The White Pine news. [volume] (Treasure City, Nev.) 1868-1906, 1903-12-17

| reached his friend James Payson's
lodge the first thing he said was: Jim,
In the name of all that's lovely, who
is your sunbonneted neighbor with a
voice like a bubbllng spring and eyes
like those OF the girls in old Her
rick's poemsr'
Jim Payson laughed. You must
have run across old Cheney's daughter.
lie has 400 or 800 rocky acres with a
little house on them. Mary Is his only
daughter, and he put her through Vas
sar and made quite lady Of her. She
is beauty and no mistake. Hit you
first time, eh, old manp
Schuyler colored little and said:
well, not exactly hit. Jim. l must
not be hit, you know. but the girl Is
attractive and no mistake"
That evening Jim Payson asked his
guest II he wouldn't like to go over
and call on old Cheney. There was no
hesltancy in falling In with the pro
posal. They found old Cheney on the
porch smoking his pipe. He was a
white-halred old fellow OF the farmer
type, and while he admitted 1t was
hard wrlnging crops from the stony
Catskill slope, vet he said he wouldn't
give up his h.oa-tainside with its air
and scenery for the best valley land on
the continent. Then George Schuyler
met Mary Cheney. James Payson did
the introducing. Schuyler found his
mountain flower all that he had ex-
pected from the glimpse that he had
caught of its beauty In the morning.
The girl was refinement itself, and as
Schuyler looked at the old fellow
sitting In the porch corner putting
contentedly at his corncob pipe lie
wondered how this slip could have
come from such a parent stem.
Well, it's better to make II short,
George Schuyler stayed a week and
then fingered for two more. He wrote
to New York that he was enjoying the
fishing. SO he was for about an hour
every morning. One day he brought
himself up with round turn. He
thought Of his duty TO Helen CAME
WORT.
He knew In his heart that Ee loved
this girl of the mountainside who had
voice like one Of the veeries that
sing every day at sunset.
That night he went to Mary Cheney
and told her all. He knew somehow
that the girl had grown to love him
as he had grown to love her. They
stood on the porch looking down onto
the far-off valley. 1t was twilight and
the veerles and the vesper sparrows
were singing everywhere. He told
ner OF his childhood engagement to
Helen Ganzevoort. II have not seen
her since she was IL years DID," he
said. "She cares nothing for me; she
cannot. She doesn't even know me.
The whole thing was a bit OF parental
foolishness. but nevertheless there Is
the question of my duty. / shall leave
for New York the day after tomorrow.
| will see Helen, and upon what she
says and does depends all. | may
have done wrong, Mary, In lingering
here, but l loved you, and let that
fact plead for me-" He left her stand
ing there just as the last bird voices
of the day were hushed and the whip
poorwill took up his nightly chant.
Two days later George Schuyler
stood In a Fifth avenue dra wing-r room
waiting for the coming of Helen
Ganzevoort. The lights were bright.
On the wall hung a picture OF Helen
as he had last known her nine years
before as a child. The eyes seemed
to look at him reproachfully.
There was light step behind him.
He turned quickly. For moment
he felt frozen, then the blood went
through him like torrent. In front
of him In evening dress stood the girl
whom but As hours before he had left
on the mountainside. Mary" he said.
Something like a smile came into the
girls face. Not Mary, George" she
said, but Helen" George Schuyler's
mind was befogged. Il don't under
stand" he stammered.
IT'S easily understood, George" she
laughed. You didn't suppose for
moment, did you, that l wished to
marry a man l never had seen and
who | knew was to marry me from
sheer force of duty? Your mother
told me you were going TO stop at the
Beaverkill to fish, and Mr. Payson,
who is an old family friend. and Giles,
who is an old family servant, and who,
by the way, made a good farmer, did
the rest"
Helen, what do you think Of me 2"
II think. George, that you fell In
love with me for what am, and
smillng-"I think l shall have to take
you for what you are."-Chicago Rec
ord II erald.