The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1921-01-06

/
| "The homestead rush is on here In
earnest; the trains are crowded, most
| ~ with Americans. and the hotels are
simply splitting over.
II wanted TO ask some one about
| Arthurs, and / didn't like TO inquire
! in the hotel. There was. a lot of
| drinking going on there. But near
the door were two young men talking,
and | overheard one of them mention
Arthurs' name. Pulling myself to-
| gether, asked him If he could tell noe
| where Arthurs lived.
"'Yes, miss he answered, lifting
big hat and showing when he spoke
| clean set of teeth. It's twenty-five
miles up the river. Were you expect
ing him to meet your
81 explained that had intended TO
drop in on them by surprise, but had
Ind no idea they lived so far from
| town.
"'Oh. that's not far he said. Can
you ride?'
Everybody here rides horseback.
It's the standard means OF locomOtion.
bit shocked at first, hut you soon get
used to II. But twenty-five miles Is
different from a romp round the pas
ture-feld so I said was afraid not
"'Arthurs Is coming down with the
blackboard remarked the other man.
Il passed him on the trail as l came
in
"Sure enough. little later Arthur
himself drew up at the hotel.
wouldn't have known him. but one OF
the young men pointed him out, and
Ii 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 II. he had
drawn me up and kissed me. But
didn't care. All OF sudden II
seemed to me that had found zeal
father. II seems hard to say I. but
that Is how I felt.
swell. he just couldn't keep away
from me all evening. He shOwered
mc with questions about you and IN.
u. u
could, but soon found couldn't
keep my secret, so just up AM told
him all. He was very grave but not
cross. You need time to think things
over. and to get right perspet tive
he said, and our home will be yours
until you do
1--WE drove home the next day, up n
wonderful river valley, deep into the
heart OF the foothills. with the blue
mountains always reckoning and re.
ceding before us. Mrs. Arthurs was
as surprised and delighted as he had
been, and l won't try to tell you ali
the things she said To me. She cried
little, too, and I'm afraid came
near helping her 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 the spirit that's In
side II. / can't describe II, 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 GER
tainly not lazy, and they've accom-
plished more than we have. When
they left Manitoba in the early days
discouraged with successive fr0sts,
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 o
township of land. And still they seem
to live for the pure happiness they
find In life. and only to think of their
property as secondary cOnsdera'
tion.
snow / really must close. Mrs. Ar.
thurs sends a note, and I'm quite sure
it's an invitation. Oh, mother. what
could be lovelier! Now, don't say you
can't. Father has plenty of money;
let him hire Il housekeeper for a
while. The change will do him good,
Love to you, dearest, and TO Allan.
IL he still thinks of me.
"BEULAH.
"P. 81 forgot Ia mention that Jim
Travers left Plainville on the same
train as ] did. lie could hardly be-
llevc his eyes when he saw me there.
| told him | was going west on n
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
off n few stations from Plalnville. Be
tween you and me, | believe he
changed his plan SO that the incident
our being on the train together, you
lnow--could not be misunderstood II
the neighbors got TO know OF H. II
would be just like Jim TO do that"
With Beulahs letter was Il short but
earnest note from Lillian Arthurs, as
surfing the mother Of her daughters
welfare, and pressing an invitation to