Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1909-01-08


II know a lot about you, Mr.. Frank
Enders. My name child. Doris Glare.
makes you out sort of cross betwsxt
4 fairy prince aud paladia. For her
sake and because you ask no Ques-
lions Pm going to explain. was on
the express. which does not stop here.
bound for Pallantrae. u place. ! take
1t, about twenty miles beyond. AS !
could not sleep got up very. very
early to find the train standing still,
painting and sllorting like mad. mile
or so from your station. A perfidtous
person in uniform assured me 1t would
not start Tor ever SO long. Wanting
air, got off and surveyed the land
scape in the dawning light.
Just as l had strolled little too
far-whisk went my train. Not only
my train, but my worldly possessions.
l had left even my hand bag in the
berth. So you see me abjectly pau
per until l can overtake my possess
sions."
''They shall he overtaken. Don't
worry about that. But, tell ME, what
did you think, feel, do, when you found
yourself left:" Finders said, looking
straight at her.
''Oh, promptly forgot the landscape
and looked for milepost. The first
one l found read "Hightown, -
miles, Some malefactOr had smudged
the figures, but at least there was
promise of finding something. 1t was
not false promise, you see. tramp
ed on and found-you."
Il wonder will you think you found
anything worth while?" Enders MUIR
INJURED retiectively, as though to him
self. Miss Maxwell laughed. "YOu
don't know what case you are in, that
is very evident" she said. Il hate to
proclaim the fact badly, but l make
living by writing love stories, and ever
since Doris came home I've been won.
dering if you were fit for the place you
are to occupy in the tale am weaving
about her."
Il defy you. defy anybody, to make
me a hero of romance" Enders said,
flushing deeply. Again Miss Maxwell
laughed; but. after it. she shook her
head, saying. you truly won't do for
the hero of my romance-except your
| own .
That was the beginning of it. The
end came six months later. Doris Max
we'll settled down easily upon a place
she bought just outside Ballantrae,
then brought in her name child to keep
her company while she experimental
at homemaking.
So it had been the most natural thing
in the world for Enders to fall in the
way of haunting the Maxwell house.
His new motor made nothing of the
thirty mile journey. He found the two
Dorises doubly delightful, and for three
months at least Tapped his conscience
into believing that Doris, the girl, was
the magnet.
Then came illuminatiOn-sudden and
fierce. 1t took shape of man, much
older, much richer than himself. a
power in the publishing world. no less
the critical one, who came down upon
the dovecote Of household, fully re-
solved to carry of Doris Maxwell al
most whether or no.
Doris Clare almost chuckled while
she confided to Enders the whole
story. Its so funny" she said. cat
first Colonel Baker was quite conde-
scending-courted Aunt Doris with the
air of heaven is resolved to reward
you, my child. Be duly and truly
grateful Then when she said NO.
hardly troubling to say Thank you
after 1t, he got desperately earnest
and demonstrated with her for stand.
Ing so much in her own light.
But it was comic-there's no other
word for it-when he began to buster.
Still. do you know he almost frighten-
ed Aunt Doris? She ran away from
him-she who is SO brave. l think she
was afraid he would wear out her re-
slstance, he's such a fine, high old
Turk, whom nobody ever crossed be-
fore. And to think he's metaphoric.
ally OH his knees to her now!
IF only she can bring herself to
take hfm-but won't talk of that. 1
daren't let myself. 1t would mean
such lot to-both of U.S."
mo doubt she will take him." En-
ders said, grinding his teeth as he
walked away. He was false proph-
ct. Doris sent the colonel away more
than ever disconsolate, but that did
not hinder him from coming back next
month, and the next, and the next.
"Why don't you put him out of his
misery in some fashion?" Enders ask
ed of Miss Maxwell upon the third re-
turn. She smiled little sadly.
There's just one way to put him out
Of it," she said, land can't take that:
it would he too ungrateful."
"Ungrateful! don't understand"
Enders returned. She looked over his