Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1917-04-12


49, sssSsEzsy hour of her days with him.
1t grew warmer with aging spring,
and almost Immediately he was able
to sit with her and watch the stream
Of logs coming in over the line from
Thirty Mile and beyond.
Miriam and Garry were married in
that week which followed directly
Steye's first days of conyalescence.
Steve and Barbara were at the win
dow together, Steve OutWardly still
little pale and haggard, but for the
rest his old serene self again. He man
aged not to smile at her small and seri-
Gus face.
ut certainly has not strengthened my
vanity little bit, either" said he, 'tO
learn how smoothly things can move
along without me-"
Day by day the girl was finding her
way deeper into that innermost heart
Of him which he had never shared with
other woman OF man. Hour by hour
she was learning to know him better,
and yet his whimsical gravity still
could deceive her--she was sometimes
thoughts behind his thoughts. Hard
upon his reply her eyes flashed with in
dignatiOn.
"Pooh!' she scoffed. pooh. Most
any Old clock will run after somebody's
wound it up!'
1t was a trick of speech that she
had learned from him, but his employ
ment Of parallel, laZily amiable for the
most part, had never been so holly par
tisan as was hers at that moment
And suddenly self conscious, suddenly
confused and warmly disconnected at
the quality of his gaze she had to hide
her head. But she hid it upon a shout
der most conveniently at hand.
Spring gave way to early summer
and now Steve was able to be on his
feet again, so absurdly uncertain Of
balance at first, however, that she ridi-
culed him numerically one moment
only to rush to him in Il panic of So
licitude the next There came long
walks and longer trips in the saddle;
came hours of silence that were the
more wonderful for want OF words
hours in which, in a hushed voice, she
gave him shyly Of her plans. But al
ways, too, the Interruptions grew More
and more frequent and insistent. Fat
Joe and Mclean and even Hardwick
Elliott made more and more pressing
demands upon his time until finally
he insisted that he could no longer play
shamelessly the invalid. He must look
in upon the works up river if 9nly for
the moral effect which it would have
upon the men. She aSsented grudGing-
ly. It would be but day or two and
then-then he would come back to her
The next morning, at the moment
when Barbara and Steve were mount
ing their horses, for she wanted to ride
with him a little way, Dexter Allison
chose to disclose something which had
been but lately in the process Of preKa-
ration. He joined them at the edge of
the lawn before the white columned
house on the hill.
Easing back into harness. / under
stand" he began, not quite comf0rta
bly,, however, for he was aware of
CLEAN Of disapprOval in his daughters
eyes at this interruption. well, there's
no great rush, but it's wise no doubt to
see that things don't lag" He hest
tated and shifted heavily to the other
foot. we'll want to start through to
the border by fall, suppose
well be ready" Steve had to laugh
at his lack Of ease.
"NO doubt-no doubt Again Dex-
ter hesitated momentarily. And then
there came to the surface that prone
ness to accept men for what they Wee
in a mans world which had long be-
fore convinced Caleb Hunter of Ali
sons inherent bigness.
"Elliott resigned the presidency Of
the East Coast company last night"
The statement was brief to actual
crispness. Il merely tell you this so
that you can begin to lay tentative
plans accordingly. because in view of
the immediate need of filing that va
cancy feel sure that there will be too
many demands upon your time here at