The bee., 1908-10-08
When Toms Enthusiasm Wac
pamponod.

II Is not so bad, but II really doesn't
appeal to me as a practical PROPOSE
ton"
The girl with the coral dinner ring
looked superior. 1T is all a question OF
temperament" she replied. Doubt
less person with frivolous aspira.
lions would feel buried alive on
western claim, but l can sympathize
with Tom in his viewpoint To per
son Of depth and soul there is nothing
more glorious than a life close to the
heart of nature am glad that strcng-
ly advised him to go. II is delight
fully poetic"
Well, the land can't be worth very
much. or It wouldn't be given away.
said the girl with the pearl eardrops.
with q badly suppressed yawn.
"Of course, you pay little for Il,
explained the girl with the coral din
uer ring. Just about so cents an
acre. Then you have to live upon II
six months and grow fruit trees and
grain and such things, and it's
yours.
II had a letter from Tom yester.
day" she went on, "and he is wildly
enthusiastic. His tent was pitched
and he was living the freest kind Of
a life. He catches rabbits every night
for his dinner, does his own washing
and cooking, and every day brings a
supply of water from the river. three
miles away. Can you imagine any.
thing more glorious than to live out
there In communion with the beauties
OF nature?"
"Of course, he hasn't been there
long" remarked the girl with tbs
pearl eardrops.
Long enough to appreciate II ALL
though" retorted the girl with the
coral dinner ring. tom says he can
ters for miles and miles on his horse
across the country, with the eXhll-
arating breezes from the far-off noun
tains tanning his cheeks, and the sun
sinking like a ball of fire In a bed OF
endless green landscape He comes
back with a ravenous appetite for
broiled rabbit, cooked over the camp
Hre"
Il should hate to peel the rabbit for
cooking" mrumured the girl with the
pearl eardrops. giving squeamish
shudder.
Well. there are some people who
never can rise above dances and din
ners and automobile parties. Person
ally can see nothing in such empty
pastimes. Just think OF Tom work
ing there in that glorious, primitive
way!"
II was little over week later that
the girl with the pearl eardrops
dropped In again to see the girl with
the coral dinner ring. My dear.
isn't it lovely that Tom is coming
back so soon?" she exclaimed by way
of greeting.
What do you mean?" asked the
other girl
why, | had a letter from him this
morning and he said he was coming
back to civilization as fast as the
train could carry him"
The girl with the coral dinner ring
looked amazed. But he was so
charmed with the lifeI What has hap
pened? In his last letter"
We'll, in his letter TO me he says
be cannot imagine how he could have
been such donkey. He says he
wishes he had listened to my advice
instead Of some other peoples"
But what has happened?" demand
ed the girl with the ring.
Everything" replied the girl with
the earrings, comprehensively, In an
exultant tone. Then she cOndescend-
ed to explain. tom said the novelty
Of 1t all kept up his enthusiasm for
the first week In spite of the fact that
be had become an animated bunch Of
polka dots from the mosquito bites.
The next week II started to rain. One
night there was such q storm that his
drowned. Well, it kept on raining for
The next two days and Tom couldn't
get a dry twig to build fire. Every
hing he had was simply drenched.
His blankets and clothes were wet
and soggy and he felt dreadful cold
starting In his system. He couldn't
get his tent pitched again, for the
pole was broken, and Of course he
couldn't cook anything He just sat
IN box with his tent wrapped around
aim and sneezed and coughed and
wished that the rain would stop"
why didn't he take his horse and
tide to the town." asked the girl with
he coral dinner ring.
1T kept on raining and raining"
pursued the girl with the eardrops. re-
entlessly, not needing the question.
The crisis was reached when his
horse broke its grazing rope and got
away. Tom realized that he had to
get to the town somehow, 80 he walked
rs miles in the pouring rainl He said
something about rattlesnakes, too"
20 don't Poor Toni Where Is he
iow?" implored the girl with the
ing.
He is on his way home by this
line. He wrote me from the town
| ,ofal and Ia aaid ha would atart in "A