Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1912-08-09


as Jealous of the family honor as Bud
or even the colonel himself. saw no
improperly in making use OF their
heroic struggle with miSfortuncs. sure
ly there could be none. L thought.
When | should have told her or my
love. together we would talk over these
hard times. and together we would read
nv description of them and laugh
over it. or possibly cry. for 1t waS al
ways the pathos Of the life ut the
Pines which saw and not the humor.
When woman loves she always I'M
derstands. | said to myself. bat l did
not know then how sensitive these old
families had become OF criticism nor
how deeply they felt their changed
conditions. ! had only seen their forti-
tude and bravery. for they would have
thought it beneath them TO complain OF
their poverty 10 others.
Unless l wrote some such letter.
which would afford me n reasonable
excuse for remaining another fortnight
Mt the Pines, l would have to leave in
a day or two at the longest, for the sug-
cestion of the managing editor was
nothing less than politely worded or
der.
Cabling myself into this belief.
I hesitated no longer. My mind once
made up. was seized with fever to
write such as 1 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. If one has not felt
this feverish desire to write he or she
cannot appreciate the feelings which
prompted me to hold up every detail
as saw it and to lend it color where
color might be lacking. Loving Miss
Ellen with a passion that absorbed me
then, described her as a holy priest
might paint the Madonna whom he
worshiped and with the accuracy
with which the artist might put upon
the canvas the features Of his wife and
children.
MY blood ran more rapidly through
my veins as l sketched Miss Ellen IN
bold relief and as faithfully described
her honest father and manly brother.
| The names and the locality were con-
cealed, but not more effectually than
the artist might hide the name Of the
mother model who sat for the Ma
donna. One who had known the art
list and his model would see in the
wrap of the Madonna shawl the vile
| had worn for Il score OF years IN the
humble neighborhoOd and In the In
FAINT Christ the idealized features or
the models child. When describing
Miss Ellen and her family I felt In
spired and uplifted and left nothing
| out which thought would enhance the
| letter as picture. When had finished
1t read it over carefully, altering not
| a line. even adding here and there
| sentence which would lend one more
] bit Of color to the whole.
With this letter / sent a note to the
! editor telling him that would re-
| main In the vicinity Of Oglethorpe an
other fortnight unless he wrote me
to the contrary. I said there was
much more material about OgIethorpe
which l thought could be used to I'D
vantage. So highly did l think OF
what had written that I felt reason
| ably certain he would make no objec-
tons to my plans. and in another two
| weeks I hoped to have secured Miss
! Ellen's consent to become my wife.
She seemed to know by intuition
what was in my heart and what l had
| a mind to do, for she avoided being
alone with me. and whenever we
would walk after that she would ask
!, Bud to go with US. There was gen.
tie dignity about her during these last
| few days which kept me Mt n distance.
and II l paid her a compliment she
| would show annoyance. and when our
conversation would become personal
| In its nature she would remember
that she had left something unattend-
ed to or would find some excuse to
leave me with a half finished sentence
on my lips.
l soon saw too plainly that she did
not want me to speak to her Of love.
though she could not prevent my tell
inr her OF It with my ewes and by the
silent wav would watch her when
she would work. SQUIRE Hawkins
came again one evening. but she did
| NOT walk with him. and once when
i Bud got up to leave saw her lay her
hand ever SO gently on his sleeve.
which was sufficient to have kept him
In his seat all night lone ku,: she wish.
| ed II.
One morn,nr she received = letter =.
the hreotfcst table md after onenine
n md clonc,ny Mt tho sicnoture she
slipped It !, her belt. and when break