The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-02-17
THE EVENING STORY
Meriden in the Mountains.
By Stanley z. Barton.)

| For three months Mart Meriden lived
| in hut in the mountains without see
| ing a soul. The mere thought of wo-
| man bred nausea in him, and he fire.
quently told himself that the hernnits
| of the Old Testament had the right
| idea of things after all.
ALL of this would indicate that Meri-
den had collided head-on with the sub
| tleness of woman-disastrously
| He had One Dolly Condor, an in
| nocent-eyed blonde had recently taught
Meriden things about her sex that his
exalted ideas would have refused at
one time to accept. Dolly was an ex-
pert at deceit. Her heart fed upon the
love that she exacted from her adj
mirers-and she gave nothing in re-
| turn.
| Meriden was only one of the many
moths who had gone before, but he
took the singing of his own wings Dit
terly. His conception of the other sex
underwent a complete change He
| brooded over his treatment by this
! wisp of a woman who had seemed to
embody all the essential points of his
ideal, and at last the city with It's con-
slant memories of her became I'M
bearable. He went into the noun
tains.
Meriden selected the Rockies as
his point of solitude, and his assort-
ment 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.
had successfully batt1ed 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 mat
ter how extravagant this scion of the
house might be.
Gradually it came to Meriden, how
ever, that thoughts of Dolly were be-
coming more and more infreQuent.
Now, too, his heart refused its GUS
tomary thump. Meriden was shocked,
panied. He was disappointed in him
SELF
Gloomily marveling over the incon-
sistency of a heart that he would have
sworn must remain true forever, the
young hermit of the Rockies carefully
joined together a steel rod and attach
ed a gaudy fly to a silk line. A crystal
stream swung it's rowing way past his
| very feet.
In the very act of whipping his long
line to the scintillating ripples a good
. Is feet below, Meriden paused, startled
| expression in his eyes. To him had
come, on the clear wings Of the morn
| ing, the haunting strains of an old
French love song in a rich, girlish So
prano. Silently the youth reeled his
line and turned his feet in the direc-
ton from which the song had come.
AS Meriden hurried on, glad that his
long silence was at last to be ended,
the song came to thrilling close.
Though the young New Yorker sought
through the golden morning and aft
ernoon he could not find the owner OF
! the voice.
"a cultivated voice." said Meriden
as he sat before thu fireplace in his
; hut that evening and gave himself
up to dreams. "a cultivated voice, il
l. !,
: mountains. It 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
] It was q blow to romance to have his
) heart assure him that the Dolly Con-
: don affair was only an episode and
not a tragedy.
-Ostensibly, Meriden, rifle in hand
: went squirrel hunting the next day
in reality, he sought only the fair
: he was positive she was beautiful
, singer of the day before.
: The huntsman's quest was futile
: If another camp existed near that OF
= the youth, it was cleverly concealed
1 And yet the New Yorker was per-
sistent. He searched day and night
and with glowing yearning in hi:
heart.
: A week later this yearning had be-
t come so strong that Meriden was seri-
t ously considering the advisabiIity o.
t returning to the city.
j One morning he stood in a reverit
r by the banks of the very brook he had
r begun to fish when the mysteriou,
singer had manifested her presence
i Crack! Smash! Bang! Noisily. and
out of the brush at the mountains
t Hedge just above him, sprang fright
t ened Diana, capless, ard with hel
I dark hair over her shoulders as she
ci1apf1x- toward MaridPu
n The keen eyes of the youth summed
Z UP the rare beauty of this forest ad
: ventures before the grizzly that he
n instinctively knew was behind hel
/ came numbering into the open.
o There is little fear in the heart of &
r hungry bear. The great brute came
on in its shambling, rapid pace anc
n the girl, without a word or her lips
k but the eloquent appeal in her eye
!. raced before the grotesque giant.
r Meriden took steady aim and fired
r The great brute wavered only for {
t minute. Again a face full of shot tolc
n a tale of torture to the Spartan-likt
savage. and again the brute rallied
: the youth pumped another offerint
q into the face of the animal. Thel
5 Meriden felt a crushing blow on hi!
d head, and he knew no more.
: "Are you better?"
e The young hermit came to hi
: senses to find himself in strang
: bunk. The cabin seemed to be on,
: similar to his own. A CHEEKY fir
g burned in the fireplace just opposite
IS and q fussy iron teakettle, hung OIL
n irons, gave the room homelike ap
/, Are you better?" reiterated tn,
i soothing little voice, and coo
# hand sought the feverish brow o
IT the man.
r srWhat happened?" asked Meridel
e laconieally.
= "The bear-you blinded it-strucl
70 ivou before it turned to retreat. I hai
= to leave you while I went for father
r. and then we brought you here +
y our cabin"
le "But where are WEI? came from
" Meriden As he spoke his investi
!, 49,. snoarr tanderIv touched hi