The Washington herald., 1909-02-28

]
+ open air Warmed by food and tea and
rye whisky. and much tobacco. We al
/ grew conversational and expansive.
Wanted 10 Know story.
Our Canadian proved a genial enter
tainer. a wholesome. CHEEKY. sanguine
I youngster, fun OF confidence in himself
and his pioneering work In the new land.
Intellectually a little raw. but with
shrewd colonial instinct for realities.
/ Our talk was Of mines and prospects
and local politics and many other things
We smoked and drank and played poker.
and the hours sped lightly. II was past
midnight when my two friends retired
I TO the other apartment of the shanty, our
/ hosts bedroom; the Canadian and were
10 sleep IN the living-room-
I We'll, I suppose We had better turn IN,
too said the young man.
But I fingered and suggested final
I pipe, I wanted 20 hear about the por-
/ trait I got up and looked at Il sgain-
F, The young mans eye followed me, and
thought I would risk something
Was she really q friend Of yours"
asked
BE laughed lightly enough. mo. sir:
/ Of course she was not; ! never saw her.
! How should I? 1 guess she doesn't come
/ to Canada. and 1 have never been in
Europe.
"Toa don't know anything about hsr
/ but her name?''
NO. and I don't want 10. Just got
I that picture because there amt 10 face
/ IN the world ike it-no. not one Well
you look at 1t; you can see for yourself
Certainly" I replied, its very beau
tiful."
Beautiful! suppose SO. But that
amt It so much. You see. we live a
rough sort Of life out here. and the men I
meet-yes. and the woman. too-they
can't say things that a chap wants TO
/ hear sometimes Perhaps you don't know
what I mean; but when I was a boy at
home in the East with them'-he jerked
his thumb toward the parental portraits
i I thought q lot OF religion, and used 10
so to chapel a good deal Well, when I
| came out here somehow il all went away
/ from me; It didn't seem real, and I used
70 wonder how 1 could have believed
I all them queer Bible stories and the flap
/ doodle the ministers talked.
Admired the Picture.
I was down in Revelstoke, and 7 got
about in the saloons and other places
with the boys. and had a pretty lively
/ time. But I was tired OF that. toe. after
a spell. and was at a sort OF loose end;
and then one day I saw that picture Ia a
/ shop window and I bought il and put Il
in my room tell you, SIR. I was a bit
sorry 7 had got il az first. I couldn't get
away from those eyes Of hers. When I
[ came In after a bit OF a burst she seemed
/ 10 be talking TO ne. 'Dicky DrummOnd,'
/ I almost heard her say. Mr.. Richard
/ DrummOnd. you are doing the sort OF
I thing you think you like? are you doing
! the sort Of thing you think I'd ike?
I Well. Il got on me. and I chucked Revel-
stoke and came out here
a very sensible thing to do" OBJ
served
7 should say. I am going to make
money, you bet. That claim Of mine, you
know and he lapsed suddenly from
/ sentiment 10 very practical matters. as
I is the way OF healthy youth But pres
! entity he went back 10 the other theme
/ Il believe she brought ne luck Any
way. she brought me something else.
/ When 1 come IN or out. Or after I have
| been down with the boys. and playing
! euChTe and so on, / want 10 look az her
! and think there's somebody Ike that in
the world-with those eyes.
You VIII be getting married some tine,
YOU know. Mr. Drummond." said
4 Haven't you ever thought Of it2"
/ 4 have thought Of il, ne said. There's
a girl down here now at the township
she amt Ike that one there. but she's a
: mighty good sort Well. I dunno" There
( was q pause. Say" he broke out sud
+ denly. You live in London when you are
at home. don't you2 Yes: well, now. I
suppose you might see her and he indi-
7 Gated the portrait, some time You
might tel her from me-
/ I laughed MY dear friend" I said,
do please consider that, in the first place,
! the photograph from which that one OF
yours is copied was taken a dozen years
ago at least. The original Isl looked at
his face. and my sentence did not end
/ quite as I intended-''is-narried I dare-
say. OF perhaps, she is dead. At any rate
I do not think she is IN London. And if
she were. there are about 1000 chances
/ 70 one that ! shall never come within
speaking distance Of her"
Hears from Him Later.
That 50? Well, Of course, I guess I
have kept you UP too late talking non
sense You have got 20 make an early
start tomorrow, you know"
/ Il must have been nearly twelve months
later that I received letter in London
with British Columbian postmark out
side and something stiff within. I opened
the envelope and read:
/ Dea- SiT: NJ. - along here the other Gay
/ and took y0ur address from him. Perhaps sou
Tecolect that evening you got lost on the tral
Ehen Jon and Us sat up talking after yOur friends
+ turned n, ] thogzht yeu might ike 70 know that
/ I got married last fall IncIose6 please fnd per
H~nr -
/ lucEy nan Ehen you look 90 i. She Is as good as
she Is pretty. j-st about good they make then
Ths claim IS Inuning oct O. X too and rou see
I In getting It bully al around am sending you
ano'hsr portrait that one y0u noticed OK the wall
I 1irs. y. s1e don't Ike u much, ard ! amt 50
I fond Of II as ! uas. nov have F5t Annie 70 look
I a.. which g better than cardboard anyway. But
/ somehow I didnt dare put Is IN the EOFe and
/ thO1ght yo1 would not mind II ] sent i 70 YOU.
! EXCISE ne for troubling you- am building a rev
house and WHEN II IS done. y0u car have q better
shakedOEn than ! gave yOu that night; 80 Z ever
I you are IN B. C. agsin- don't forget 10 come along
/ here and So ne and Ms. D. ard maybe g KID q
Two before loug.-With kind regards. / am. dear
( sir, yozTs truly, RICHARD DRUAMOND-
/ I set the two photographs before me on
my writing desk Mrs. D." did not al
/ together belle her husbands eulogy. She
I had a prettiness Of a kind. the trivial
! prettiness Of youth and good nature, a
dimple in the cheek. simpering CONSCIOUS
eyes. hair lying in q ringlet fringe
above al insignificant brow, a suggestion
Of cheap 1neTy about her neck. The pure
I and noble face in the nuns drapery
/ seemed 10 smile with a gracious indul-
I gence on its commonplace rival So my
young pioneer had gone the way OF many
men before him, and had got his feet
+ upon the comfortable earth after brief
! fight into the azure. He had descended
upon the real woman, and would make
/ her, ! daresay. no worse husband for
having cOnyersed for space with the
ideal
Slashing Argument