Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1924-07-25
= Called Her
4 Invincible
: Jane
BY CLARISSA MACKIE


When Professor Broughton an
nounced the coming of Gerald Mans,
field, the explorer, there was n ilutter
of excitement that went through the
town and ended on the verandas Of
the country club. A reception was
planned, dinners arranged, and the
whole community planned to attend
his lectures in the largest theater.
"They say he is the youngest ex-
plorer who has ever won fame-he
has brought back proof that the North
Pole formerly enjoyed tropical eli
mattel" expanded the youngest Dun
ham girl at the dinner table one.
night.
Don't be an idiot, Bab," chuckledi
Phil Durham.
II am not an idlot-one of the girls
ut High told me that her brother who
is at Yale told her-he also said that
all the girls were crazy about Mr..
Mansfield"
MrsA Durham looked dlspleased and
fortunately Bah knew when to stop,
but Phil rushed In where angels fear,
to tread. "Tll bet Jane won't be.
crazy about him." he announced bland
ly, for he had devoured his second
piece Of pie and felt secure.
philip leave the table," commanded
his mother.
"Thanksp Phil was saying, when
his fathers hand motioned him back.
"Sit down, young man, until the ladies
RISE" was the order, and Philip did
penance for his wltticlsm.
Jane, lovely and fragile as bit
of Dresden china, smiled upon the
crestfallen youngsters, I'VE have five
tickets for the lecture, father, shall
we all goT"
1--WE will leave 1t to you, my dear,
they were impairment at your ex-
pense-at least Phil was, and Bar
bara was merely silly" replied Mr..
Durham, laboring to look gloomy.
This was always difficult, for as a
family the Dunhams were congenial
and happy-hearted.
'"Then, we will all go-we must
hurry, too, for 1t is getting late" said
forglvlng Jane, and the family scat
tered to their rooms.
Gerald Mansfield was In the middle
of his address when he happened to see
the Dunhams In the right-hand lower
box. They caught his feetlhg interest
because they seemed to be repre-
sentative American family, and then
his glance settled on James exquisitely
lovely face, with its look of aloofness
then with a little start he came back
to his subject-mountaln climbing.
Several times after that his eyes
strayed toward the lower box, and
briefly he caught her stlll repose, her
white beauty.
Impervious to the admiration of
women, Mansfield felt within his heart
waiting for him. Like many men who
seek adventures in the lonely, isolated
places of the earth, he had long, long
thoughts OF going home some day and
settling down with a wife and family.
His explorations enabled him to gather
tnOuku " hiilC dbVuL AAlS
rest of his llfe-he compared himself
to a farmer gathering flrewOod for his
winters needs These thoughts he
Rugged close to his heart, for he was
always a mans man, and very shy
with women As he stood before them
that evening, tall, handsome, dis
tlnguished man, not yet forty, telling
modestly Of his adventures, Of the
mountain peaks scaled, Of the perilOus
dangers overcome, of the bravery of
his companions, and as he spoke Of
a certain peak, whose head was proud
" borne among the clouds, whose sides
gllstened with Ice blue as sapphire In
the deep crevasses, while death waited
them at every turn, he and his COM
panlons had hesltated, he paused and
looked around, and his eyes saw Jane
Dunham-and he knew that here was
another mountain peak lie had to CON
querI Lovely in her whiteness, the
deep blue sapphire Of her eyes was
cold like the dark Ice Of his story, and
her nlmbus of fair hair was but the re
Election Of the yellow sunset behind his
real mountain. ut was beautiful
mountain peak" he resumed; ut was
cruel In its unfrlendliness, 1t was dan
gerous In Its bitter cold, its cutting
sleet and ice-it was called Invlncible,
but we conquered ltW
"HowT somebody demanded, and
then bashfully subsidized.
The explorer smiled sympathetlcally
as a litter ran around the place. II
will tell yOu-althOngh IL was called
Invlnclble, although It was cold and
unfrIendly and bitter, we conquered
II because we grew to love It for Its
beauty and It's loneliness, and because
we knew that when we reached the
pinnacle we would be bathed In the
sunlight, and from the helghts-we
could see all that the mountain saw
and one day we reached the top-and
saw how glorious the world was. To-
day, we call II our Mountain. :"
Afterwards IN the lobby OF the
theater there was an impromptu re-
ception; men and women crowded
around: girls nuttered toward him
merely TO shake his hand, then to
stand back and worship. The Dun
hams came and thanked him, all save
Jane, and across n sea Of heads, amid
n murmur OF voices, he saw slender
Young Jane, pale and aloof, inaccessl-
Bile, wondrously beautiful, with brood
ing eyes.
"she Is my next mountain" he
thought. with a thrill that he had