The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-11
A VOICE OF GLADNESS
BY TROY ALLISON.

The country road was strange 10 both
OF them. They were almost strange TO
each other. their acquaintance being
week old. the result of boarding in the
same farmhouse.
THAT looks like a nice wood to stroll
through" He pointed to the thick grove
of hickories and gum trees, their leaves
tinted by the first frost we viii set
over that stiIe."
"WH we?" There was amusement in
her voice and an intense enjoyment Of
living I'm her expression. She brcathed
the mountain air; the vivid autumn color
ing reflected ia the glow OF her face
The dominant idea Of ones impression
Of you is that you seem TO know what
you want to DO and take the shortest
line to il. Your manners do fairly well
for a Westerner. but our Southern men
would have said, Miss Ledleigh, would
you Ike to stroll through that grove
He flushed slightly. and knocked q
stone from the path with dogwood stick
he had cut at the foot of the hill.
II told you ! didn't know how 10 talk
! to women. nor how to be nice OF court
eous. / haven't a bit of polish" ruefully;
but YOU shouldn't expect much of a
man who has spent most of his time on a
ranch have only been East three
months 7 warned you at first"
/ She looked at the six feet of masculinity
speculatiyely.
( Don't apologize. for heavens sake, 90
/ she said. quickly In this day and gen
( Grafton it IS refreshing to meet man
who knows his mind. I am going 10
enjoy this grove just as much as you
are-the fact that I didn't have to think
IL up is the incest part about it. I've
been planning details for myself and
others ever since l Joined the crowd Of
|breadvinners. I've had to plan. scheme,
and dovetan until it makes me tired To
/ have a waiter hand me a bill-of-fare and
/ ask me what I'll have. I could enjoy
anything that was set before me unex-
/ pectedly-I wouldn't even baIk AZ chop
suey" with a little laugh that had the
first touch of bitterness he had noticed
/ in her.
/ He helped her over the stiIe i'm the man
nar Of big man who knows little of
women and who reverence them to the
extent of being afraid Of offending them
/ by too great familiarity She knew in
/ her heart that she could have climbed
the stle more easily by herself than with
the uncertain aid he gave her, but her
mind gTasped the cause Of his uncertainty,
and his clean wholesomeness was as
pleasant as the breeze from the
mountains
The yellow leaves from the hickory
trees rustled beneath their feet as they
went into the woods They dragged
their feet clumsily. furrowing the leaves
into heaps.
Beats town all hollow, doesn't it,"
/ He stopped 20 thrust a bunch of Grim
son berries in the band of her white
felt hat How long have YOU been in
Office, as the government clerk puts it?'
es-centUries-world without end
To put it in numbers-seven years. Tn
afraid III not be able 10 keep my position
much longer" dolefully.
There was a CLEAN of interest in his
eyes. What's the natter" he asked
briefly
Il don't know exactly" with a pre-
tense Of Indifference either the mOnot-
ony Of TT viii drive me crazy-or the
continual copy-will get on my nerves
until III throw an ink bottle at the chief
some day and be discharged for dis
/ orderly conduct"
He laughed at her petuance. Il would
never dream that you were afflicted with
nerves. You make a joke of life-and
/ enjoy everything like an overgrown child
/ You are the essence of usefuIness-yet
you must be thirty, aren't you?" he gave
her frankly critical look.
She selected a comfortable looking los
/ and sat down on it in lazy abandon.
"Oh, man. man. Do they not teach yol
out In the wild and woolly West that tc
ask a womans age is an objectionable
SIM"
He was filing her lap with masses oil
/ purple flowers that grew waist deeI
around them.
.No-the West is not artifcial-Naturt
is the teacher-we learn 70 admire-but
perhaps express even our admiration
| CIumSiIy
Her eyes sparkled with appreciation
THAT was a well-turned compliment
I'm convinced that you are a diamond
In the rough. If you We're not going
away tomorrow I might polish you VI
considerably"
I'm sure you could do great deal in
that line" he sat down beside her anc
took a cigar from his pocket. You have
already done a great deal. Honestly
you've done more for me than I thought
could be done-you'yc made me feel q
touch of boyishness. I was recovering
from an attack of fever when I came
here. / had lost my grip of things
school might keep or be hanged: il was
all the same to me
4 understandable had the feeling
often. You had reached a point wher
your query was What's the use? and
your answer was Nothing matters "
You've hit il eXactiy-bull' s-eye" Ht
pulled his cigar. and thought how vel
she harmoniZed with the scene-the rec
of the gum trees, the carpet of yellow
hickory leaves, the purple and white field
flowers growing everywhere. She leaned
against a gray tree trunk and held with
one arm the flowers he had piled in heI
lap. High above her head a black and
yellow woodpecker hammered away.
This is nature and you are the onls