The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-07-11

suspect her mother, or her father, or
Transley, one or all, of being parties
to this trick; she believed that they
did not know 1t existed. She herself
did not know 1t existed. But the fear
was there.
After week she admitted, much
against her will, that possibly Denni-
son Grant had something to do with
1T. She had not seen him since she
had pressed his fingers and he had rid
den away through the smoke-haze of
the South Y.D. She had dutifully tried
TO force him from her mind. But he
would not stay out of it. 1t was about
that fact that her misgivings seemed
most to center. When she would be
thinking of Transley, and wondering
about the future, suddenly she would
Transley, but of Dennison Grant.
These discoveries shocked and humili
ated her. 1t was an impossible posi-
ton. She would throw Grant forcibly
out Of her mind and turn to Transley.
And then, in an unguarded moment,
Transley would fade from her con-
seriousness, and she would know again
that she was thinking of Grant.
At length she allowed herself the
luxury of thinking frankly about Den
nison Grant. 1t was a luxury. 1t
brought her secret happiness which
she was wholly at loss to under
stand, but which was very delightful,
nevertheless. She amused herself with
comparing Grant with Transiey. They
had two points In common: their ply
steal perfection and their fearless,
self-confident manner With these ex-
ceptions they seemed to be complete
contradictions. The ambitious Trans
ley worshiped success; the philoso-
phical Grant despised It. That differ
ence in attitude toward the world and
its affairs was ridge which separated
the whole current of their lives. 1t
even, In way, shut one from the view
Of the other; at least 1t shut Grant
from the view of Transley. Transley
would never understand Grant, but
Grant might, and probably did, un-
derstand Transiey. That was why
Grant was the greater of the two. :.
She reproached herself for such a
thought; 1t was disloyal to admit that
this stranger on the Landson ranch
was greater man than her husband
to-be. And yet hOnesty-or, perhaps,
something deeper than honesty-com-
PEELED her to make that admission.
She ran back over the remem-
bered incidents of the night they had
spent together, marooned like ship
wrecked sailors on rock In the foot
hills. His effectiveness, his courtesy,
his freedom from any conventional re-
straint, his manly respect which was
so much greater than conventional re
straint-all these came back to her
with a poignant tenderness. She pic
tured Transley In his place Transley
would probably have proposed even
before he bandaged her ankle Grant
had not said word of love, or even
Of affection. He had talked freely of
himself-at her request-but there
had been nothing that might not have
been said before the world. She had
been safe with Grant
After she had thought on this theme
for while Zen would acknowledge to
herself that the situation was absurd
and impossible Grant had given no
evidence of thinking more of her than
Of any other girl whom he might have
met He had been chivalrous only.
She had sat up with start at the
thought that there might be another
girl. =. Or there might be no girl
Grant was an unusual character.
AT any rate, the thing for her to do
was to forget about him. She should
have no place in her mind for any
man but Transley. 1t was true he
had stampeded her, but she had ac-
copied the situation In which she
found herself. Transley was worthy
of her-she had nothing to take back
she would go through with 1t.
On the principle that the way TO
drive an unweleome thought out of
the mind is to think vigorously about
something else. Zen occupied herself
with plans and day-dreams centering
about the new home that was to be
built in town. Neither her father nor
Transley had as yet returned from the
trip on which they had gone with a
view to forming partnership, so
there had been no opportunity to dis
cuss the plans for the future, but Zen
took 1t for granted that Transley
would build in town. He was so en-
thusiastic over the possibilities of that
young and bustling center of popula-
ton that there was no doubt he would
want to throw in his lot with 1t. This
prospect was quite pleasing to the
girl; it would leave her within easy
distance of her old home; Ii would in
troduce her to a type of society with
which she was well acquainted, and
where she could do herself justice,
and it would not break up the associa-
tons of her young life. She would
still be able, now and again, to take
long rides through the tawny foot
hills; to mingle with her old friends;
possibly to maintain a somewhat sis
terly acquaintance with Dennison
Grant
After ten days Y.D. returned-aIone.
He had scarcely been able to believe
the developments which he had seen.
1t was as though the sleepy, lazy cow
town had become electrified. I'd had
looked on for three days, wondering If
he were not in some kind of dream