The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-11-30

ing her to a place on the cushions. ana
repeating his regrets that the men were
not coming also, Hope started the launch,
with a brisk ringing Of bells and a whirl
of the wheel and a smile over her shoulder
at the figures on the wharf.
"Why didn't you go?' said Clay: "you
have no business at the Custom-house."
Neither have you." said MacWilliams.
"But 1 guess we both understand. There's
no good pushing your luck too far"
What do you mean by that-this time"
why, what have we to do with all OF
this?" cried MacWilliams. TITS h 1
keep telling you every day. We're rot in
that class, and you're only making 1t hard
er for yourself when they've gone. I cali
It cruelty to animals myself. having women
like that around. Up North. where every
body's white, you don't notice it so much.
but down here-Lord!'
That's absurd" Clay answered. "Why
should you turn your bach on civilization
when It comes to you just because you're
not going back to civilization by the ext
steamer? Every person you meet either
helps you or hurts you. Those girls help
us. even If they do make the life here
seem bare n mean"
Bare and meant" repeated MacWilliams
incredulously. II think that's just what
they don't do. / like it all the better be-
cause they've mixed up In 1t. I never took
so much interest in your mines until she
took to riding over them, and I didn't think
great shakes of my old ore road. either. but
now that she's got to acting as engineer,
it's sort of nickel-plated the whole outfit.
I'm going to name the new engine after
her-when 1t gets here-if her old man will
let me-"
What do you mean? Miss Langham
hasn't been to the mines but once. has
she?"
Miss Langham!" exclaimed Macwiuiams.
ssNn r,a,p Tho nthor Mice uono Che
comes out with Ted nearly every day now.
and she's learning how to run a locomo-
tive. Just for fun, you know" he added.
reassuringly.
II didn't suppose she had any attention
of joining the Brotherhood" said Clay.
so she's been out every day, has she?
1 like that he commented. enthusiastically.
She's q fine, sweet girl"
Fine, sweet girl" growled MacWilliams
81 should hope SO. She's the best. They
don't make them any better than that,
and just think, II she's like that now, what
will she be when she's grown up, when
she's learned a few things? Now her sister.
You can see just h her sister will be at
thirty, and at fifty, and at eighty. She's
thoroughbred and she's the most beautiful
woman to look at I ever saw-but, my SON.
she is too careful. She hasn't any illusions,
n no sense of humor. And a woman with
no illusions and no sense Of hnmor is CO.
ing to be monotonous. You can't teach her
anything. You can't imagine yourself tell
ing her anything she doesn't know. The
things we think important don't reach her
at all. They're not in her line, and in
everything else she knows more than We
could ever guess at But that Miss Hope!
It's a privilege to show her about. She
wants to see everything. and learn every
thing. and she goes poking her head into
openings and Town shafts like a little fox
terrier. And she'll sit still and listen with
her eyes wide open and tears In them too.
n she doesn't know it-until o can't
talk yourself for just looking At her."
Clay rose and now on to the house
in silence. He was glad that MacWilllams
had interrupted him when he did. He won
dered whether he understood Alice Langham
after all.
h had seen many fine ladies before dur
ing his brief visits to London. and Berlin,
and Vienna, and they had shown him favor.