Western liberal. (Lordsburg, N.M.) 1887-1919, 1902-10-24
hen DALTON
n WENT EAST
JAMES ALLISON
wright. 1901. b. A. s. Richardson
NGGGGGGEN


es in the daybook aud hen went
to his desk and the letter.
drew II from the plgconhole OF
alton walnut and turned II slowly
q side 10 side ms II he were trying
latch the pale gray tint from his
Ut ribbon stock. He looked curious
Il the deeper gray scaling wax. lie
s always very careful not to break
2 seal when he opened her letters.
@ liked to study the stately III"
.Shich hid what she said to him from
the bustllng. lmpertinent world.
Not that he had received many such
misslves. There were Just four In all,
and he knew them by heart. lie read
this last one slowly and for the third
time:
Frank Dalton. ESQ. President School
Board District No. n:
Sahuache County. Colo.
Dear Slr-Replying 10 your favor OF the
23d, stating that your board had acted Ia
vorably on my application for the Twig-
gins school and would allow the salary
which l asked. permit me to say that l
feel that l owe you many apologies. The
most urgent reason for my desiring to Sc
cure a position this summer In Colorado
was an incipient throat trouble which has
annoyed me for the past year. Recently.
however. II has yielded TO treatment, and
with Il has gone this motive for making
the western trip. In addition l have been
offered a class In elocutiOn at the Mount
Clement summer school. an opportunity
for OCCURRING SOM small reputation
which 1 feel that I should not miss.
Knowing full well that there are scores OF
worthy applicants for such an opening as
your board offers. ] I'm availing myself
Of a woman's privilege and changing my
mind. In other words, / withdraw my
application for the Twigcins school. Par
don my thus going into details. but you
have been so courteous. I may almost say
80 cordial. In you correspondence over the
matter, that l feel a full explanation IS
due you. Again expressing my apprecia-
zion Of your kindness. I remain, yours
faithfully, ELIZABETH HARDIN.
{ Dalton folded the letter, laid It re.
gretfully on the desk and sat with his
hands plunged deep IN his pockets.
There were no customers In the store
to interrupt his meditations. Even the
straight, uncompromising Main street
beyond the door was stepped in the
calm of the sweet spring day. Ranch
men were home blowing, and no wag.
ons rolled In noisily from mesa and riv-
er land. But Dalton was not worrying
nbout the lack of trade. He was think
ing Of the girl who had written that
Elizabeth Hardinl She had been rec
ommended to the board by an eastern
teachers agency. and Frank had been
instructed to conduct the correspond.
ence. From the very first letter he had
been interested in her personally. and
when the salary she named was be-
yond the appropriation made by the
board for Twigglns school he had
calmly announced that the district was
growing and needed better. teachers.
and II the board wouldn't pay Miss
Hardin the salary she wanted he
would make up the difference. The
children Of Twlggins Corners must be
given modern educational advantages.
And the remainder of the board. real
izlng that the male voters Of Twigglns
Corners were an uncertain element In
county elections. finally acquiesced,
and Miss Hardin was called" Dal-
ton, nervousiy lingering the bit Of gray
stationery. felt that fate had been cru
ell In thus requiting his temerity I'm CO.
ercing the members of school district
No. IL.
He walked out the side door and
mounted the steep stairs leading to the
second floor. Lately Dalton had been
figuring with Tompkins, the carpenter.
on building inside stairs, but somehow
this afternoon he did not care whe e
they ran. He entered the carpetless
hall and threw open the door to his
front ROOM" overlooking the street.
and stared silently at its familiar Grim
son, with just q dash OF olive green.
The woodwork was painted dark green,
and the carpet was red. Dalton had Sc
lected this much and n shiny oak organ
before his sister Mary had come out
from Massachusetts, to keep house for
him. But Mary had turned hOmesick
before the year rolled round and had
left Dalton to care for as best he might
the four rooms he had furnished so
proudly.
He looked at them now, wondering
vaguely what was wrong. A comfort
able Morris chair stood In II corner.
but the moths had eaten great holes IN
It's cushions. He could write his name
in the dust on the center table. With Its
old rose plush album. F%lyspecks
adorned the photographs he had
tackled on the wall. A sudden feeling
of desolation swept over the a
What did It matter that he held public
office. that he was always referred to
in the Sahuache Eagle as "our success
full young merchant or that at the
last fair Of Union church he had been
voted the most popular bachelor In La
drOne7 What mattered anything so
long as Elizabeth Hardin had declined
10 teach Twigglns Corners schOol3
The very next morning he said to
his head clerk:
Herman. do you reckon you could
handle this store II l went back east
next month? I haven't seen the old
folks for Eve years."
And Herman reckoned that he could.
The summer school at Mount Glenn
ent was in full sway when Dalton ar
rived. he took a room at the leading
hotel and then quietly started out on
his quest At the first newsstand he
plcked m a NOpy OF the Mount Glenn