The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1916-09-14

The boy touched his lips delicately
with the point of his tongue. His
] gravity more than matched that OF his
Questioner
Affair tibet the-city?'
The words were soft of accent and
q little drawing. There was an &C.
companying gesture of one thumb
thrown backward over a thin shout
der. But Caleb had TO smile a little
at the breathless note in the query.
THE city he echoed. little puz
zled. The city! Well. now. r. And
he chuckled bit.
The boy caught him up swiftly. al
most sharply.
"Thet's-ain't tibet Morrison?" he de
manded
And then Caleb had glimmer OF
comprehension He nodded.
Yes" he answered quietly, that's
the city. That's Morrison down there. -
Il thought 1t war" he murmured,
and thread OF awe wove through the
words. II thought 1t est nachelly he'd
to be! Haow-haow many houses
would you reckon they might be daown
| -daown In tibet there holler?'
The owner OF the white columned
| house gave the question its need Of
reflection.
well. I'D say quite few hun.
dred at least"
The odd little figure bobbed his
head.
..That'o what OLD Ton, aIwavS cod "
] he muttered, more to himself than to
his hearer "An'--an' | guess l amt
never rightly believed him till naow."
And then. "Is-is New York. any big
ger?" he asked
The man al the picket fence smiled
| again. but the smile was without of.
| Tense.
well. yes" he answered; yes, con.
siderably bigger. | should judge-twice
as large at least. and maybe more than
! that"
| The boy did not answer. He Just
faced about to stare once more And
then the miracle came TO pass. Around
far bend in Dexter Allison's single
| spur track there came careening an
asthmatic switch engine with a half
dozen empty fats In tow. With a
brave putting and blowing of leaky
cylinder heads. it ratified across an
open space between piles of timber In
the mill yard and disappeared with a
shrill toot OF warning for unseen work
men upon the tracks ahead. The boy
froze to granite-like immobility as II
flashed into view Long after it had
passed from sight he stood like a bit
Of fantastic figure cut from stone.
Then a tremor shook him from head
to foot, and when 1t came slowly about
Caleb saw that his small face was
even whittier than 1t had been before be-
meath it's coat of tan and powdery
dust.
! He swallowed hard and tried to
speak and had to swallow again be
| fore the words would come.
ooh. I-may-die" ne broke out fal
teringly then. There goes a milne!
A steam injine, want it,"
Long afterward. when he had realized
that the boys life was to bring again
and again repetition of that sublime
moment Of fcaliZation-a moment of
fufillment unspoiled by surfeit or So
phlstication or blunted capacity to
marvel which Caleb had seen grow old
and sta'e even in the children he knew
he wondered and wished that he
might have known II himself. once at
least. Years OF waiting. starved years
of anticipation. he felt after all must
have been very little price to pay for
that great. binding. gasping moment
But at the time. amazed at the boys
white face, amazed at the hushed fer
vor in the words he forgot. he spoke
before he thought.
But haven't you ever seen ali engine
before? he asked
As soon as the question had left his
lips he would have given much to have
had it back again. But at that it fail
ed to have the effect which he feared
too late to check. Instead of coloring
with hurt and shame, instead of
subterfuge or evasion. the boy sim
ply lifted his eyes levelly to Caleb's
| face.
81 amt never seed nuthin'," he stat
Ell patiently. II amt never seed
clearin' before. IL amt never been
outen the timber-till today. But
aim to see more naow-before j git
done"
The view Is excellent from my
yeranda." said Caleb as be waved a
hand behind him "And-you look a
little warm and tired. If your bust
have you'-he broke of, amazed at his
helpless formallty In the matter-"have
you come far?'
And he wondered Immediately how
the boy would receive that suggestion
/ that he hesitate. there with the city"
in front of him. fairy tale to be ex-
plored. And again he was allowed to
catch a glimpse of age old spirit-a
glimpse of a man sized self discipline
beneath the childish exterior.
The boy hesitated a moment. but 1t
was his uncertainty as to just what
Caleb's invitation had offered and not
the lure of the town which made him
pause. He took one step forward.
Il been comm since last Friday" he
explained Il been comm daown riy-
er for three days naow, and I been
comm fast"
Again that measuring, level glance.
An amt got no business-yit," he
went on. "Thets what aim to locate
/ after I've he'd a chance TO look around
trife. But / am tired little, an so
II Won mean tibet you're askin' me to
stop for minit-if you mean tibet