White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1924-12-05

pulled at his pipe thoughtfully. 1T
never occurred to me that you didn't
recognize your own power. Let me
think a moment" He stared at the
ripping canvas over his head. Your
father was a remarkable man. II he
hadn't had such rotten bad health
he'd have been heard from in this
state. He was the best engineer
ever knew and a fine executive. l
mean that he could lay out big irri-
CATION scheme and get it built better
and quicker than any engineer in the
northwest He had natural instinct
for handling men and fine scientific
mind. You don't often see the two to-
gether. OF course, you know all this,
but evidently you haven't connected
it with the ability you show in your
own work"
Hugh shook his head and Bookie
went on.
your father had big brain, but it
was your mother who had the person
ality. l don't suppose anyone in the
world has ever really defined charm
She had it to a remarkable degree.
Yet l can't describe 1t to you! Love-
illness of character? Lots of people
have it and nobody cares about them.
Cleverness? She was not clever. She
was too big to be that Intellectual?
Yes, she was intellectual, but per
son can be intellectual and repellent
at the same time. She Oh, can't
describe it, But people liked to be
with her. They liked to do what she
wanted them to. And they liked to
know what she thought about things.
Her greatest gift was just that. Max
ing people see things as she saw
them"
Il remember that" said Hugh,
quickly. "She handled me as no one
else could"
YES" replied Bookie. after she
died and l took you over, of course
was interested in seeing what you'd
inherited from each of them. Your
interest in geology was easily ac-
counted for. And it looked during
your teens as if you'd inherited your
mothers character. remember when
you were fourteen, sent you up in
the wild horse country with half-a-
dozen riders to bring in some mares
that were running near Big Fang Re-
call it?"
"Jove, yes! We roped that little
mare Sissy you bred to Black Nav
erick. She was beauty"
Bookie grunted. Il thought that was
about what you'd remember! What
has remained in my mind is this.
That gang of riders l grubstaked
planned to leave the pick of the
horses they ran down up in that old
Indian corral at the foot of Big Fang
for themselves. So, to deceive you,
they famed your horse and left you
in camp with the cook"
"Oh, l do remember now!" ex-
claimed Hugh. II got the cook to
tell me who'd kicked my horse, and
when the men came in that night l
jumped Red Pete and tried my best
to lick him. He sure gave me a
trouncing!"
How'd you get the cook to tell
you" asked Bookie, watching Hugh
intently.
ooh, 1 don't recall that! He just
told," replied Hugh vaguely. Il
haven't fogiven Red Pete yet for kick
ing my horse"
We'll, what happened after he'd
licked your"
Il think told them what thought
Of guys that would do what they'd
done to my pony. l remember stand
ing by the fire with bloody nose and
telling them what rotten outfit they
were, and what that little old horse
meant to me and a lot of other things.
Anyhow they all got the point, for
they made Red Pete give me his best
mount"
"Is that all?" demanded Bookie.
"That's all that l remember just
now"
"Old Shorty Williams was the cook.
He told me that you made those hard
faced horse thieves break up like May
ice in the Roaring Chief. And that
they came to you for orders during
the rest of the hunt. Remembers"
Hugh smoked thoughtfully. II
don't know as they came to me for
orders because Of myself. l was your
representative"
Again Bookie grunted. But they
didn't do so until after the fight with
Fed Pete and after you'd made them
see the thing as you saw it,"
Perhaps" agreed Hugh. II GER
tainly would like to meet up with Red
Pete again."
II was much impressed by that Incl
dent" Bookie went on, land l could
cite dozen more of the same kind
that occurred before you went to col
lege. You were all father in your
craze for fossil hunting, but you had
so much Of your mothers charm that
-that-Hughie, sometimes l couldn't
bear to be with you. But after you
got into college, the scientific side of
10.