Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1911-07-06

and thankful to have escaped notice
paid for my breakfast and left. At |
the cabstand I chose the least dilapi |
dated hanson ] could find. and giving
the driver the address of the Gilmore |
residence. in the East end. got In
was just in time AS the cab
turned and rolled off. a slim young |
man in straw hat separated himself \
from little group of men and hur
ried toward us.
Hey Wait minute therel" he
called. breaking into a trot.
But the cabby did not hear. or per
haps did not care to. We logged com
fortably along. to my relief. leaving
the young man far behind. I avoid
reporters on principle. having learned
long ago that | am an easy mark for
a clever interviewer.
It was perhaps nine o'clock when l
left the station Our way was along
the boulevard which Rugged the aide
of one of the city's great hills. Far
below. to the left, lay the railroad
tracks and the seventy times seven
looming stacks of the mills. The white
mist of the river, the grays and blacks
of the smoke blended into a half-re-
vealing haze, dotted here and there
with fire. 1t was unlovely, tremen-
dous. Whistler might have painted It
with its pathos, its majesty. but he
would have missed what made 1t in
finitely suggestive-the rattle and
roar of iron on iron. the rumble of
wheels. the throbbing beat. against
the ears, of fire and heat and Drawn
welding prosperity.
Something of this / voiced to thu
grim old millionaire who was respon
sible for at least part of IT, He waa
propped up in bed in his East end
home, listening to the market reports
read by a nurse, and he smiled little
at my enthusiasm.
Il can't see much beauty in it my.
SELF" he said But it's our badge of
prosperity. The full dinner pail here
means a nose that looks like a fiue.
Pittsburg without smoke wouldn't be
Pittsburg, any more than New York
prohibition would be New York. Sit
down for a few minutes, Mr. Blakeley
Now, Miss Gardner. Westinghouse
Electric"
The nurse resumed her reading in
a monotonous voice. She read liter
ally and without understanding. using
initial and authorizations as they came
But the shrewd old man followed her
easily.
AS the nurse droned along. l found
myself looking curiously at a photo
graph in a silver frame on the bed
side table. It was the picture Of q
} girl in white, with her hands clasped
} loosely before her. Against the DARK
background her figure stood out slim
and young Perhaps It was the rather
grim environment. possibly it was my
r mood, but although as a general thing
photographs of young girls make nc
} appeal to me, this one did. / found
my eyes straying back to II. BY {
J little finesse l even made out thu
) name written across the corner. "Ali
SON."
E Mr.. Gilmore lay back among hii
pillows and listened to the nursei
listless voice. But he was watching
I me from under his heavy eyebrows
I for when the reading was over. ant
2 we we're alone. he indicated the pic
i ture with a gesture.
4 Il keep it there TO remind mysel
[ that I am an old man." he said. "Tha
/. is my granddaughter, Alison West"
d I expressed the customary polit
l surprise, at which, finding me respon
{ sive. he told me his age with chuC
d lkle of pride. More surprise, this tim
d genuine From that we went to wha
l. he ate for breakfast and did not ca
e for luncheon, and then to his reserv
d power, which at 65 became a matte
n for thought. And so. in wide circle
n back to where we started, the picture
d Father was a rascal" John Gi
more said. picking up the frame. 9TH
8 happiest day of my life was when
It knew he was safely dead in bed an
d not hanged. If the child had locke
like him. I-weli, she doesn't. She
n a Gilmore. every inch. Supposed
s. look like me-"
n Very noticeably." / agreed soberl.
d had produced the notes by this
C. time and replacing the picture M
'f Gilmore gathered his spectacles froi
ID beside it, He went over the four note
n methodically, examining each car
d fully and putting 1t down befor
he picked up the next. Then h
ID leaned back and took off his glasse
n. They're not so bad" he sal
s. thoughtfully mot so bad. But
ID never saw them before. That's m
l unofficial signature. am inclined
~ think'--he was speaking partly
&c himself-"to think that he has q
le hold Of a letter Of mine. probably
Sc Alison. Bronson was a friend Of b.
n rapscallion Of a father"
g. took Mr. Gilmore's deposition an
Of put it into my travelling bag with Il
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