Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1909-01-16

f. y NJ house in the aspens
/ f<-&NA u Jessica bad passed
" - y through a confusion OF
~ experiences. She had
! always lived much in herself. aud TO
/ her natural reserve her blindness had
added AS a result her knowledge
both OF herself and OF life had been
superficial The first bitter shock OF
her catastrophe seemed 10 burn up IN
her the very capacity for further poig-
nant suffering. and she went through
< the motions 81 life Alphabetically.
Change or scene and the declining
health OF David Sures occupied fortu-
I nately much OF her waking thoughts.
After the FIRST few months OF travel
/ be failed steadily. His citrlc acid
moods were forgotten. bis harsh tenn
pcrs put aside Hour after hour he
lay In his chair. gazing out from the
I Wide sun parlor OF the sanltarium Oh
I the crest OF Smoky mountain. whittier
I their journeylng had finally brought
them. He had never spoken OF Hugh.
IN time her hercer pain bad duued.
and her imagination. naturally so inn
Fortunate. had begun 20 seize upon her
surroundings In the summer season
the sanitarium had few guests. and
for this she was thankful Or Brent.
its head. rallying her on her paleness.
drove her out OF doors with good ia
tured severity. and when she was not
, with David Sures she walked OF rode
for hours at time over the mountain
trails. Breathing In the crisp air OF
altitude her spirits grew more buoy
ne q
the pert chirp OF the whisky Jack and
the whirriug drum OF the partridge or
sat on a hidden elevation which she
named THE Knob" facing across the
shallow valley TO the south
The knob overlooked n little grassy
shelf few hundred feet below. where
stood a miners cabin. with weed
grown gravel heaps near by. in front OF
which tree bore the legend painted
roughly on a board. The Little Pay
master Claim"
Her interest had opened eagerly to
these scenes The soMtudes soothed
and the life OF the community below.
frankly primitive and uncompllcated.
attracted her. Between the town OF
Smoky Mountain and the expensive
sanitarium on the ridge a great social
gulf was fixed The latter's patrons
for the most part came and went by
the narrow gauge road that linked with
northern junction. The settlement far
below was only feature OF the piano.
rama for which they % Id so well.
Even DIT. Brent, who had perched this
place OF healing where his patients
could breathe air fresh from the Pa
cihc and cooled by the snow peaks,
knew il chiefly through two OF its c.ti-
Eens-Mrs. Halloran. the capable, bus
thing wife OF the proprietor OF the
Mountain Valley House. the towns
single hosiery. who brewed old fash
toned blackberry wine and cordials for
his patients, and Tom Fielder a young
lawyer whom he had known on the
coast before Ill health had sent him TO
hang out his single In a more genial
altitude.
The latter sometimes came for n chat
with the physician. and on one of these
calls Jessica and he had met She had
Eked his keen. good humored face and
waving. slightly CRAVING hair. She
had met him once since On the noun
tain road, end he had walked with her
and told her quaint stories Of the
townspeopbs. He had taken her to
Mrs. Halloran, whose heart she had
won by praise OF her cherry cordial.
1T brings back my boyhood," David
Stires said TO her one afternoon, tap
ping the bottle by his wheel chair.
Somehow this has the old taste"
at is nearly gone," she said. .Tn
get another bottle. 1 am going for a
ride now. l think 1t does you good"
Before you CO." he said. fetch my
writing case. and VIII dictate a let
ter"
She brought and opened Il with
trouble at her heart for the request
showed his Increasing weakness. Un-
III today the few letters he had writ
ten had been done with his own hand
Thinking OF this as she waited. her
fingers nervously plucked at the inside
OF the leather cover. The morocco nan