The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1907-07-24
Two on a Tour
By TROY ALLISON.
copyrighted, 1897. by Mary MeIleon.

monument feaened TIE ground after lis
solemnly slow descent of tWeutN min
uteS, ana Rhoda Jamison, feeling some
wllat overawed by the world as seen
from the top of the monument, sat
down on bench near the elevator
door She needed II few minutes 10 re
adjust her thoughts and TO plan for
the lest of the day.
lthoda had saved every possible pen
ny from her salary during the school
trip aud had determined Ia crowd ms
much sightseeing into her ten days as
any other Washington tourist h.td
ever done
She had spent hours with the visit
in; Hillnler in her town planning ev
OF, drtttl Of the time and liad finally
rectlN 10 the quiet lodgings she had
recommended The milliner had, how
ever, forgotten 10 take into considera-
ton thu fact that the girl had never
Ways and had therefore failed to pre-
pare her for the feeling OF desolation
and loneliness that grew more and more
oppressive every minute
The Congressional library had sat
islied her love of elegance. the capitol
old friends from the pictures In the
geography and history from which she
had taught for months, but In her
CLASSES she had been the personality
Here she seemed to dNindle into moth
lngness. and the things that had been
her oppressiyely, and she WAS over
come by her lttlencSs and her ioneli
ness and longed for some one to speak
Ia her with II hint of friendly interest.
The big hroad shoudcrcd man sit
ting on the other end of the bench she
had seen walking down the steps Of
the monument, He had evidently felt
SO secure In las superb physical
strength that lac walked down to ex-
anime more closely the Inscriptions on
the stones that could not be studied so
we'll from the elevator
She saw him take fountain pen
from his pocket, adjust il and finally
SORT package Of souvenir post cards
and begin writing industriously
She remembered the package she hud
bought to seud her pupils, 50 she took
her own pen from her hand bag and
commenced raekiug her brain for little
things 70 write that would amuse them.
The postal she liked best of all, II
daintily celored view of the monument
itself, she addressed To her mother.
Across II she wrote. ITS SO very big.
and feel So little and So lonely"
She leaned forward TO hirt bit Of
dust from the tip Of her pen. and II
lap and left II lying Mt the big mans
feet.
He saW IT there and. thinking he had
dropped one of his own. STOPPED and
picked II up, reading II leisurely.
81 feel so little and lonely" he read,
and, surprised turned to meet the
flushed face of the girl
ITS mine" she said, holding out her
hand for IT,
"Do YOU feel that way, toof' he ask
cd eagerly. chats me cXactly."'
Il shouldn't have called YOU really
little. she answered with the frank
fricndlness Of u girl who had never
met with circumstance that would
cause her 10 be suspicious of humanity
Il reckon you are pfciring 10 the first
part of the sentence. 1t is SO big
would really seem more suitable"
That's right" he laughed, looking at
the postal but That Just proves that
can hold more loneliness than you, for
! am feeling lonely from the soles OF
my feet to the top of my new felt hat
TINT bought iii Carson city to see the
sights of Washington In"
AT least You are farther from home
than ! I'm from South Carolina" she
chatted three days abstinence from
conversation having left her with n
surplus on hand
81 WAS Just sending some Of these
things to the boys" he said "They
VIII tickle 'em Immensely 10 get these
pictures Of civilization You see, We
had been ont there for two years dig
cling AWAY for gold without any sue
cess, and lust MS we'd fallen into n fit
Of gloom and shortage in grub, why,
we struck II rich =
How lovely Did YOU find 1t In
chunks" Her eyes spanked like n
child's
THAT'S about the size OF It," he
laughed. with whole souled hearth
ness he hadn't experienced for days.
we sure found 1t in large sized pieces,
and just thought I'd take vacation
10 see the world. I've never been east
before"
do you like itT' She failed to put
as much doubt as to the charms OF
Washington III her tone as she might
have put half an hour earlier.
I've been about the loneliest person
the dome ever Swallowed. ! could get
on very well in the daytime, but I've
wanted to sit round the fire at night
and talk It over with the boys How
long are you going to stayY' he asked
eagerly.
Ten days. I've been here three"
His face heightened visibly
"l'll be here a whole month" he
added do.cfully "Why don't you stay
longer"
You see | haven't struck 1t rich In
huge chunks The trustees Of my
school are rather n parsimonious lot"
Il don't know much about eastern
etiquette, but wonder II II wouldn't
be tolerably proper for us to do some
together this afternoon"
he said with a touch of boyish shyness.
Il WONDER She said slowly
The joy of c0mpanionshlp settled the
question for them. and he called at her
boarding house morning after morning,
guidebook in hand the plan for the
day already laid out.
They had left the trip to Arlington
for the last afternoon Of her stay, and
they wandered through the grounds.
more beautiful than ever In the4' early