Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1902-09-13
i 49, ~ <l(
j WHEN DALTON e
4 + WENT EAST i
VI By JAMES ALLISON III
e Copyright. 1901, by A. :. Richardson n
BY JAMES ALLISON
Copyright, 1901, by A. :. Richardson

chascs in the daybook and then went
back to his desk and the letter.
He drew it from the pigeonhole OF
Imitation walnut and turned it slowly
from side to side as if he were trying
10 match the pale gray tint from his
kcant ribbon stock. He looked curious
ly at the deeper gray scaling WAX. He
was always very careful not to break
the seal when ne opened her letters.
He liked to study the stately III"
which hid what she said to him from
the bustling impcrtinent world.
Not that he had received many such
missivcs. There were just four in all.
and he knew them by heart. He read
this last one slowly and for the third
time:
Frank Dalton. ESD. President School
Board District No. II:
Sahuache County, Colo.
Dear Sir-P"plyng to your favor of the
2Sd. stating that your board had acted fa-
voraby on my application for the Twig-
gins school and would allow the salary
which l asked, permit me to say that l
feel that owe you many apologies The
most urgent reason for my desiring to Sc
cure Il position tnlS summer Ill tolOTHuO
was an incipient throat trouble which has
annoyed me for the past year. Recently,
however. it has yielded to treatment. and
with it 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 acquiring some small reputation
which l feel that l should not miss.
Knowing full well that there are scores Of
worthy applicants for such an opening as
your board offers. | am avaiing myself
of woman's privilege and changing my
mind. In other words, i withdraw my
application for the TwigGins school Par
don my thus going into details but you
have been SO courteous. ] may almost say
so cordial in your correspondence over the
matter that | feel a full explanation is
due you. Again expressing my apprecia-
tion of your kindness. remain. yours
faithfully ELIZABETH HARDIN.
Dalton folded the letter. laid it re-
grctfully on the desk and sat with his
hands plunged deep In his pockets.
There were no customers in the store
to interrupt his mcditntions. Even the
straight. uncompromising Main street
beyond the door was STEPPED In the
calm of the sweet spring day. Ranch
men were home plowing. and no wag
Ons rolled in noisily from mesa and riv-
or land. But Dalton was not worrying
about the lack of trade. He was think
ing of the girl who had written that
letter.
Elizabeth Hardin! She had been rec,
commended to the board by an eastern
teachers agency, and Frank had been
instructed to conduct the correspond
encc. From the very first letter he had
been interested in her personally. and
when the salary she named was b"
yOnd the appropriation made by the
board for Twiggins 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
given modern educational advantages.
And the remainder of the board. real
izing that the male voters of Twiggins
Corners were an uncertain element In
county elections. finally acquirsccd.
and Miss Hardin was "callcd." Dal-
ton, nervously lingering the bit of gray
stationery. felt that fate had been cru
cl In thus requiting his tcmcrity in CO.
crcing the members of school district
No. II.
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.
this afternoon he did not care where
they ran. He entered the carpetlcsS
hall and threw open the door to his
front rOOm." overlooking the street.
and stared silently at It's familiar Grim,
son. with just a dash of olive green.
The woodwork was painted dark green.
and the carpet was red Dalton had Sc
lected this much and 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
nblc Morris chair stood in one corner.
but the moths had eaten great holes in
its cushions. He could write his name
IN the dust on the center table. with its
old rose plush album. Flyspecks
pd"rncd the photographs he had
tackled on the wall. \ sudden feeling
of dcSolatiOn swept over the man.
What did it matter that he held public
S'licc. that he was always referred to
b, the Sahuache Eagle as "our success
ful young merchant" or that mt the
last fair OF Union church he had been
votcd the most popular bachelor In La
drOne! What mattercd anything so
long as Elizabeth Hardin had declined
to teach Twiggins Corners school?
The very next morning he said to
his head clerk:
"IIcrman. do YOU reckon yOu could
handle this store If | went back east
next month! haven't seen the old
folks for five years"
And Herman rcckoned that he could.
The summer school at Mount Glenn
ont WAS In full sway when Dalton ar
rived He took room at the leading
hotel and then quietly started out on
his quest At the first newsstand nc
picked up Il copy of the Mount Glenn
cnt Educator, devoted to the interests
of the summer school. The frontispicce
WAS the picture of Il tail. willowy girl.
dressed in a sweeping evening gown.