The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1908-10-16
HIs DECISION.


ciationsl
Critical periods come TO al Of rs Ia
which we are called upon to decide
some question vitality Important to the
rest OF oar lives
Theodore Cook was graduated with.
honor at the scleatife school and en-
tered upon his profession Of civil engi-
neer with high bopes. lie at ouce
found employmcill as one Of the sub
ordinate engineers constructing sys-
TEN Of water supply for great city.
a valley was being damned reservoirs
constructed and aaueducts built
Cook rose rapidly. He was not only
competent but a8btious. It WAS his
determination TO tnake his every act
count for his advanceyient not Only IN
his present position, Nbut through his
whole life Before his grAuuasidn At.
college he had formed tho hequelhi
ance of Evelyn Knight. the daughter
of a wealthy capitalist. with whom he
contemplated marriage. She was as
pleasing to him eG most OF the girls Of
his acquaintance. aud he heliel "a the
alliance would be of great advahtase
to him. The young engineers promi
nence among his fellows and IN his
profession caused Niss Knight 10 look
upon him as q desirable part
All this was very we'll very sensible
aud very desirable for both parties
when asked by chnm Il he was much
IN love. Cook replied that he did not
consider ali emetion q at reason for
taking so important atep as mar
riage: that he was fond OF Miss
Knight. but vasa practical sort OF q
fellow. and II there was any good rea
son why hs shouldn't marry her he
would forbear.
While he was engaged on the water
gysiem there was nothing more than a
hypothetical understanding between
him and the daughter Of the capitalist.
Notwithstanding his practical nature
he came verg near doing what he
would have cqhsidered very imprac-
tical thing. Afelephone A system was IN
operation from one end Of the watcr
system to thf other, and he was
thrown of his balance by one OF its
'hello girls" Madeleine Truvers pos.
sessed only n fine name. She was not
pretty nor stylish nor carefully dress.
ed. She had 0pair OF large black eyes
and an intellectual face. on which was
stamped something-call II character
or what you wiil-that impressed itself
very sensibly on Cook. Since the cen
trSl office of the telephone aLd that Of
the engineers were in the same build.
ing he saw more or less Of her. There
was sterling wortlidn her that show
ed Itself Notwithstanding her commons
place vocation THAT attracted Cook to
her. The girl was equally attracted To
Cook.
One evening after n conversation
with her on other subjects than practi
cal topics Cook went TO Ills room
tempted 10 yield TO an emotion and
ask Miss Trlvers 10 fight the battle ol
life with hIms- Indeed. 50 moved was
he that he walked the floor all night
deliberating between her and Miss
knight The result was in favor 0i
Miss Knight He wrote her proposi
fion, and as soon as the work on
which he was engaged. was fniahed b,
married her.
Cooks next professional engagement
was as chief engineer ON work own
ed principally by his capitalist father
itl-law. This was a step upward, bu
ha paid large price for It. In thh
age OF tile big fish eating up lie liill'
flsh how could be fail TO be absorbel
by the Knight family3 lie was SO ab
sorbed. When his second work wal
finished the nexf offefed was locatet
several thousaB& miles away. Th
Knight family Would not consent {.
his accepting ~ Instead they took hin
t9 Europe
The rest OF Ills life was a miserabl
fsiIure. Within a few years Of hi
marriage his wife Inherited a lare
fortune and used It to make her bus
band feel uncomfortable. He could no
gel away fr6m It. and he could no
master It. it,awallowed him.
One morning after "scrap" Wit
his wife he took up paper ana say
large headlines announcing that th
dam Of the water system on which b
had found his drst employment ha
EAfGh way IA NAAG hAk IT. tAU MGASA ~
swept down the valley, and many psl
pie had been borne away in their slice
TO an awful death s
But far above tue sickeninE details
like a bell ringing soff and lnelodieu
aboye storm. was an act OF heroi
sacrifice. A telephone glri while et
gagged at herduties got word OF III
breaking Of the dam. she was in th
path OF the food and not 80 far belOl
It's advance wave. swallowing tree
houses, cattle. human beings. but ths
1t must soon engulf her. That brie
period she spent In calling up sue
families as she was connected with
wire and WAS still calling the Oft T,
peated words. "The dam has broker
the nood is coming" when It dashe
against the house she was IN, lespe
over It, aud she was whirled away.
That telephone girl was Madelir
Travef7.
Cook was still sitting with the pap'
before him, when the door opened. sR