Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1911-05-05
CHAPTER I
BECAUSE PATRICIA SAID mo"

IN dance at the Country club, and
NJ BlOunt, though he was only q
week end guest of the Bever-
leys. was i'll natured enough to be re-
sentful. What right had a gay and
frivolous world to come and thrust its
light hearted happiness upon him
when Patricia had said mop 1t was
like bullying a cripple, he told himself
morosely, and when he had read the
single telegram which had come while
he was at dinner he went out and
found chair in corner of the veran-
da. where the frivolities had not as
yet intruded.
Bl0unt was level eyed. square
shouldered young man of an up to
date world. and the stock from which
he had descended was prosaic and
practical rather than poetic or senti-
mental. But just now he was uncon-
sciously giving a very lifelike imita-
ton of the disappointed lover the
word over
II was thus. and by the merest
chance. that Gantry found him. The
railroad man at least was unfeigned-
ly glad.
''I'ull up chair" said Blount, not
too ungraciously. considering his just
cause to be more ungracious. Il was
thinking of you just a little while
ago. Dick. l saw your name in the
list of transcOntinental representatives
10 the traffic meeting. and-well. at the
present moment l think you are the
one man in the world wanted most
TO meet"
THAT sounds good to me-" laughed
Dick Gantry, settling himself comfort
ably in lazy chair and feeling in his
pockets for a cigar THE 'effete east
has corralled you, hasn't it, Evan?
thought maybe 1t would when l heard
you were taking the postgraduate frills
in the Harvard law school. By the
way. how much longer are you in for?'
II am out Of the law school, II that
is what you mean," said Blount-"out
and admitted to the bar. If you get
into trouble with the Boston police let
me know and III ask for a change of
venue to the greasewood hills and
Judge Lynch's court"
Are you ever coming back to them,
Blount? l believe you told me once in
the old college days that you were
western born"
Il told you the truth, and until to
night / never thought much about 60
ing back" was Blount's rather cryptic
grammatic answer.
But now you are thinking Of it?'
inquired the railroad man, waking up.
That's good. We're needing q few
bright young lawyers mighty bad. Is
that why I'm the particular fellow you
wanted to meet"
Blount passed the newly come tele-
gram across the interval between the
two chairs. Read that" he said.
Gantry smoothed the square Of vel
low paper carefully and held it up to
the softened glow of the electric CELL
ing globe. Its date line carried the
name Of the chief city in the grease
wood country" the capital Of the state,
and the time markings sufficiently In
dictated its late arrival:
To Evan Shelby Blount. standish Apart
nents. Boston:
You have had everything that money
Sould buy You. and you owe me nothing
,ut an occasional sight OF your face. II
you are not tied to some woman's apron
string. why can't you come west and
grow up with your native state?
DAVID BLOUNT.
II was characteristic of Gautry that
be folded the telegram In the original
crossings before he handed 1t back.
"Well:" said Blount when the pause
had grown overlong.
Il was just thinking" was the re-
Elective rejoinder I'VE used to be
fairly chummy In the old Ann Arbor
days. Evan, and yet l never knew I'LL
this blessed minute that Senator
Blount was your father"
He was and is" was the quiet re-
ply Il supposed everybody knew it,"
Il didn't" Gantry denied, adding
What you don't tell people about
yourself would make pretty big book
II 1t were printed. Long ago you ad-
mitted to NE that you We're western
born, but you never told me INV
more"
Perhaps it was because there was
so little to tell. had boyhood. like
other boys-or, no, possibly It wasn't
quite the usual. was born on the
Circle Bar when the ranch was q
hard days drive from the nearest
shipping corral on the railroad. At
twelve could ride line cut cut and
rope down like any other ranch bred
youngster. and l had never seen a
town bigger than Painted Hat"
And what happened when -ou were
twelve?" queried Gantry.
The greatest misfortune that can
ever come to half grown boy, Dick.
My mother died"