Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-09-01

specter of persons: that big income
may be lived to !ts limit with nothing
left when the brain force which COM
manded 1t ceases to function. Her IA
Their produced perhaps fifteen to twcn-
ty thousand dollars Il year in his broker
age business, and he had saved moth
, Ing. Thus Mt one stroke she was put
! on an equal footing with the stcnog-
raphcr In her fnthcr's office. Scarcely
| equal either. for the stcnographcr earn
ed her bread and was technically equip
! ped for the task whereas EStclla Ben
ton had no training whatsoever except
| III social usage. She did not set fully
realize just what nad ovcrtakcn her.
! Things had happened so swiftly, so
| ruthlcssly, that she still vcrgcd upon
! the incrcdulous. Habit "lung fast. But
! she had begun to think, to try and es-
taDliSh some working relation between
herSelf and things uS Shc found them.
| She had discovered already that GER
tain theories of human relations are
| not soundly established IN fact.
She turned ut last IN her seat The
| Limitcd's whistle had sllrillcd for n
| stop. At the next stop-shc wondered
what lay in store Cor her just beyond
the next stop. While she dwclt NEIL
| tally upon dis her hands were gather
Ing up some few odds aud ends OF her
belongings on the berth.
| Across thc aisle Il large, smooth faced
young man watched her with covert
| admiration. When she hnd settled
back with bag ana suit case locked
ana strapped on the opposite seat and
! WIS hated and Elovcd he leaned over
| and addressed her gcninly:
| "Gctting OF ut IIopyurd? 'Inppcn to
be going ont Ia Rearing SpringsY'
Miss Bcnton's gray eyes rested I'M
personally On the top OF his head, trav-
| clcd slowly down over the trim front of
his blue serge to the POLISHED tim on
fords on his feet, ana there wns not IN
eyes or on countcnan"e the slightest
| sign that she saw or heard him. The
| large young man flushed II vivid red.
Miss Benton was partly amused, part
ly provoked. The large young man had
been her vis-a-vis Mt dinner the day be-
fore and at breakfast that morning.
IrSIe, had erinccdoa yearning fs,, CONVEX.
sation each time, but It Ind been dip
lomatically confined to salt md other
condiments, the weather and the seem
cry. Miss Benton Ind no objection to
young men In general. quite the con-
trary, but she did not consider it quite
the thing to countcnance every amiable
stranger.
Within few minutes the porter
came for her things, and the blast OF
tho Limitcds whistle wnrncd her that
1t was time to leave the train. Ten
minutes later the limited was n van
1shing object down an aisle slashed
through forest of great trees, and
| Miss Estclla Benton stood on the plank
| platform In uopyard station.
Beside the platform were ranged two
| touring cars. Three or four OF those
| who had aiightcd entered these. Their
baggage was piled over the hoods,
Ducklcd on the running boards. The
driver Of one car approa ,'hcd her. "IIot
| Springs?" he inquired ,"rscly.
She affirmed this. and he took her
| baggage, likewise her trunk check when
she asked how that article would be
transported to th" .aEc. She had some
| idea of route and means from her
brothers written inStrlr!icn. but she
| thought he might have been there to
meet her. At least he wuu,d be ut the
I Springs.
so she WAS whirlcd along II country
I road, joltcd in the tunhcan between II
| fat man from Ca gar and Il rheumatic
dame on her way 10 take hot sulphur
| baths at st. AiwoodS. She passed
a secdy farmhonScs. primitive in cen
struction, and big barns with moss
I plcntifully clinging on roof md gable
The stretch Of "harrcd stnmps was left
far behind. but in every field Of grain
and vegetable and root great butts Of
fir and cedar rose amid the crops. Her
first Indefinitely agreeable impression
Of this land, which so far as she knew
must be her home. was Of those huge
and numerous stumps contending with
| crops for possession Of the fields.
AT first she had been ovcrpowered
with sense of insignificance utterly
foreign to her previous experience, but
now she discovered with an agreeable
sensation of surprise she could vibrate
to such keynote. And while she
communed with this pleasant discoy-
cry the car sped down straight
stretch and around corner and stop.
ped short to unload sacks OF mail at a
weather beaten yellow edificc, its win.
dows displaying indiscrminately In.
dian baskets, groceries and hardware
Northward opened broad scope of
lake level, girt about with tremendous
peaks whose lower slopes were banked
with thick forest.
Somewhere distant along that lake
shore was to be her home. AS the car
rolled over the 400 yards between store
and white and green st. Allwoods she
wondered If Charlie would be there to
meet her. She was weary of seeing
strange faces, Of being directed, Of be-
ing hustled about.
! But he was not there, and she re-
called that lie never mad been notable
for punctuality. Five years Is long
time. She expected to find him changed
hnf In, fai n