Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1921-12-31
PART Continued.

tntiPS oh0 1hoP iiNV"C huW MGEG
lighted, and, after dreary hesitation,
he went In search of a ~pawn-shop, and
found one. Tie old mar who operated
II must have been a philanthropist, for
Noble was so fortunate es to secure a
loan of nine dollars upon his watch.
Surprised at this, he returned to the
station, and went back to the same old
bench.
A little after six o'clock a changing
and commotion In the train-shed out
side, attending the arrival Of a
Through express" stirred him from
his torpor. He walked heavily across
the room to the same ti~cket-wlndow
he had blocked before, but there was
no queue attached to 1t now. He
rested his elbow on the apron and his
chin upon his hand, and for some mo-
ments the clerk waited until he should
state his wishes. This was a new
clerk, who had Just relieved the other.
"Welll Weir he said OF last.
"IIl take 1t now" Noble responded,
gently.
"What'll You take nowT"
"That ticket"
"What ticketY"
"The same one I wanted before"
Noble sighed.
The clerk gave him a piercing look,
glanced out OF the window and saw
that there were no other clients, then
went to a desk at the farther end Of
his compartment, and took up some
clerical work he had In hand.
Noble leaned upon the apron of the
window, waiting; and Ii he thought
anything, he thought the man was
serving him.
The high, resonant became
clamorous with voices and with the
mingling echoes Of footsteps on the
tiled floor, as passengers from the ex-
press hurried to the street, or
yaily struggled through, shouting to
friends who came to greet them; and
among these moving groups there
walked a youthful fine lady n~oticeably
%enlivening to the dullest eye. She was
preceded by a brisk porter who car
riad two ira 7eling bags of a rich sort,
as we'll as Il sack of implements for
the game Of golf and she was warm
In dark furs against which the vastly
Glump of vi Diets she wore showed
levy gleamings Of blue.
At sight of Noble Dill, more than
pensive at the ticket-window, she hest
tated, then stopped and observed him.
Here was a coincidence, In a mild
way, for, as it happened, she was her
self the most observed person In all
that place.. She was yelled In two
wells, but she had been seen In the
train without these, and some of her
tellow-travelers, though strangers to
her, were walking near her In q hypo-
critical way, hoping stlll not to lose
sight Of her, even yelled. And although
the Surroundings permitted the most
meager information of her features,
what they did reveal was harmfully
piquant moreover, there was a sweet
ness to the figure, a disturbing grace;
and nothing DISCUSSES such an air OF
wearing that many violets as a daily
aerquisite and matter of course.
1t was Julia's fortune (though her
father had other Ideas concerning the
matter) to be the possessor of a per
sonality distinctly pleasing to the
masculine eye, and of this the fair
Julia was probably aware. In any
went she was quite conscious Of the
stir which her passage through the
throng created.
SO the coincidence came about that
this observed lady stopped and OBJ
served Noble, who In return observed
her not at all, being but semiconscious.
"Noble |" she said,
He stared at her. His elbow sagged
away from the window; the whole
person of Noble Dill seemed near col
lapse. He shook, and had no voice.
Il just this minute got off the
train," Julia said. "Are you going
away somewhere"
mo" he whispered; then obtained
command of q huskiness somewhat
greater In volume. I'm just standing
here"
II told the porter to get me a taxi
cab" she said. "If you're going home
for dinner I'll drop you at your house"
e I'm l." His articulation
encountered unsurmountable difficult
ties, but Julia had been with him
through many such trials aforetime.
She said briskly. ."Tm awfully hungry |
and I want to get home. Come on-if
you like"
He walked ~waveringly at her side
through the station, and followed her
into the dim interior of the cab, which
became fragrant Of violets-an ema-
nation at once ineffable and poisonous.
"Tm so glad / happened to u
across you" she said, as they began
TO vibrate TREMENDOUSLY in unison with
ehe fierce little engine that drove them.
Il want TO hear all the news. Nobody
knows I'm home. ! didn't write or
telegraph to a soul; and I'll be a
complete surprise to father and every
body don't know how pleasant a