The spectator., 1920-12-17

! bought a ticket without further ado. "The homestead rush is on here in earnest the trains are crowded, most ly with Americans and the hotels are simply spilling over.
 "I wanted to ask some one about Arthurs, and I didn't like to inquire in the hotel. There was lot of drinking going on there. But near the door were two young men talking, and I overheard one of them mention Arthurs' name. Pulling myself to- gether, asked him if he could tell me where Arthurs lived.
 "'Yes, miss he answered, lifting a big hat and showing when he spoke clean set of teeth. Its twenty-five miles up the river Were you expect ing him to meet you?'
 "I explained that I had intended 10 drop in on them by surprise, but l had had no idea they lived so far from town.
 "'Oh. that's not far he said. Can you rider
 Everybody here rides horseback. It's the standard means of locomotion. And the women ride astride. l was bit shocked at first, but you soon get used to 1t. But twenty-five miles is different from romp round the pas ture-feld so I said I was afraid not. "'Arthurs Is coming down with the buckboard,' remarked the other man. I passed him on the trail as l came in
 Sure enough, . little later Arthurs | himself drew up at the hotel. wouldn't have known him, but one of the young men pointed him out, and it would have done you good to see how he received me. And you are | Jack and Mary's daughter he said, taking both my hands in his and holding me at arms length for mo ment. Then. before I knew it. he had | drawn me up and kissed me. But l | didn't care. All of a sudden 1t seemed to me that had found real father It seems hard to say 1t, but that Is how I felt.
 "Well, he just couldn't keep away | me with questions about you and fa- ther, which I answered as well as | could, but soon found couldn't keep my secret. so I just up and told 1 him all. He was very grave, but not cross You need time to think things over, and to get a right perspective, he said, and our home will be yours until you do.
 "We drove home the next day, up a wonderful river valley. deep into the heart of the foothills, with the blue mountains always beckoning and re ceding before us. Mrs. Arthurs was as surprised and delighted as he had been. and I won't try to tell you all the things she said to me. She cried a little, too, and I'm afraid l came near helping her a bit. You know the Arthurs lost their little girl before they left Manitoba, and they have had no other children. They both seemed just hungry.
 '.There's nothing so very fine about their home, except tho spirit that's in- side 1t. I can't describe it. but it's there a-certain leisurely way of do- Ing things, sense that they have made work their servant instead of their master. And still they're cer- tainly not lazy, and they've accom- | plished more than We have. When they left Manitoba in the early days, discouraged with successive frosts, they came right out here into the foot hills with their few head of stock. Now their cattle are numbered in thousands. and they have about q township of land. And still they seem f to live for the pure happiness they find in life and only to think of their property as secondary consdera- | tion.
 "Now really must close. Mrs. Ar thurs sends note. and I'm quite sure its an invitation. Oh. mother. what could be lovelier! Now. don't say you can't Father has plenty of money: : let him hire housekeeper for a while The change will do him good.
 Love to you. dearest, and to Allan. | if Ike still thinks of me.
 "BEUIAH. "P. S.-I forgot to mention that Jim | Travers left Plainville on the same train as I did. He could hardly be- lieve his eyes when he saw me there. I told him I was going west on a visit, but don't know how much he guessed. Said he was going west him. self to take up land but he wanted to call on some friends first, and he got of few stations from Plainyile. Be tween you and me, I believe he changed his plan so that the incident -our being on the train together, you know-could not be misunderstood if the nelghbors got to know of it. It would he just like Jim to do that"
 With Beulah's letter was short but earnest note from Lillian Arthurs, as- suring the mother of her daughters welfare, and pressing an invitation to spend the autumn in the glorious scenery and weather of the foothill