The Washington herald., 1906-11-04

" "A ~ n - u ~ y = ~ ~ "a ~
lit him. Then the reso,ute little frown
came over her face again and she went on
/ As ! said, Idaho is good state. / IKE it vhen
am here. aud l Ike it al the better when
come back to IT, Gods people i've IN these kocE5
! Mountain States, and that is reason Why am
/ 90 rei-hot 70 have your uncle James elected he
IS ore of Gods people. too and they have pesef
set asd man Of ours sitting IN the White House
/ down there at Washington and bossng the JOG
/ ] thil / maybe he viii teach them new trick or
] two Ia running the old ship Of state But sy'la
l Az not thinking 50 much even OF pln - am u
I you. know that 7 am a good ceal older than
/ you, as people court years. but ] can tuiy say
that my heart is young and ] think that ! WI
be husky chap for good ions time 10 come.
fOu knew ! Tc had you neariy al yeW llte syhA-
and We have the advantage Of knowing eagD othfr'
Yeu are on 70 all my curVes-that IS. lou don't
have to get married 10 me % iearn my fzliinss
! ! gIess haven't the polish that these Eastefa
! fellows pat on. or tlat "a put on them. bnt
out here in the mountains ! amount 10 somebody
you u;st iet ne brag a little. Sylgia-and If man
! doesn't bow pretty loE TO Mrs. NuiPm Pltunner
/ IN have TO get out my old sixslooteT-i maven
carried one nyW for len years-and shoot al the
lair CT the top Of his head
He thinks he's joking but I believe he
would do It. Dear old daddy" muTmured
Sylvia.
think you ought % become Mrs PlunIner nos.
/ Sylvia hat guess I'M willing 10 wait until tbs
campaign Is over. For one oagat % be willing
/ to wait. Il by waiting be can get such cd
/ thing Stul ] bate 10 think Of you away on
/ there in the East 50 many thousands q miios
sway frnG me where there no friendly I'D
FOUNTAINS % looE down on You and watch oyer
yon. and I'm glad that my little girl is com ns
West aGaiu sOqr TT tTy 10 get dowu part Of The
way. say 10 Nebrasla or Kansas. 70 meet you
feel safer wher have you close by. then. II su5 Of
I Nerrr- Cen f.~sfI HawaH
you and away with you, my old siz-5h9Cter
nilsL; have word 10 say.
The sudden flush rose 70 her cheeks at
this new joke but she murnured nothing.
The rest of the letter was about people
whom they knew iu Boise and elsewhere
in Idaho, and IL lose5:
Don't think n growing gushing a. my azs,
| Nyhta. but tdEhc enc as She B.. isu Z near CON
nlete without yoa AMI this is wig I want yoa
back IN &c inst as sooa as yOu c0Ie-
Yours. lovingly WILLIAM PLUAfNER.
She folded tie letter carefully and put it
back in The envelope. Then she sat for
long time, and her look was one of
mingled tenderness and sadness. Her
mind, too, ran back into the past, and she
had a dim vision of the little child who
was herself borne away oa his saddle
/ horn by the str ng mou7tai7eer. who bed
hcr safely in the hollow OF his arm. And
then the years followed, and she always
looked 10 tho mOuntdmeer for protection
anG the love that was never wanting, but
/ il was always the protection and love OF
1 1re Older and stronger Than herself. one
who belonged to the generation preceding
/ her own.
Mr.. Graysop. Harley. and the others
/ were gone, and she heard no voices in the
/ next Tarlor, She realized with sudden
: ness how strongly and IN how brief a
/ time this little group, travelling through
vast country. had become welded together
/ by the very circumstances Of their travel
! the comradeship OF the rOad-and she
1 sighed. She and Mrs, Grayson were
about to leave them and return 10 the
I Grayson home in the West because
women 10 matter how nearly related,
could not b. taken all the way on an
arduous campaign Of six months. She
I had enjoyed this life, which was almost
I the life OF a Soldier-thc crowds. the en-
/ thUsiasIn. the Turmur, then the cheers
OF thousands OF voices. the flight on swift
/ trains from one city 10 another. the dash
Tor the station sometimes before daylight
and all the freshness and keeuuess OF
youth about her Sne had afnllated. she
! had become one Of the group. and now
that she was 10 leave il for q while she
i-l,i deep sense Of loss.
There was step beside her. and Mrs
Grayson. the quiet, the Iactful and the
cbservant entered.
Why Sylvia" she said you arc sit
ting in the dark
She touched the button. turned on the
electric lights. aud noticed the letter living
ia the girls hand. Her glance passed
swiftly 10 Sylvia face and as swiftly
passed away. She knew insfinctively the
writer Of the letter. but she said uoth-
ing. waiting for sylvia herself to speak
II have a letter from Mr.. Plummer,"
said Sylvia,
What does be say?
Not much besides his arrival at Boise
just some fOolisEuess of his; you kntT
how lie loves TO jest."
Yes. / have long known that" said
Mrs. GTays0n, but she noticed that Sylvia
made 10 offer 10 show the letter Hitherto
the letters OF King Plummer had been
read by all the Graysons as a matter Of
course. just as one shares Interesting
news
He is a good man. ard he viii be
good husband said Mrs. Grayson. she
was for the moment ruthless with a pur-
pose, and when she said the word, al
though affecting not to watch. she saw
the girl finch-ever 50 little, but still she
finched
The best man in the world. repeated
Sylvia Morgan. softly.
And yet there are other good men.
SAID Mrs. Grayson. quietly. "One good
man does not exclude the existence Of an
other"
Sylvia looked up at her. but she failed
70 take her meaning. Her quiet aunt
sometimes spoke in parallels. and waited
for events TO disclose her meaning.
Mrs. Grayson and Miss Morgan were
TO leave for the West the next afternoon,
and shortly before their departure Harley
came to tell them q temporary goOd-by
Sylvia and he chanced to be alone for
| little while, and she genuinely lamented
her departure-they had become franker
| friends in these later days
I do not see why women cannot so
through a political campaign from be
ginning to end" she said; I'm sure We
can help Uncle James, and there will be.
too, so many interesting things 30 see. It
will be like a war without the wounds
and death. I don't want 10 miss any
of it."
I half agree with you said Harley,
smiling, ''and I know that it would be
great deal nicer for the rest Of US II you
and Mrs Grayson could go along"
He paused, and he had a sudden bold
thought
If anything specially interesting hap
pens that the newspa pers don't tell about.
will you let me write sou an account of
it2' he asked i should really like TO
tell you A"
She flushed ever so little, but she was
of the free-and-open West, and Harley
always gave her the impression Of cour-
teous strength-he would take no liber-
ties.
You can write" she said, briefly, and
then she Immediately regretted her de
fEN fbruCts Of