Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-12-15

the window, with the young man with the
pompadour hair, is Mabel Margrave, whose
father you saw minute ago. She is look
ing this way with her lorgnette; but don't
finch; there's only the plain window glass
Of our rude western commerce in 1t; she
handles it awfully well, though"
"And the man coming in who looks like
statesman" asked Miss Marshall.
That's Wilkins, the boy orator of the
Range. He palpitates with Ciceronian
speech. He's our greatest authority on the
decentralization of wampum. The young
man who's talking to him is telling him
what hot stuff he is, and that the speech
he made at Tin Cup, Texas, last week on
the Inequalities Of Taxation is the warm
est little speech that has been made in this
country since Patrick Henry died He's a
good thing-NVillxins. The Indians back on
the reservation, where he goes to raise the
VOLTS mournful howl when white people
won't listen to him, call him Young-man-
not-afraid-of- his-voice. Our Chinaman calls
him Yung Lung. Quite a character, Will
kins."
handsome man, who must be an eminent
jurist?"
He does ones laundry" Raridan replied
land" looking at his cuffs critically, The
does 1t rather decently."
There's another side to this" said Saxton
to Miss Warren, while Raridan babbled on
to the pretty Virglnian. "These people have
had terribly hard time of 1t. They've been
through a panic that would have killed an
ordinary community; a good many Of the
incest Of them have had to begin over
again; and it's uphill work. 1t isn't so funny
when we consider that these older people
have tried their level best to make the will
derness blossom as the rose, and after they d
made fine beginning the desert repossessed
1t. There's something splendid In their
courage"
Yes. it's hard for us who live on the out
side to appreciate it. And they seem such
nice people, too
Don't they! They're big-hearted and
plucky and generous! Eastern people don
begin to appreciate the people who do their
rough work for them"
The other boxes and the gallery had filled,
and the main floor was crowded, save where
the broad aisle had been maintained down
the center from the front door to the stage.
A buzz of talk foated over the hall. The
band was silent while It's leader peered
down upon the floor waiting his signal He
turned suddenly and the trumpets broke
forth into the notes Of a dignffied march
All eyes turned to the front Of the hail.
where the knights, in their robes preceded
by the grand seneschal, bearing his staff of
office. We're emerging slowly from the outer
door into the aisle. When the stage was
reached, the procession formed in long lines
facing inward on the steps. making path
through which the governors, who were
distinguished by scarlet robes, came attend
ing the person of the king
"All hail the king! A crowd Of knights
in evening dress, who were honorary mem
bers of the organization and had no parts in
costume sent up the shout.
Hail to Mdas!'
isn't he noble and grand?' shouted Rari-
dan in Miss MarshalFs ear. A murmur ran
through the hall as Wheaton was recog-
nized; his name was passed to those who
did not know him. and everybody applaud
ed. He was really imposing in the robes of
his kingship. He walked with a fitting de-
liberation among his escort. He was con-
scious of the lights, the applause, the music
and of the fact that he was the center of it
ALL The cheers were subsding as the party
neared the throne.
'I'll wager he's badly frightened" said
Raridan to Saxton.
Don't you think It," declared Saxton, 'he
looks as cool as a cucumber"
"oh, he's cool enough" grumbled Rari-
dan.
You see what envy will do for a man."
remarked Saxton to Miss Marshall. .Mr,