The Ely miner., 1929-07-05
WNU Service
CHAPTER l


my life, made Tie dreamer OF
dreams, q player OF parts. AS u boy
roaming alone the wild heather hiuS.
] have heard the glad shouts of the
football players on the green, yet nev'
er efIled 10 join them. Mine was the
hCher, rarer joy. The spirit OF Ro
nance beaconed TO me. would al
venture in the stranger lands, ano
face their perils and brave their dan
gers The Joy of the thought exulted
in my veins. and scarce could bidt
the day when the roads of chance
and change would be open 70 M.
feet r..
Ii is strange that In all these years
cUntided in no one. Garry, who was
MY brother and my dearest friend
would have laughed at me in that at
fectiOnate way of his. You would
never have taken us for brothers, He
was the handSUmeSt boy have ever
seen frank. fair-Skinned and winning
while | WAS dark. duur and none too
well favored He was clever. prac.
teal and ambitious. eXceling in all
his studies: whereas. except in those
which appealed 70 my imagination.
was n duIlard and a dreamer
Yer we loved each other as few
brothers do. Not excepting mother.
Garry knew me better than any one
has ever done. and I loved him for
it. II seems uvert0nd 70 say this. but
he did not have q fault: tenderness.
humur. enthusiasm. sympathy and the
beauty OF a young god-alI that was
manfully endearing was expressed in
this brother of mine
Our nome was an ideal one; Garry,
tall, fair and winsnme; myself dark.
dreamy. reticent: and between US.
linking all three in perfect bond OF
love and sympathy, our gentle, deli
cate mother
Mother must have worried a good
deal over my future. Garry was the
young laird, and was bur an idler.
a burden on the estate Al last ! told
her ! wanted to go abroad, and then
It seemed as If a great difficulty was
solved. We remembered of cousin
who was Sheep-ranching In the Sas
katchewaB valley and had done well
Ii was arranged that should iOir
him as a pupil then, when haG
learned enough, buy place of my
own. II may be imagined that while
4 apparently acQuiesced In this ar
rangement. | had already determined
that as soon as I reached the new
land would take my destiny into N,
own hands.
Then as the hour OF my departure
drew near shadow fell ON US Ii }
broke down 10 unmanly grief, II must
be remembered I had never before
heen from home. Mother gave up try
ing TO he brave, and mingled her tears
with mine. N. ....
Don't cry, sweetheart mother" .
said: LII be back again In three
years"
Mind you do. my boy. mind you
do"
She looked at me wOefully sad. ano
had ii queer. heartrending provision
would never see her more. Garry
was pale and quiet, but could see
he was vastly moved.
"Athol." said he. "if ever you need
me just send for me. I'll come. Ne
matter how long or how hard the
way"
can see them to this day standing
there In the drenching rain, Garry tine
and manly. mother small and drOOp
ing
Goodbye. iaddie, goodbye"
forced myself away. and stumbled
on board. When I looked back again
they were gone. but through the gray
shadows there seemed to come back
to me a cry of heartache and ir
remediable loss.
.
II was on day of early autumn
when l stood knee-deep in the heather
of Glengyle. and looked wistfully over
the gray sea. Twas hut month tat
er when. Homeless and friendless
stood on the beach ny the cliff house
of San Francisco, and gazed over the
fretful waters of another ocean Such
is the romance of destiny.
Consigned. so TO speak to my cou
sin. the sheepraiser of the SaSkatche
wan, found myself setting foot or
the strange land with hut little heart
for my new vocation My mind. cram
ful of book notions. craved for the
larger life. I was vaIiantly mad fOI
adventure: TO fare forth haphaZardly
to come upon naked danger; TO fee
the hludgeonings of mischance tt
tramp, TO starve. to sleep under the
stars. IL was the callOw bOy-idea per
petuated iD the man. and u was &c
lead me sorry dance But ! could
not overbear IL.
The nOti0D Of the South Seas was
ever in my head | Ioafed in the sun
shine. sitting on the pier-edge witt
eyes fixed on the lazy shipping rhes.
were care-free. Irresponsible days
and not ] am convinced entirely mis-
spent came TO know the worthies
of the wharfSide and plunged int,
an underworld of fascinating repel
lency. | rubbed shoulders with eagel
necessity, scrambled for free lunche:
In frowsy barrooms. and amid th,
scum and debris of the watersid,
found much food for sober thuugnI
Yet at times blamed myself for thu
mlsusing my days. and memories o
Glengyle and mother and Carr.
ioomed up with reproachful vividness
was, too, seeker of curious ex
perience. and this was TO prove m.
undoing. One fOggy midnight, com