The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-17
BY STANLEY 3. Il

(COpyIlkAL, 1911, ny ASSOCialGu
Literary Press.)
For three months Mart Meriden
lived In q hut in, The mountains wiln.
IA seeing a soul. Tine mere thousnt
OF woman bred a nausea in him., ana
he frequently told aimself that the
hermfts of the Old Testament mad tne
right idea of things after all.
All of this wouid indicate that
Meriden had collided head-on with
the s~ubtleness OF woman--olsastrous-
ly.
He had. One Dolly Condor. an
innocent-eyed londe had recently
taught Meriden things a~poat~her sex
that his exalted ideas would have re-
fused at one time to accept. Dolly
was an expert at deceit. Her heart
fed upon the love that she cxactea
from her admirers-and she gave
nothing in return.
Meriden was only one of the many
moths who had gone before, but ne
took the singing of his WI wings
bitterly. His conception of the other
sex underwent a complete change. He
brooded over his treatment by this
wisp Of q woman who had seemed to
embody all the essential points of
his ideal, and at last the city with
its constant memories OF her became
unbearable. He went into the oun
tains.
Meriden selected the Rockies as his
point of solitude. and his assortment
of guns and fishing tackle was OF
the best that could be procured in
New York.
The Gothamite hunted, fished and
gloomed over his disappointing love
affair to his hearts content. No
thought of business entered his mind.
He had no business. Meriden's father
had successfully battled with the bulls
and bears of Wall street, and at his
death there was no reason for his
only heir to work, There was money
enough and to spare-no matter how
ex~travagant this scion of the house
might be.
Gradually II came to Meriden, how
eyer. that thoughts OF Dolly were be-
coming more and more i~nfrequent.
Now. too. his heart refused its GUS
tomary thump. Meriden was shocked,
pafned. He was disappointed In him
self.
Gioomiiy marvelinE owe the moon
sistency of a heart that he would have
worn must remain true forever, the
young hermit OF the Rockies care
fully Joined together a steel rod and
attached a gaudy fly tot a silk line.
A crystal stream Its rowing way
past his very feet.
In the very act OF whipping his
long line to the scinuilating ripples
a good fifteen (. at below, Meriden
paused. q startled expression In his
eyee. To him had come. on the clear
wings OF the morning. the haunting
strains of an old French love song
in q rich. girlish opraa Silently
the youth yeeled his line and turned
his feet In the direction from which
the song had come.
AS Meriden hurried on. glad that his
long silence was at last to be ended,
h song came to a triiiing close.
Though the young New Yorker sought
through the golden morning and ar
ernoo he could not find the owner
OF the voice.
"A cultivated voice" said Aertden
~ he sat before the fireplace In hts
hut that evening ana gaHe himself
up to dreams. "A cultivated voice. IL
I ever heard one-and here in the
mountains. II isn't so bad. after all.
TO be able to hear a woman's voice
again. Three months ago Meri-
den stilled his monologue In disgust.
IL WAS q blow 10 romance 10 have his
heart assure HIM that the Dolly Con-
don affair was only an episode and
not a tragedy.
Ostensibiy, Merideu. rifle In hand.
went squirrel hunting the nex day:
in reality. he sought only the fair
he was positive she was beautiful
singer of the day before.