Carrizozo outlook. [volume] (Carrizozo, N.M.) 1910-1945, 1920-01-02
CHAPTER TX.

FON NfRNAN ~ 0hWhN ARoh
Hardy that this respectable. thriving
city. with It's well-dressed. properly
hammered people, It's public spirit. It's
nggresslveness, It's churches and thea
tiers and schools. It's law and order,
and It's afternoon tens. after all, was
the real West sincere, earnest; crude.
perhaps; bare, certainly: the scar Of
It's recant battle with the wilderness
still fresh upon Its person lacking the
finish that only time can give TO n
landscape or n civilization but lack.
Ing also the moldlness. the mustlness,
the lnsufferable nrtiAclnllty OF older
communities. Even Mrs. Hardy.
stepped for sixty years In n life Of
precedent and rule and caste. began
TO catch the enthusiasm of n new land
where precedent and rule and caste
are something OF a handicap.
"We must buy a home" she said to
Irene. ave cannot afford TO continue
living at a hotel, and wa must have
our own home. You must look up n
responsible dealer whose ndvice we
can trust In n matter OF this kind"
And was II remarkable that Irene
Hardy should think at once Of the Arm
Of Coward 4 Elden2 II was not. She
had, indeed, been thinking OF n mem
Der Of that firm ever since the decision
to move to the West. The fact In
Irene had not been nj all sure that she
wanted TO marry Dave Eden. She
wanted very much TO meet him again
she was curious TO know how the years
had Jared with him, and her curiosity
was not unmlxed with n finer senti-
ment hut she wns not at all sure that
she should marry him.
"What, Dave Eden, the million
alrei" Bert Morrison had said. EVERY
body knows him." And then the news
paper womnn had gone on to tell what
n figure Dave was In the business life
OF the city. "One Of our biggest young
men," Bert Morrison had said. IRE
served, n little; likes his W company
best but absolutely white"
That gave n new turn to the sltua-
ton. Irene had always wanted Dave
to he n success; suddenly she doubted
whether she had wanted him to be so
big n success. She had doubted wheth-
or she should wish to marry Dave (;
she had never allowed hersell to doubt
that Dave would wish TO marry her.
Secretly. she had expected to rather
daZZle him with her ten years devel-
0pment-with the culture and knOwl-
edge which study ana travel and life
had added to the chnrm 0f her young
%glrlhood and suddenly she realized
that her luster would shine but dlmly
In the greater glory Of his own. 8.
II was easy to locate the office Of
Coward n Eden II stood on n prln-
clpnl corner OF n principal street.
Thence she led her mother. and found
herself treadlng on tie marble floors
OF the richly appointed whiting room
In n secret excitement which she could
with difficulty conceal. She was, In.
deed. very uncertain about the next
development. Her mother had
to be reckOned with.
a young n asked c%ourteOusly
what could be done for them.
I'VE want TO see the head OF the
Arm" said Mrs. Hardy. ave wnntt to
buy n house"
They were shown into Conward's
office. Coward gave them the wei.
come Of n maj who expects to mike
money out Of his visitors. He placed
n very comfortable chair for Mrs.
Hardy; he adjusted the blinds 10 a
nicely he discarded his cigarette and
beamed upon them with ms great a
show OF cordiality ns his somewhat
beefy appearance would permit. Mrs.
Hardy outlined her life history with
considerable detail and ended with the
confession that the West was not as
bad MS she had feared and. anyway. It
was a case Of living here or dying else
where, so she would have TO make the
best OF Il. And here they were. And
might they see n housef
Coward appeared TO be rejecting,
AS n matter OF fact. he saw In this In
experienced buyer an opportunity to
reduce his holdings In anticipation OF
the impending crash. His difficulty
was that he had no key TO the nnan.
cial OF his visitors. The
only thing was to throw out "A feeler.
"You are wanting a nice home, /
take II, that can be bought at n favor.
able price for cash. You would con.
slider an Investment OF, say"
He paused, and Mrs. Hardy supplied
the Information for which he was
waiting. about twenty-five thousand
dollars" she said.
1--WE can hardly invest that much"
Irene interrupted, IN a whisper. I'VE
must have something to live on"