The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-07-15
Two on a Tour
BY TROY ALISON.
Copyrighted. 1900, by Mary McKeon.
BY TROY ALLISON.

Vne elevator OF the washington
monument reached the ground after its
solemnly slow descent OF twenty min
utes. and Rhoda JamIson. feeling some
what oyerawed by the world as seen
from the top OF the monument. sat
down on a bench near the elevator
door. She needed few minutes TO re-
adjust her thoughts and to plan for
the rest OF the day.
Rhoda had saved every possible pen.
ny from her salary during the school
term 10 order to take this washington
"trip and had determined to crowd as
much sightseeing Into her ten days rs
any other Washington tourist had
ever done.
She had spent hours with the visit
ing millIner in her town planning ev.
cry detail OF the time and had finally
arrived in the city and taken cab d.
rectly to the quiet lodgings she had
recommended. The milIiner had, how
ever, forgotten to take into considera-
ton the fact that the girl had never
been accustomd to city and TO city
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
Istied her love OF elegance. the capitol
aud the White House had seemd like
old friends from the pictures In the
geography and history from which she
had taught for months htt IL her
classes she had been the personality.
Here she seemed To dwindlc into moth
Ingness, AID the things that had been
mere ideas aud pictures lowered over
her OppreSSi:ely. and she was over
come by her littieness and her lonelI-
ness and longcd for some one to speak
TO her With hint of friendly interest.
The big. broad shouldered man sit
ting on the other end of the bench she
had seen walking down the steps of
the monument He had evidently felt
strength that he walked down to ex-
anime more closely the Inscriptions on
the stones that could not be studied so
well from the elevator
She saw him take n fountain pen
from his pocket. adjust 1t aud finally
sort package OF souvenir post cards
and begin writing industriously.
She remembered the package she had
bought To send her pupils. so she took
her own pen from her hand bag and
commenced racking her brain for little
things to write that would amuse them.
The postal she liked best of all.
daintily colOrcd virw of the monument
itself. she addressed to her mother.
Across it she wrote ITS so very big.
and feel SO little and so lonely"
She leaned forward to ffrt a bit Of
dust from the tip of her pen. and
whiff of air blew the postal from her
lap and left it lying ut the big mans
feet.
He saw 1t there and, thinking he had
dropped one of his own. stopped and
picked it up. reading it leisurely.
81 feel so little and lonely" he read.
and. surprised. turned to meet the
flushed face of the girl.
Its NINE" she said, holding out her
hand for 1t.
do you feel that way. too?' he ask
ed eagerly. That's me exactly"
II shouldn't have called you really
1ittle.'" she answered, with the frank
friendliness OF girl who had never
met with a circumstance that would
cause her to be suspicious OF humanity
"I reckon you are referring to the first
part of the sentence. 1t Is so big
would really seem more suitable"
That's right" he laughed. looking ut
the postal. but that just proves that I
can hold more loneliness than you, for
I am feeling lonely from the soles of
my feet to the top of my new felt hat
that bought in Carson City to see the
sights OF Washington In"
AT least you are farther from home
than l I'm from South Carolina" she
chatted. three days abstinence frou
conversation having left her with 8
surplus on hand
Il was just sending some OF these
things to the boys" he said They
are living in shack near mine. and it
will tickle 'em immensely to get these
had been out there for two years dig
ging away for gold without any sue
cess. and just as we'd fallen into n fit
of gloom and shortage in grub. why.
we struck it rich"
How lovely! Did you find 1T in
cbunls2" Her eyes sparkled like n
child's
That's about the size Of it." ne
laughed. with II whole souled hearth
ness he hadn't experienced for days.
I'VE sure found 1t In large sized pieces.
and Just thought I'd take vacation
to sec the world I've never been east
before
DO you IKE IT." She failed to pur
as much doubt as to the charms oE
WASHINGTON IN her tone as she might
have nut 'nlf IN hour earlier.
I've been about the loneliest person
the dem" ever shudowed could get
on very we'll in the daytime. but I've
wanted 10 sit round the fire Mt night
and TALK it over with the boys How
long are yon going 10 stay?" he asked