Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-12-12

iONeu anu the IuOSL InduueuluS pdie
of 1t was that he was the man of all
others her father would have chosen
for her had such choice been pos
sible-
He bit on his cigar, turning 1t over
between his teeth. and looked side
wise at her as she sat silent in the
sleigh beside him. She was unques-
tionably pale. pale and listless, her
body wrapped in enveloping furs, sunk
in an attitude of weariness. her eyes
full of detected reverie. Even to his
blindly-groping, masculine perceptions
her distrait looks, her dispirited ST.
lence, told of melancholy preoccupa-
ton. She was not happy-his Rose.
who. If she had wanted 1t and he could
have bought, begged or stolen It,
would have had the moon.
Tonight, in her white dress, the
mellow radiance of the lamp throw
ing out her figure against the shadowy
richness of the dining-room walls, she
bore the same appearance Of despon-
dency. Her luster was dimmed, her
delicate skin had lost its dazzling, sep
arated bloom of pink and white, her
EiduCe was dDSthl anu uhiSoPohbifS.
Never. since the death of her mother,
now ten years back, had he seen her
when 1t was SO obvious that she har-
bored an inner. unexpressed sense Of
trouble.
81 guess the city's the best place for
you," he said. "Roughing it don't
seem to suit you II COWS and chickens
keep you awake all night. I've seen
the time when the hotel at Rocky Bar
would have been considered the top
notch of luxury. I wish you could see
the places your mother lived In when
I first took her up here. You're a
spoiled girl, Rose Cannon"
"Who spoiled me. wonder?" she
said, looking at him with a CLEAN of
humor in her eyes.
We're not calling names tonight"
he answered. anyway. not since
Genes gone. All my desire to throw
things and be ugly vanishes when that
boy gets out. So the noises at Rocky
Bar kept you awake?"
Yes, and l was wakeful, anyway"
ring her coffee. He thought she ap-
peared conscious and said:
What made you wakeful. guilty
conscience?"
Guilty conscience!" she repeated
in a tone that was full of indignant
surprise. why should have guilty
conscience?"
Lord knowsl Don't fire off these
conundrums at me. l don't know all
your secrets. honey"
She did not answer. He glanced
furtively at her and saw that her face
had flushed. He took cigar from
the box the butler had set at his ell
bow and bit of the end.
How should / know the secrets of
young lady like you? A long time
ago, perhaps, l used to, after your
mother died and you were my little
Rosey, fourteen years old. Lord. how
cunning you were then! Just begin
ming to lengthen out, a little woman
and little girl. both in one. You
didn't have secrets in those days or
wakeful nights either"
He applied a match to the end 81
the cigar and drew at 1t. his ears
strained for his daughters reply. She
again made none and he shot a quick
glance at her. She was still stirring
her coffee. her eyebrows drawn to-
gether. her eyes on the swirl of brown
in the cup. He settled himself in his
chair. bulky figure. his clothes
ribbed with creases. his head low be-
tween his shoulders, and n reek of
cigar smoke Issuing from his lips.
How'd you like it up there. any
way?"
up where?"
up at Antelope. II was sort OF
strange, new experience for you"
"Oh. liked 1t SO much-I loved part
of It. liked the people much better
than the people down here. Mrs. Per
ley. and Cora, and Perley. and Will
loughby-did you ever know a nicer
man than Willoughby ?-and Judge
washburne. He was a real gentle
man, not only in his manners but
down in his heart. And even Perley's
boy. he was so natural and awkward
and honest. l felt different from what
do here, more myself. less as II out
side things were influencing me to do
things l didn't always like to do or
mean to do. l felt as II I were doing
just what I ought to dots hard to
express it-as If We're being true"
"Oh," said her father with falling
infection which had n sound of sig
nificant comprehension.
DO you know what I mean?" she
asked
81 can make a sort of guess at it,
He puffed his cigar for a moment.
then took 1t from his mouth. eyed the
lit end, and said:
How'd you like Dominick Ryan ?
You haven't said anything about him. =
Her voice. in answering. sounded
low and careful. She spoke slowly. as
If considering her words:
"I thought he was very nica and