Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1904-09-02

Long years after, when he was a
man playing a mans part in the world,
the old desire suddenly seized him to
return to that place. The hotel was
still there, very modern in every way,
but somehow he felt bored and missed
an Intangible something which he had
imagined he would find. He stood it
for a week, then the quiet became in
tolerable. He resolved to leave the
place. That day she came.
He knew it was fate from the very
first. He was not ordinarily inclined
to be shy, but he felt like a raw school
boy in her presence.
She had many friends at the hotel,
but he managed by sheer persistence
to monopolize a good share of her time.
He could not tell whether he was
m"b'ng any Roadway or not. She was
friendly but very elusive, and the time
had come when he must go back to
his work, for there were obligations
which he could not ignore.
He lured her out that morning for a
row, with the promise of a lovely spot
which she had never seen. He was un-
usually silent and she leaned back in
her corner Of the boat watching him
with speculative eyes. Apparently he
was searching for some particular
nook. At length his quesl appeared
ended, for he drew the boat carefully
to the shore and held out his hand to
her. Then they wandered over a wood
edy knoll nearby. This is the place,
l am sure" he said at last. Il have
seen it often in my dreams, and here
is just where the end rested"
She stared at him in mild surprise.
No, l am not out of mind,' he as
sured her, Il wanted to tell you a
story, and l had an u~naccountable fan
cy for telling it to you in this spot.
VIII you hear it?"
rs it interesting? Does it commence
Once upon a timer"
"Of course it does. 1t would be an
exceedingly poor story if it didn't. l
hope" and the mans face grew very
earnest, that you will be interested in
the poor little story-but-I cannot be
SURE
Once upon a time when the world
was nearly two decades younger than
it Is now, a boy and girl started from
the hotel down in that valley to find a
pot of gold at the end of a rainbow
at least the boy, who must have been
a very mercenary creature, was think
ing only Of the gold, but the girl was
much more poetic, for she cared MOTH
ing at all for the gold. She only wished
to see more closely that wonder of
mist and light which held and en-
thralled her fancy. They got lost; OF
course, that was a foregone conclu-
sion, you know, and they were only
discovered and saved by a kindly mir
acle OF fate. The girl was a genuine
brick, though, and never tainted the
boy with his rashness and w%ickedness
In leading her into such peril. The
boy should have known better, you
see, for he was considerably older, but
he was always a good bit of a fool.
lie did not find the end of the rain
bow, but for years he dreamed of it,
and In some mysterious way he came
to fancy that the treasure was not
gold after all, MS his nurse had told
him, but that it was something Inf
nitely more precious than gold. He
was never quite sure what the mystic
rious treasure might be, but he knew
that when he was a man he must seek
1t here-just on this very spot, for It
was here that the rainbow seemed to
end as the children looked I'D to It
from the valley below-just here by
this little hill"
There was a silence. Her face was
turned quite away. The man looked at
her keenly and then went on with his
story in a low voice which, perhaps.
shook just a trife.
"And so-and so-he came here RI.
day. He knows now what the treasure
10 at the end Of the rainbow, A wom.