The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1905-11-23

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MARIE MANNING,
Author of Lord dillingham;, Bankrupt

out charm to Peter. How long his
constancy would have survived the
test OF propinQuity to a woman Of Ju-
dlth Rodney's compelling personality,
other things being equal, it would be
difficult to hazard a guess. The COM
ing of Judith from the convent in
creased the perspective into which
Kitty was retreating. With the vivid
plainswoplan in the foreground, the
pale haired writer of verse dWindled
almost to "reminiscences. But the rev.
erence for the usual, that made up the
underlying motive for so much of Ham.
ilton's conduct, presented barriers
alongside of which his previous guam
dairy regarding Miss Colebrooke's sen.
iority shrank to insignifcance. He
might marry woman older than him.
self and swallow the grimace of it,
but by no conceivable system of argu-
ment could he persuade himself to
marry into family like that of the
Rodneys-the girl herself, for all her
beauty and rare womanliness, a quar-
ter Indian; her father the synonym
for obloQuy, her brother cattle thief
When Peter went east he had expect
ed to find Kitty Worn by the pursuit
of epithets, haunted by the phantom of
career, resigned to the sings and ar
rows of remorsefui spinsterhood. An
obvious regret, or, at least, resignation
tempered with remembrance, was the
unguent he anticipated at the hands of
Kitty. But alas for sanctuaries built
to refuge wounded pride! He found
Kitty the pivot of an adoring coterie,
the magazines flowing with the milk
and honey of her verse and she look
ing younger, if possible, than when he
had first known her.
The tan and hardship Of the prairie
had adjusted the blunder of their ages.
Stark conditions had overdrawn his
account perhaps decade; she retained
surplus it would be rude to estimate.
Her greeting Of him was radiant, her
welcome panoplied in words that
,verged close to inspiration. A woman
would have scented warning instantly,
deep feeling and the curled and per-
and sure to rouse those lightly slum-
bering watchdogs, the feminine wits.
But Peter only turned the other cheek.
A telegram recalled him to the ranch
and prevented final leave taking with
Miss COlebrOOke. He made his adieus
by letter, and they We're frankly re-
gretful. Miss Colebrooke's reply min
gled sorrow in parting from an old
friend with joy in having found him.
Her letter, masterpiece of phrase
spinning, presented to Peter the one
significant fact that she would not be
averse to the renewal Of his suit. In
reading her letter he made no allow
ance for the fact that the lady had
made a fine art of saying things and
that her joy and regret at their meet
ing and parting might have been rem
iniscent of the printed passion that
was so prominent a feature of maya
zinedom. Her letters-the like of them
ne had never seen outside printed vol
umes of letters that had achieved the
distinction of classics eliminated III
the one that Judith had given him thai
morning. announcing that unexpected
~ she had decided to join the Wetmore
girls and would be glad to see him at
the ranch.
That he had flown at her bidding Jul
dith knew. What she would least have
suspected was that Miss Colebrooke
had received her visitor as if his break
neck ride across the desert had been
in the nature of an afternoon call. If
Judith, knowing what she did of this
long drawn out romance, could have
known likewise Of her knights chagrin
would she have pitied him?
Ignorant of the recent anticlimax
and with a burden of many heavy
thoughts, Judith was penetrating q
world of unleavened desolation. Be-
meath the scourge of the monday sun
the desert lay stripped of every illu-
sion. Vegetation had almost ceased.
Nothing but sun scorched, dust chokeil
sagebrush could spring from such Ste
rility. The fruit of desolation, it gave
back to desolation quality more mel
ancholy than utter barrenness
The trail that she must take to Jim's
camp in the mountain was known to
but few honest men. Fugitives from
justice-the grave, impersonal justice
Of the law or the swift justice of the
plains found there an asylum. And,
while they sometimes suffered in dea til
by thirst or hunger a sentence more
dreadful than the law of the land or
the law of the rope would have given
them, the desert, like the sea. seldom
gave up her own. It was more than
probable that no woman except Aida
Rodney had ever taken that trail be-
fore and reasonably certain that no
woman had ever taken it alone. Dolly.
When she saw the beds of alkali grow
more frequent and that the trails of
the range cattle turned back, shifted
the lack of water in the air, slackened
her pace and turned an interrogatory
ear toward her mistress.
tits all right, old girl.' The gaunt-
leted hand patted the satin neck.
Were in for"-Judith flung her head