The Washington herald., 1907-10-22

We were at the Big Tree grove, little
Eastern bred Muriel, with pelargOniums
at her slender waist. and l. a Western
writer. We had wandered through the in
ner grove, where the most mighty mon
archs are-the Giant" General Sher-
man" Jumbo" THE Sisters" and
others. We had reveled at the contrasts
between trees three hundred feet hign
and the creamcUps and other sweet
spring flowers nesting at their feet.
Then We had gone through the gates
into the outer forest and were sitting at
the rivers edge, at the end of the swing
ing bridge. The rest of the party stayed
away. We were TO have this little good
by hour apart.
The Giant is sixty-five feet in clrcum-
ference, 316 feet high. and IS estimated
10 be 5000 years old, chanted Muriel.
in the words of the guide "Or was il
five thousand? Three thousand OF FIVE
thousand? 0 dear! Must l always refer
TO my notebook? Can tell nothing with
out always referring 10 my notebook
she demanded wildly.
I took the notebook from her.
Your lips were not made for facts,
dry as dust. They We're made for
l had intended to say for poetry and
romance. truly had: but CHANGING TO
look at those lips, so red. so daintily
curved. so wondrously allUring. 1 said
kisses" and l proved my assertion. No
man could have helped it.
OF course she was very angry. I sup
pose I would not have had her otherwise; f;
but she did not spring to her feet and
run from me.
Il will not apologize. FOR you know
want you so, Muriel," I pleaded.
She regarded me scornfully.
AS I have told you before. I will not
mate with a dreamer. Why do you not
90 into the world and do some mighty
work? Everybody"
Everybody works but father?' 1 in
terrupted politely.
Even with my heart sore I could never
help laughing at Muriel and her fine talk
of workers. Little dainty wisp Of a cTea-
ture, born to be worshiped and cared for,
but taking so serious a view Of life
Would you have me a hod carrier?"
/ asked. "As It is, 1 dream, and my
/ dream makes book, and the book brings
some dollars, and the dollars make sew
eral things possible. If I were a hOd
carrier. it would mean simply dollars,
though perhaps fewer of them; 50 the
result is approximately the same-and
you have no idea how much pleasanter
/ it is to dream than to carry bricks"
You are a triAer," she declared. You
ought to write a book which Will make
the world better
I am quite sure my books never hurt
anybodys morals or manners" l in
/ sisted gently.
only a negative virtue" she responded.
1 The man l marry must be positive. He
1 must look
She hesitated, gazing down at her Lady
4 Washington flowers, which she had taken
/ from her belt
HOWE" I asked with some interest.
/ I don't deny that I should be willing
/ that he should look like you" she ad-
/ mitted. a fine color coming into her
/ cheeks. IF only you would do some
/ thing TO make the world better"
/ Ny mood had changed. I would plead
no longer with this child. My mind went
/ to the packet Of letters l counted as
/ among my treasures. They had come
/ from different parts of the country after
4 my first book mad been launched. Ac-
/ cording to these. my mission was not a
/ failure-my book though a simple one,
4 had made better at least a part Of the
world; but I would not tell Muriel this.
I would not try to influence her in the
J
In the distance the train was whistling.
"One thing remember, dear child" I
said gravely. And that is, that love
blazes its own paths, and cuts its own
! channels If ii be written that you are
! for me. you will marry me in good time.
Love brooks no interference in his
realm
Hers cheeks stormed into color as I
/ helped her to her feet
DO you see this Lady Washington" "
/ she demanded, holding the pelargonium
before me. See, I lay it in the hollow
of this little big tree. There is dirt in the
/ hollow, and the pelaTgonium may grow,
/ Coming again, l may find that it has
| taken root. So may become your wife.
The one is as possible as the other"
/ So Muriel went back to her East with
/ her schemes OF philanthropy, and STAY
| ed In my West to dream, and then to
write but 1 found that dreaming had
! grown 10 be a weary task, when the
most beauteOUs one of them all was a for.
hidden one, for I had lost faith in my
! own brave avowal of loves omnipoteace
/ Nearly year had gone before I visited
| the Big Tree grove again. l went alone,
( and took my solitary way to the river
/ where had said gOod-by to my Dream
| of Dreams. A furious storm had wrought
/ some havoc there Two or three of the
lesser trees had fallen, and the swing
ing bridge had been twisted and broken
and thrown upon the bank. while the
swollen river ragged angrily by it,
At last I turned away from my sac
/ retrospectiOn. Ny eyes caught a glimpse
Of blue in the distance, and somehow
thought of Muriels dress as 1t looked or
that other day when she had not beer