Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-18

"One would be blind not to discover that.
4He has failed dreadfully, hasn't he?" she
asked in tone betraying her anxiety.
Quite slowly, as if with reluctance, he
agreed-and again for few minutes they
sat without speech, each engrossed with
thought. There was something almost of
despair in her voice when she again turned
to him and shifted in her seat as if wearied
of looking out over the unchanging western
mountains which stood inhexible and unfeel-
ing against the skyline, needless of the vi
cissitudes of those who dwelt within their
view.
Tell me-" she said, as if longing for some
word of encouragement, what is to be the
end of all this? | can talk to you more
freely than to anyone else, save Uncle Bur
nah, and of late he has become SO quiet, so
what shall | say?-so changed, that can't
get him to say anything
Lester smiled with show of scorn that
he would have concealed had not the shad-
ows been so heavy as to render it obscure.
u don't suppose he feels like saying much
of anything he answered. @Why should
he? He is the only one know of in Port
Hatch that made and kept his money"
THAT is unkind of your she declared
with hasty firmness. 3You have no right to
say that 1 don't like it. 1t doesn't seem
quite worthy of you, because you can see
for yourself that he is doing the best he can.
and that he too has suffered. He shows it.
At least he hasn't deserted us, as nearly the
whole town has done"
TESTER fought desire to express his opin-
- ion of Burmah, and then suddenly sat
up and leaned against the stone railing. He
wondered if he had been quite fair to Bur
nah Jones. The girl by his side had stated
truth; for Burmah was still there. 1t GER
forra n NOT hot 1,o1 aI
mercenary as Lester had suspected. Why
had he stood steadfast when it would have
been better for his own interest had he gone
with the Others? He found himself puzzling
over this, and at last contented himself by
saying, u beg pardon. l shouldn't have
said anything about him.
II knew you would admit it, Arabella
replied. at isn't like you to say mean
things. Do you know, that's one reason
why l admire you! You have been here
ever since we have, and you are always the
should like you more if you weren't so dread
fully aloof.s
He was aware that she was studying him.
and he grew restless under her look, and
tried to shift the topic. @You wanted to
know what think will be the end of this?"
he said. @Well, I'll tell you. The end will
be that there will be nothing here on this
point but the villa. There is nothing to
make a city here for many years now, save
a railway. 1t could be great city with
that, and it would have been beautiful; but
it was only a dream on the Colonel's part,
and a-well, let us say hope on the part
of Burmah Jones'"
He could tell by her attitude that she was
respondent over his prediction, and sur
missed that she had been hoping that he
would say something encouraging, when
there was no encouragement to be given in
truth. He thought it best to make it plain
to her that if she still had any lingering hope
it could but prove groundless.
@Listen!' he said in a gentle voice, and
bending toward her so that he could see her
face more clearly as she sat there in the
dusk. Sometimes it's kinder to be cruel
There's not chance in the world for Port
Hatch without railway. The railway has
announced that it will go to Seattle, and
that seems final. The Colonel is only vast
ing his time and what small money he has
left by staying here. He should close Mar
guard and 60 before his last money is
gone"
money! she responded as he paused
aMoney! Why, do you know that l don't
believe he has had dollar left in the last
month? Do you know that suspect, al
though I can't find out, that his bank bal