Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-06-02

|
of life. but still straight and vigorous.
| His lean face was leather brown in
contrast to long mustache and heavy
/ eyebrows bleached nearly white, his
! eyes were clear, steady blue and his
| frame was slender, but wiry. He wore
the regulation mackinaw blanket coat,
peaked cap with an extraordinary
high crown and buckskin moccasins
over long stockings.
| The other was younger, not more
than twenty-six perhaps. with the clean
cut, regular features we have come to
consider typicalIy American. Eye
brows that curved far down along the
temples and eyelashes of darkness in
| contrast to the prevailing note of his
complexion combined to lend him q
| rather brooding, soft and melancholy
air which very cursory second ex-
animation showed to be fictitious. His
| eyes, like the woodmans, were steady,
but inquiring. His jaw was square and
settled, his mouth straight. Unlike the
other inmates of the car he wore an
ordinary business suit somewhat worn,
! but of good cut and style that showed
even over the soft flannel shirt. The
| trousers were, however, bound inside
| the usual socks and rubbers.
The two seat mates had occupied
| their time each in his own fashion. The
| elder stared straight before him and
| spat with certain perfodicity into the
| center of the aisle. The younger
stretched back lazily in an attitdue of
ease. Sometimes he smoked pipe.
| Thrice he read over a letter. 1t was
from his sister and announced her ar
| rival mt the little rural village in which
he had made arrangements for her to
stay. ut is interesting now" she
wrote, though the resources do not
look as though they would wear well.
l am learning under Mrs. Renwick to
sweep and dust and bake and stew and
do multitude of other things which
always vaguely supposed came ready
made. like it, but after have learn
ed it all do not believe the practice
will appeal to me much. However,
can stand it well enough for a year or
two or three, for am young, and then
You will have made your everlasting
i fortune, Of course"
"She's trump" said Thorpe to him
self, land she shall have her everlast.
ing fortune If there's such thing in
the country"
He jingled the $500 in his pocket and
smiled. That was the extent of his ev-
erlasting fortune at present.
The letter had been answered from
Detroit.
81 am glad you are settled" he wrote.
"At least know you have enough to
cerely that you will do your best to fit
yourself to your new conditions.
know 1t is hard, but with my lack OF
experience and my ignorance as to
where to take hold it may be good
many years before we can do any
better"
When Helen Thorpe read this she
cried. Things had gone wrong that
morning. and an encouraging word
would have helped her. The somber
tone OF her brothers communication
threw her into at Of the blues from
which for the first time she saw her
surroundings in depressing and dis
tasteful light. And yet he had writ
ten as he did with the kindest possible
motives.
Thorpe had the misfortune to be one
Of those individuals who, though care
less of what people in general may
think Of them, are in a corresponding
degree sensitive to the opinion of the
few they love. This feeling was fur
ther exaggerated by a constitutional
shrinking from any outward nantes
tatioA Of the emotions Perhaps for
this reason he was never entirely sin
cere with those he loved.
After the disgrace Of his father Har-
~ Thorpe had done a great deal OF
thinking and planning which he kept
carefully to himself. he considered
In turn the different occupations to
which he could turn his hand and neg
atiyed them one by one. Few business
firms would care to employ the son OF
as shrewd an embezzier as Henry,
Thorpe. Finally he came to decision.
He communicated this decision to his
sister. 1t would have commended it.
self more logically to her had she been
able to follow step by step the consid-
GRAFTON that had led her brother to it.
AS the event turned, she was forced to
accept it blindly. She knew that her
brother intended going west, but as to
his hopes and plans she was in igno-
rance. A little sympathy, little mu-
tual understanding, would have meant
great deal to her, for girl whose
mother she but dimly remembers turns
naturally to her next of kin. Helen
Thorpe had always admired her BROTH
er. but had never before needed him.
She had looked upon him as strong,
self contained, little moody.
AT the beginning Of the row in the
smoking car Thorpe laid aside his let
ter and watched with keen apprecia-
ton the direct practically Of the train
mems method. When the bearded man
fell before the conductors blow, he
turned to the individual at his side.
HE knows how to hit, doesn't he?"
he observed. THAT fellow was knock
ed well off his feet"
HE does" agreed the other dryly.
They fell into a desultory CONVERSE
ton Of fits and starts. Woodsmen Of
the genuine sort are never talkatiye,