Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-12-27

ly, picked it up in his two hands and
turned it over and around and looked
at it, The simplicity Of it delighted
him. He chuckled over it, reached his
decision, and began to dress. Midway
in the dressing he stopped in order to
use the telephone.
Dede was the first he called UP.
Don't come to the Office this morn
ing" he said I'm coming out to see
you for moment"
He called up others. He ordered
his motor-car To Jones he gave in
structions for the forwarding Of Bob
and Wolf to Glen Ellen. Hogan he
surprised by asking him to look up
the deed of the Glen Ellen ranch and
make out a new one in Dede Mason's
name. ''Who?" Hogan demanded.
''Dede Mason" Daylight replied inn
perturbably-'th phone must be in
distinct this morning. D-e-d-e Mason.
Got it,"
Half an hour later he was flying out
to Berkeley. And for the first tins
the big red car halted directly before
the house. Dede offered to receive
him in the parlor, but he shook his
head and nodded toward her rooms.
In there" he said. mo other place
would suit"
AS the door closed, his arms went
out and around her. Then he stood
with his hands on her shoulders and
/ looking down into her face.
"Dede, if / tell you, fat and straight,
that I'm going up to live on that ranch
cent with me, that I'm going to
scratch for every bite I eat, and that
l amt going to play airy a card at the
business game again, will you come
along with me?"
She gave a glad little cry, and he
nestled her in closely. But the next
moment she had thrust herself out
/ from him to the old position at arms
length.
How is this possible? How can
you leave your business? Has any
thing happened?"
mo, nothing's happened yet, but it's
going to, blame quick I've taken
your preaching to heart, and I've
come to the penitent form. I've taken
my last drink You're marrying a
whisky-soak, but your husband won't
be that. He's going to grow into an
F! other man so quick you won't know
him. A couple of months from now,
up there in Glen Ellen, you'll wake up
some morning and find you've got a
( perfect stranger in the house with you,
and you'll have to get introduced to
him all over again. You'll say, Pm Mrs.
Harnish, who are your And I'll say,
I'm Elan Harnishs younger brother
I've just arrived from Alaska to at
tend the funeral What funeral?'
you'll say. And I'll say, Why the fu-
neral Of that good-for-nothing gam
bling, whisky-drinking Burning Day
light-the man that died of fatty de-
| generation of the heart from sitting
in night and day at the business game.
Yes, ma'anl,' I'll say, he's sure a gone
coon, but I've come to take his place
and make you happy. And now,
ma'am, if you'll allow me, I'll just me-
ander down to the pasture and milk
the COW while you're getting break
fast"
But you haven't answered my ques-
tiOns," she reproached him, as she
emerged, rosy and radiant, from the
embrace that had accompanied the
elimination Of his narrative.
''Now just what do you want to
know?" he asked.
''I want to know how all this is pos
sible? How you are able to leave
your business at a time HE this?
What you meant by saying that some
thing was going to happen Quiclzly?"
Lets 60 and get married, he urged,
all the whimsicality Of his utterance
duplicated in his eyes. I've been work
ing like forty horses ever since this
blamed panic set in, and all the time
some of those ideas you'd given me
were getting ready to sprOut Well,
they sprouted this morning, that's all
l knew I wanted to ride in the hills
with you just about thirty million
times more than I wanted to go to the
office. And I knew all the time it
was impossible And why? Because
Of the Office The office wouldn't let
me- And then I made up my mind
that I was to the dividing Of the ways.
One way led to the office. The other
way led to Berkeley. And I took the
Berkeley road I'm never going to
set foot in the Office again. That's all
gone, finished, over and done with,
and I'm letting it slide clean to smash
and then some. I'm wiping the slate
clean. I'm letting it all 60 smash.
When them thirty million dollars
stood up to my face and said I couldn't
go out with you in the hills today,
knew the time had come for me to put
my foot down. And I'm putting it
down. I've got you, and my strength
to work for you, and that little ranch
in Sonoma. That's all I want, and
that's all I'm going to save out, along
with Bob and Wolf, a suit case and a
hundred and forty hair brides. All
the rest goes, and good radiance. It's