The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-01-12
The EVENING STORY
Getting the Best Of It.
(By Frederick Shader.)

Henry Bruce. The two had grown up
together in the east and Bruce had
search of health and fortune.
Gordon Chester had found some
small wealth, while Bruce had found
the health he sought. Then Chester
had died, leaving his little fortune in
the hands of Bruce as executor.
The camp looked to see a marriage
follow quickly after Letty's year of
mourning, but no such announcement
was made. Then the arrival of CHS
wick on the scene put a new COM
plexion on affairs.
Down at the Spread Eagle dance
hall the women called him cute.
Men applied other and less compli-
mentary adjectives, but Lefty looked
on him with favor.
He was the sort of man who at
tracts impressionable women. Only
about five feet six in height, but he
was natty and trim of person and
carried himself with a little swagger
that always impresses the unthinking.
He was neatly groomed-and in
every way the antithesis of six foot
Henry Bruce, whose clothes tapped
with a slight Stoop, as most tall men
do.
Chiswick had come to camp as the
agent for a supply firm. The camp had
though no bonanza strike had adver-
tised the place to the rest of the
world, there was gold in plenty in the
mountains, and every prospect that
the place would continue to grow.
ChiSwick had a shack built for his
samples, and once the place was open,
he left a clerk in charge and devoted
himself to Lefty. Chiswick had the
odd faculty of making others work,
though he himself lacked habits of
the hills with Lefty to attending to
business at the store.
For six months the courtship con-
tinued, then one day Chiswick found
His lean length was sprawled over
Chiswick's own chair at the rear of
the shack. and Chiswick eyed his
caller angrily as the latter slowly
rose.
1T was a long wait, and that was the
only comfortable chair" explained
Bruce, guessing the cause of the others
anger.
TT must be important since you wait
in spite of discomforts," retorted CHS
back at five.'
'I had the time said Bruce. "and I
wanted to see you-about Miss Ches-
ter"
THAT was to be expected" sneered
Chiswick. 'tTve been expecting it for
some time. Because you haven't the
nerve to win her for yourself. 1 suppose
that you want to use your club as
3
off your preserves. Rather handy, isn't
it, Hank?"
cit would be if I wanted to do such
a thing" was the quiet retort; but
what I came to see you about was to
ask If you are going to propose.
you've made lot of talk in the
camp, but you have said nothing
definite to Lettie. or at least she has
told me nothing about it if you have,
and I think 1 have a right to know"
You are a man of the ,world-or you
were before you buried yourself in this
place. You must know that just be-
cause a man is nice to a pretty girl it
does not argue that he wants to marry
her.
I'VE look at things differently here in
the mountains" Tetorted Bruce. You
know very well that the entire camp
expects you to marry Lefty, and they
are wondering why you don't say some
thing about it. As her guardian have
come to ask you to come out in the
open. That's our way"
There was a glitter in Bruce's eyes
that warned Chiswick to be careful,
and the snarl faded from his face, and
his oily voice returned as he sought to
argue that his income Was too small
and too uncertain to permit him to
marry. Bruce listened patiently until
the end, then he looked up slowly.
Then it's only because you can't
afford to marry that you don't ask
Letty?" demanded Bruce.
Ch1SW1ck nOQQeQ. 1t seemed the
one insurmountable objection that he
could advance. He had no intention
of marrying Lefty.
She was a pretty child, and she had
helped to pass the time, but also there
was always the hope that his work in
this wilderness would result in call
to the city, and there Lefty would be
q sad hindrance.
you needn't worry about thai"
cried Bruce. "You look here! I sup
pose you know the branch they call
Cat creek 90
Chiswick nodded, and Bruce CON
tinued There is a gulch leading off
Of that creek with tall pine at the
mouth. At the top of the gulch is
spruce. Walk along a line with those
two trees until you come to place |
where there is cleft in the rocks
1nderfoot You stake that claim, and |
guess that you can afford to be mar |
ried."
Chiswick thanked him profusely, |
and by the next night the camp knew |
hat Chiswick had fallen upon a |
'8The darned little fool wasn't even |
for it, explained one of the |
miners. He just naturally fell up |
against it, but unless I'm mistaken, It's |
yoing to be the making of this camp. |
It's a pity that a man didn't locate II"
The sentiment was generally echoed, |
put there is no questioning the favors |
IF fate. In six weeks development
work had shown clearly that the mine
vas a winner, and on the heels OF the !!
assurance came the announcement |
hat Chiswick had sold a third interest
or 100000.
Then the town looked for the an
of his engagement to Let
" but the announcement was not
Not until Bruce re-
minded him of their understanding
md threatened to publish him as a
lar did Chiswick speak.
1t was a grudging, ungracious pro-
,osal that he made, but Lefty was too
lappy to question the degree of his
Yet before she uttered |