The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1911-02-10

edicts Of the great Lone Star state.
The ONCE was very sun. A few sub.
dued noises trickled IN through the
open door from the other departments
"a dull. tinkling crash from the treas
urer's Office adjoining, as a clerk
tossed bag Of silver TO the floor Of
tho yanlt-t the vague, intermittent
chatter 81 dlatory typewriter dull
tapping from the state geologlst's quar-.
ters as II some woodpecker had flown
In 70 bore fer his prey In the cool Of
the massive building and then faint
rustic and the light shutting OF the
well-worn shoes along the hall, the
sounds ceaslng nj the door toward
which ice commissioners letEargic
back was presented. FOLLOWING this,
the sound OF a gentle voice speaking
words unlntelliglble 70 the commits,
sioner's somewhat dormant compre'
henslon. but giving evidence OF bswil-
derment and hesitation.
The voice was feminine; the com.
missioner was Of the race Of cavaliers
who make salaam before the trHil Of
skirt without considering the quality
Of Us cloth,
There stood IN the door faded
woman one Of the numerous sister
hood Of the unhappy. She dressed all
IN black -poyerty's perpetual mourn.
ing for lost Joys, Her face had the
contours Of twenty and the lines of
forty, She may have lived that Inter
yening score Of years In twelve
month. There was about her yet an
aurum Of Indignant, unappeased. pro,
testing youth that shone family
through the premature veil of I'M
earned decline.
u beg your pardon. ma'am," said
the commissioner, gaining his feet to
the accompaniment OF grIet creak.
ing and sliding OF his chair.
Are you the governor. sir?" asked
tho vision OF melancholy
The commissioner hesltated at the
end Of his best bow, with his hand in
the bosom Of his double breasted
'frock." Truth at last conquered.
Well, no, ma'am am not the gov
erncr. ! have the honor to be com
missioner Of insurance. statistics and
history, Is there anything ma'am.
can do fer you? Won't you have
a chair. ma'am?"
The lady subsidized into the chair
handed her. probably from purely
physical reasons. She welded a CHEAP
fan--last token OF gantillty to be aban.
doned. Her clothing seemed to indl.
cate reduction almost to extreme
poverty She looked at the man who
was not the governor, and saw kind.
illness and simplicity and rugged. un-
adorned courtilness emanating from a
counionance tanned and toughened by
forty years of out OF doors, Also, she
saw that his eyes were clear and
strong and blue. Just so they had been
when he used them to skim the hori.
son for raldlng KIowas and Sioux. His
mouth was as set and firm as II had
been on that day when he bearded the
old lion Sam Houston himself, and
defled him during that season when
secession was the theme. Now, in
bearing and dress. Luke Coonrod
Standifer endeavored to do credit to
the important arts and sciences of in.
surance. statistics and history He
had abandoned the careless dress Of
bis country home. Now, his broad,
brlmmsd black SLOUGH hat, and his
long,tailed "frock" made him not tho
least imposing OF the official family,
even II his Office was reckoned to
stand at the tail OF the list.
You wanted to see the governor,
maam2" asked the commissioner. with
the deterentiat manner he always used
toward the fair sex,
Il hardly know" said the lady hest.
tatingly, Il suppose So" And then,
suddenly drawn by the sympathetic
look of the other. she poured forth
the story Of her need.
II was a story so common that the
! public has come to look at It's mo.
notony instead OF Its pity. The old
tale OF an unhappy married llfe-made
so by a brutal. conselenceless husband.
a robber, spendthrift. moral COW.
ard, and bully, who failed to pro.
vide even the means OF the barest ex.
istence, Yes, he had come down in
the scale so low as to strike her. II
happened only the day before--there
! was the brutse en- one tempIe--she
had offended his highness by asking
for a little money to live on. And yet
she must needs, woman.like, append a
plea for her tyrant--he was drinking
he had rarely abused her thus when
! sober.
| Il thought" murmurcd this rale
sister Of sorrow, that maybe the state
might DO willing to give me some re
lief, i've heard Of such things being
done for the families Of old settlers
I've heard tell that the state used tC
give land to the men who fought for Il
against Mexico and settled up the
country, and helped drive out the In
,ltans, My father did all Of that, ant
he never received anything. lie never
would take It. thought the governor
would be the one TO see, and that,
why came, II father was entitle,
10 anything, they might let II come t
4 me"
'lt's possible. ma'em," said stand
for. that such might be the case Ru
most all the old veterans and settler
got their land certificates issued, an,
located long ago, sim. we can tool
that up IN the land ofice. and be sure
Your fathers name. now. was"
Amos Colyin, sir"
4