The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1915-01-15

inasg Every normal woman. no mat.
tor what sort Of bungalow. palace,
ranchhouae. cave. cottage, or tene'
ment she may be living IN. hes in her
minds eva a picture OF the sort Of
apartment she'd live in irehe could az.
ford Il. I've had mine mapped out
from the wallpaper m the front hall
to the laundry tubs IN the basement,
and Il doesn't even bear family re-
semblance to this"
I'm sorry" atammered T. A. Buck.
you asked my opinion and II"
"Opinionl II every one had 40 IT.
tie tact al TO give their true opinion
when Il was asked this would be a
miserable world. asked you because
! wanted you to lie. ! expected Il Of
you. / needed bolsterlng up. ] real
lie that the rent I'm paying and the
nat I'm getting form a geometrical
problem where X equsle tho unknown
quantity and only the agent knows
the answer. But it's going to be a
home for Jock and me. IT'S going to
be a place whore he can bring his
friends; where he can have his books,
and his 'bRccy, and his college junk.
Il will be the first real home that
youngster has known in all his mis-.
cradle clearinghouse, hotel, boys
school, and college existence. Some
times when | think of what he's
missed, Of the loneliness and the neg
lect when I was on the road, OF the
b~arrennese OF his boyhood, T."
T. A. Buck started forward as one
who had made up his mind about
something long considered. Then he
gulped, ~retreated. paced excitedIy to
the door and back again. On the re-
turn trip he found smiling and repent
ant Emma McChesney regarding him.
Now aren't you sorry you insisted
on coming along? Letting yourself in
for a Raging like that? / think I'm a
wee bit taut in the nerves at the pros.
pect Of seeing Jock-and planning
things with him-I-"
T. A. Buck paused In his pacing.
"Don'ti" he said. 81 had II coming
to me. / did It deliberately. / want
cd to know how you really felt about
It."
r. A. Buck was regarding the head
Of his walking stick with a gaze as
intent as that which he previously
had bestowed upon the chandelier.
Mrs. McChesney had wandered into
the dining room. She peered out OF
windows. She poked into buffers pan.
try. She Inspected wall lights. And
stin r. A. Buck stared at his stick.
TITS really robbery" came Emma
MoChesney's voice from the next
o "only a New York agent could
have the nerve to do II. I've a friend
who lives in Chicago-Mary Cutting.
You've heard me speak OF her. Has a
nat on tho North side there. just next
door to the lake. The rent is ridicu-
lous; and-would you believe lt?--the
fiat is equipped with bookcases, and
gorgeous mantel shelves, and buffet,
and bathroom fixtures, and china clos
cts, and hall tree"
Her voice tralied into nothingness
as she disappeared into the kitchen.
T. A. Buck did not look up. But,
"oh, Chicagol" he might have been
heard to murmur, as only a New York.
err a breathe those two words.
Don't oh, Chlcagol' like that"
mimicked Emma McChesney. "rve
lain awake nights dreaming OF q home
l once saw there, with the lake in the
back yard, and a couple OF miles OF
veranda, and a darling vegetable gar
den, and tine whole place simply honey
combed with bathrooms. and sleeping
porches, and sur parlors, and linen
closets, and-gracious, I wonder
what's keeping Jockl"
r. A. Buck wrenched his eyer from
his stick. All previous remarks de.
scriptive Of his eyes under excitement
paled at the glow which lighted them
now. They glowed stralsh& into EN-
ma McChesney's eyes and held them,
startled.
Emma" said T. A. Buck quito calm
ly, will you marry met l want to
give you all those things, beginning
with the lake in the back yard and
ending with the linen closets and the
u parlor."
And Emma McChesney, standing
there in the middle OF the dining
room floor, stared long al t. A. Buck
standing there in the center Of the
living room floor. And II any human
face, in the space Of seventeen sec
onds, could be capable Of expressing
relief, and regret, and alarm, and dis
may, and tenderness. and wonder, ant
a great womanly sympathy, Emma Nc
Chesney's conntenance might be sail
to have expressed all those emotions
and more. The last two were upper
most as she slowly came toward him
ct. A." she said, and her voice haI
in II a marvellous quality, "Tm thirty
nine years old. You know I was maj
ried when ! was eighteen and 50
my divorce after eight years. Thos
eight years would have left any won
an who had endured them with one q
two determinations: to take up III
aoagn aud hpluU u nut intn the auI