Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-07-03

A fine sense Of honor had kept me
from making use Of the life at the
Pines as a basis for a letter. but
longed to handle the subject as I saw
Il and to make others e 1t through
my eyes ana appreciate its beauty.
Shut in my away from the infu-
ence Of Miss Ellen, Of Bud and even
Of the colonel. l argued that such q
letter could do no harm and might In.
duce to much good. do not hide from
myself ever now that there was with
me q certain satisfaction 10 pleasing
those In the home Office. nor did I con-
ceal from myself then the additional
prestige such a letter might give me
With my critics. The editor had COM
plimented me on the first letter. What
would he not do when be received one
written with a pen guided by love and
every word Of It poured from the
hearth II Miss Ellen loved me, I ar.
gued. she would only rejoice with me
over my success. And then. too. she
might not zee It. This last thought
brought a blush to my cheek. and !
started up. determined to show her
my letter and tell her what I contem.
plated doinG.
What svfl genius led me 10 change
m- mind I do not know. It mishe
have been the fates Of the Wishing
stone whom l had angered BY PARTIAL
y revealing the secret l had con1dsd
to them. But at the time I was please1
to think 1t was a confidence I had no
right to give her until l had told her
Of my love. Then. too, II !. who was
90 Jealous Of the family honor 40 Bud
or even the colonel himself, saw no
improperly in making . Of their
heroic struggle with misfortunes. sure
y there could DO none, ! thought
When I should have told her Of my
love, together We would talk over these
hard times. and together we would read
my description Of them and laugh
over It, Or possibly cry. for it was a.
ways tho pathos Of the life at the
Pines which ! saw and not the humor.
When a woman loves she always un-
derstands, l said to myself, but l did
not know then how sensitive these old
families had become Of criticism nor
how deeply they felt their changed
conditions. I had only g their forti-
tude and bravery. for they would have
thought It beneath them to complain Of
their poverty to others.
Unless wrote some such letter,
which would afford me a reasonable
excuse for remaining another fortnight
at the Pines, l would have to leave In
4 day or two at the longest, for the sug-
gestion Of the managing editor was
nothing less than a politely worded or
der.
Cajoling myself into this belief,
I hesitated no longer. My mind once
made up, I was seized with a fever to
write such as I had not known since
the first days Of my career in Journal
Ism.
Taking out my writing pad and
throwing myself across the bed. !
wrote with an enthusiasm l had sci.
dom experienced. II n has not felt
this feverish desire to write he or she
cannot appreciate the feelings which
prompted me to hold up every detail
% I saw It and to lend 1t color where
color might DO lacking. Loving Miss
Ellen with q passion that absorbed me
then. / described her as a holy priest
paint the Madonna whom he
and with the accuracy
With which the artist might put upon
the canyas the features Of bis wife and
esildre1. a
~ blood ran more rapidly through!
~ veins al l sketcheQ Mss Ellse 10
bold relief and a faithfully described
RI honest father and pan1y brother.
~ names and the locality were con-
realed. but not more effectually thar
the artist might hide the name OF the
mother model who sat for the ma
oonna. one who had known the ar.
~ ana lis model would e 10 the
of5the Madonna q shawl the wire
.sd worn for ! score Of years 70 2
humble neighborhood and n the y.
80 Christ the idealised features q
models child. When describing
49, pllen ana her family \ felt IN