Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1906-04-13


for him, he's so grateful and so ODE
dent. lie says just the right thing al
WAYS. There must be good breeding
back of the man, although he never
mentions his family. There's some love
affair To account for his being here.
He's too handsome not to have had en-
tanglements. Don't you-think SOP
"ue insisted not" replied Ann. "He
begged ne to consider that his life had
been quite commonplace"
81 don't believe It. He couldn't be
commonplace. He said to me just now,
Sometimes a man must hear the wash
of tbe river Of death to realize how flu
tile he has allowed his life to become
His gratitude toward you is pathetic"
Ann frowned. Its worse; it's OPP
pressive. / did so little, and that little
was not done with q gracious spirit. /
didn't enjoy it then nor in retrospect"
You mustn't let him know that. His
worship of you positively irradiates his
face, and he's very handsome. He in
sists that you were heroic"
Ann grew little petulant. Il wish
you wouldn't try to make mountains
out of molehills. 1t was a most I'M
pleasant experience, and | wish to for
get it, not to have it dinned i'll my ears
forever My going was folly, and my
stay in that CHASTITY place was tor
ment. Please allow me to put it out of
my memory"
Ann had moment Of bitter home
sickness, feeling she had never known
before. This mad trip into the west
with a reckless and supersensitive boy
grew each moment more disastrous. AT
the moment she fairly hated her cous-
ms and all the guests at their table and
longed, with unspeakable hunger, for
tie roll of carriages on Fifth avenue
and the glitty and tumult of Broad
way. The stony, uninterested stare of
her mother was better than this pry-
ing, this overstrained interest on the
part of Jeanette.
AS for Raymond, he had been mo-
mentarily interesting as a cowboy, and
when he was lying at the brink OF the
grave he had assumed tragic value, but
now that he was on the way to recOv-
cry he ceased to interest. "He Is mere
~ one of the thousands of other COM
monplace young eastern men who have
tried their fortunes in the west and
failed" she said. "Why should l be
burdened with any further care of
him."
At dinner Don told again for the for
tieth time the story of Raymonds
shooting and in spite of AIMS protests
put her in as the heroine, which reinfu-
rated her almost to the point of leav-
ing the table. The "Ah's!' and Dear
mc'sr and "By Jove's!' vOlleying from
the listeners were quite insupportable.
One lazy said, Poor fellow"
mot at ALL" said DR.. Braide. "He
was lucky dog. I'd be shot any day
to get such nurse"
Jeanette saw the angry flush on
AIMS face and hastily turned the con-
vcrsation into less personal channels.
Thus .Yery influence swept her to-
ward a dislike Of the wounded mans
very name. and thereafter she ignored
his presence in the house, his being in
the world, as though he did not exist.
She neither asked after his health nor
replied to any report or question made
by her brother concerning him.
Louis brought to Raymond one day
q small limp book in red leather, which
he proirered with the air of giving a
gem.
whats this? asked Raymond.
"Your diary?"
mo: my fathers He was out here
before | was born, when the Indians
were here"
Raymond opened the volume with
languid interest, but soon realized that
he was looking into the past through
the eyes Of poet. Part of it was writ
ten in ink very legibly, but in fine
running hand, while other Of the pages
We're hastily scrubbed in pencil and
not to he easily deciphered. Plainly the
record had been made under great dis
advantages and in the field. The inks
were Of various colors, some watery
blue, some dusty black.
Louis opened the book at the front,
wherein the picture Of slender, smil-
Ing, handsome young fellow in SOM
brero and hunting clothes had been
pasted.
"He enjoyed his new hat, didn't he?"
said Raymond, to whom the essential
incongruity of the refined face and bor-
der ruftian toggery first appealed.
you're the image Of your fatherT he
added, looking keenly at the boy. "He
don't look much older in this picture,
taken at Sylvanite. Well, Sylvanite was
a wild town in those days. Is there
much about it in the book|
''Ten pages. He wrote a page of
fine script every day, but I don't care
SO much for that-these stage rides,
and the big canyons, and crossing the
rivers, and the Indians-he saw lots OF
Indians-the Utes-these are what in
terest me-"
Raymond became profoundly inter-
ested In this book There was an ap-
peal in the closing entry which touched
him profoundly. The entry was head
ed "The Last View" and closed with
these words: II love my home and my
friends in the east, but this primeval
world has laid its spell upon me. l
shall come again next year"
Ibid he come again?" asked Ray
mOnd.