lisle left the piano and went out to