The San Francisco call., 1913-08-31

T HALF-PAsI 1 o'clock the Junction was
n about 10 undergo its brief daily stir Of life
n smoke from the locomotive the branch road
be ascending from beyond the sand
hills in another moment the train would
The station agent appeared on the PLATFORM
= hundred yards away. on the hotel veranda stood
carrick the hotel keeper daughter Caroline, and
the Chinese boy who helped in the kitchen.
From the train. when it had pulled in. aiighted
some thirty persons mostly They-took their way
across the glarIng, sandy stretch to the hotel
They were dusty and tanned, they wore felt hats
soft shirts they were just such people as Car
rcs daughter had been accustomed to welcome every
day at this bid farewell to the next morn
ing she looked at them without interest and without
anfnosity Her father who still the duties
OF host greeted them with nervous hospitality This
way gentlemen this way, please" and with little
cough, which weary, rather than important he
inside and standing behind his desk pushed
forward the hotel register
His daughter Caroline stood by with the keys ana
assigned the guests their rooms. She was tall and
slender young and in her felt hat and khaki
skirt with Mexican sash. of the stood
by watching her while she dealt the keys
She turned to him at last.
Here's yours she said. Eighteen is last
room on the right-through that
The looked at her oddly seemed
haste to take the key. Caroline narrowed her eyes,
his look disauieted and displeased her Yet the man
handsome-taH. 1.-THE. with black hair, straight
and unstreaked by gray, long black eyelashes and
straight black inustache; his nose, his mouth, his
chin of a hneness rather remarkable in that
region he walked away Caroline watched him
with certain admiration for his bearing and fgure
register feaQ
David Temple. Then he passed out of her mind
she had her tasks in the kitchen and dining
and did him again until supper.
He facing her at the table and he looked at
her somewhat wistfully. But only half hour be-
FORE the train from Los Angeles had brought her
letter which rendered her unconscious Of OBJ
servers pleasantly preoccupied. The happy light in
her eyes, the quiet contentment Of her lips. which
intimated and then abstractedIy the beginnings
of dreamy SMILE made her still more charming TO
the
The flies thrummed on the window-screens. the un-
shaded kerosene lamps gIowed their brackets
against the brown pine walls. the od-fashoned fly
fans rotated lumberingly above the long tables
Most of the men had taken of their coats and hung
them over the backs of their chairs they sat in
their shirt-sleeves with garters about their
arms; most of them had their napkins tucked in at
their necks and utilized them at intervals to mop
their perspirng faces.
On all sides talk of the Valley, from which
the men had come-sanguine talk about its wonder
full fertility its crops What one man had made in
onions. another in asparagus third in cantaioupes
what land would be selling for in two three
when its adaptabty for oranges had been fully
dcronstrat ted--these themes discussed in
voices. 1t was the sort 0 talk, the excited
confident prophetic talk which Caroline had heard
daily for six months; every who passed through
the Junction to have perfect assurance that
wealth was ahead OF him. the first month it had
interested and amused Caroline then it had embit-
tered her She and her father had bright pros
poets this country.
After SUPPER she seated herself at the writing
table in the ONCE and proceeded the eIetter
which the afternoon train had brought The 9trav-