CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1902-12-11
You may nave observed

understand children"
They wenr to work upon the tree.
and at half past q when Ms. Williams
sent Bunker to warn thei tliit Dime
was nearly ready there ". no more to
be done. Amy went upstI 10 dress
the children. leaving Wethere.! to pace
the floor thoughtfully before the fire.
His meditations seemed ~ be mostly
humorous. but from time 10 time quite
grave. Suddenly be threw himself into
the big chair and laughed softly.
Upon my word he said aloud.
this must be confoundedly like being
married. And it's not SO bad. That's
the funny part; It's not half bad.'
Mrs. Williams dinner was not bad
at all. The woman was really a cook
OF no mean accomplishments. and the
sauce Of hunger helped her fame. 1t
also helped to keep the children quiet.
that and the fact that their mother
would not sit down to table. but insist.
ed upon spending most Of her time in
the kitchen.
II was with difficulty that Bunker
could be prevailed upon to take his
place for social distinctions. nearly OBJ
liberated in the presence Of the storm.
re-established themselves in the house.
Wetherell amused himself by speaking
Of the driver as his old friend Captain
Bunker, whom he had brought home to
dinner. and by treating him with dis
tinguished courtesy as the guest of the
occasion. He also devoted himself TO
Harriet. who sat beside him at her
own earnest request. for the episode of
the two kisses seemed to have touched
her little heart.
Wetherell was witty and cheerful
throughout the meal He carved the
turkey to admiration and was appar-
emily alert to every ones needs. But
in reality he felt like a man in a dream.
His surroundings were strange enough,
surely. but the wonder that perplexed
him was in himself Why was he not
bored: How could he laugh at chill
dren's nonsense and set a value upon
| trifies?
ITS her tact" he said to himself at
last. looking across at Amy. .'She Is
carrying this whole situation on her
shoulders AID has carried IL from the
start. II she were any other girl. |
would go out and hide in a snow
bank
After the dinner came the tree. but
that should be seen by a child's vision.
Wetherell tried TO see it that way as he
watched the two little girls come into
the room They halted as soon as they
had crossed the threshold and stood
stock still. Incapable of speech or mo-
tion-just two pairs OF wide. wonder,
To-, H.
giitterinc marvel hours later when
their eyes were closed in sleep.
At 0 O'Clock Mrs. Williams dragged
them away. protesting. though their
little heads were rocking on their
shoulders. Mr.. Bunker went out to
smoke pipe In the kitchen Wetherell
and Amy drew chairs before the fire
and sat with no other light except that
from the waning tapers.
Il have been singularly happy to-
day" said the man of the world.
"You have been singuiarly helpful
said she. 1T is the same thing
Il canno' quite believe it, be re-
| Piled --of course ii was to a certain
extent a pleasure to do what I could
for my companions in misfortune. bu,
I'm too selfish to be much moved by
it,
IF YOU are SELFISH said she. you
have a remarkable way of showing IL. -
Il really am" be said Il feel .
selfish happiness at this moment Shall
l tell you why: Because l have found
my way. This day has been a sort OF
allegory. Miss Hunt. have for a long
time been lost in q colder and more
hopeless desolation than any we ea.
countered today. have sought one
road and another and have always
gone astray. What should have done ,
Do you remember what I told you in
the grove this afternoon
You said the road would do us no
good: that what we needed WAS shell
ter"
Precisely. And it has been the same
with me. The lean steeds of selfishness
and petty personal ambltion-mostly
for money-have carried me as far as
they can 20. ard on the wrong road.
The path that have found today leads
out Of the highway to shelter. n roof
over my head. n home.
Isn't ii singular how fate has CO.
creed mer' he continued. This morn.
ing WAS the loueliest. most grabbed
and spoiled old rascal that ever took
pleasure In being miserable. could
hardly bring myself to visit my dear
old aunts. who have loved me ever
since | was born. was afraid Of
them. afraid OF their house. afraid OF
the children whom they shelter in sheer
goodness Of heart
And fate looked down ON me and
laughed. II put me into a place where
| had to 80 back to the natural man.
to fisht the cold and the storm. That
was to crack the crust OF artinciality.
Then il loaded me with responsibilities