Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-01-29

staring out at the range. The old
man was huddled down in his seat,
every line OF his figure spoke Of grief
and despair. OF all the places In Dem
yer, he liked best his brothers office
fronting the rampant of the noun
tains, and hour after hour he Eat there
quietly looking at the SUBMITS, some
times softly shrouded In white. some
times swept bare by the iercc winter
gales that blew across them. some
times shining and sparkling so that
the eye scarce sustain their reflection
of the dazzling sun OF Colorado: and
at other times seen dimly through
mists Of whirling snow.
Oh, yes, the mountains challenged
him also to the other side of the
range. His heart yearned for his
child, but he was too old to make
the attempt. Ha could only sit and
pray and wait with such faint and fad
ing hope az he could still cherish N
til the break up of the spring came.
For the rest he troubled nobody; no
body noticed him, nobody marked him.
nobody minded him. Robert Maitland
transacted his business a little moro
softly, q little gently. that al
all Yet the presence Of his brother
was = living grief and q living re-
proach to him. Although he was quito
blameless he blamed himself. He had
not known how he had grown to love
his niece until he had Lost her. His
conscience accused him hourly, and
yet he knew not where he was at
fault or how he could have done diff
ferently. It WAS = helpless and hope
less situation. To him, therefore, en-
tered Armstrong.
Maitland" he began. II can't stand
It any longer. I'm going into the noun
tains..
You are mad.1
Il can't help It. I can't sit here
and face them, damn them.~and re-
main quiet"
"You win never como out alive.
"Ohs res. I will; but II / don't, <
swear to God / don't care
Old Stephen Maitland rose unstead-
ily to his feet and sripped the back OF
his chair.
ibid / hear Alright, sirf" he asked,
with ali the polished and graceful orr
tesy Of birth and breeding which nsver
deserted him In n emergency what
sccver. DO you say"
II said / WAS going into the noun
tains to search for her"
at Is madness" urged Robert Matt
land.
But the old man did not hear him,
Thank Godt' he exclaimed with
deep feeling. II have sat here day aft
er day and watched those mighty hills,
and I have said to myself that II I
had youth and strength as ] have love.
I would not wait"
You ara right" returned Arm
strong, equally moved. and indeed It
would have been hard to have heard
and seen that father unresponsively;
and / am not going to walt. either
II understand your feelings. Jim,
and yours, too, Steve" began Robert
Maitland, arguing against his own emo
tious. even II she escaped the food,
she must be dead by this time"
You needn't 90 over the old argu-
ment. Bob. I'm going into the noun
tasns. and I'm going now. No." he
continued swiftly. as the other opened
his mouth 10 interposc further ohJcc-
tions, you needn't say another word.
I'm = free agent, and I'm old enough
to decide what ! can do. There il no
argument, there Is no force, there IL
no appeal, there il nothing that will
restrain me. I can't sit here and eat
my heart out when she may be there"
But its impossiblei"
1T Ia impossible. How do | know
that there may not have been some
body IN the mountains; she may have
wandered to some settlement, some
hunters cabin. some proapsctor's hut"
"But we wers there for weeks and
saw nothing. no evidence OF human
Ifty.n
II don't care. The mountains are
Allied with secret hooks you could pass
by within = stones throw. and nevsr
see into: shs may be in . OF them.