A Fool For Love

sah; private

ge in the vestibule of the

ia Carteret," he directed, and waited t

osed to its smallest dimensions, and the movable furnishings were di

undivided half of a tete-a-tete chair with a blond athlete in a clerical coat and a reversed

the others: "Aunt Martha you have met; also Cousin Bessie. Let me present you to Mr. Calvert: Cous

ested in mild deprecation; and Adams laughed and shook hands with the R

ds in Boston, chiefly, I think, because I never objected when she wanted t

he famous Golden Belt,-whatever that may be,-and recommends an easy-chair and a window. But I haven't seen any

ir for her and fou

o have the pleasure of mee

's laugh was

it. "Uncle Somerville is a law unto himself. He had a lot of telegrams and things at Kansas C

Adams. "Don't their toilings make yo

I envy them. It must be fine to have larg

t ancient Carteret of them all would have compromised

sword-soldiers merely because that was the only way a strong man could conquer in those days. Now it

. I like to take things easy. A good club, a choice of decen

im with a m

oo late, Mr. Adams; you would have fit

ommercial frenzy taken out of it, is good enough

platform?" she interrupted. "Mightn't yo

York and the world at large, familiarly known to his intimates

malicious satisfaction

es go, but it isn't as strong as he is. He is

lf at Winton's expense for

Speaking of idlers, there is your man to the dottin

t upper lip curled i

talk drifted eastward to Boston, and Winton was ignored until Virginia, havi

ibernating in the mountains-fancy it; in the dead of winter!-and

?" said Virginia, with

of anything, I'm sorry to say. Worse than all, he doesn'

ttante," said Miss Virginia mo

g to take his leave. Then, as a parting word: "Does the Ros

e the Rosemary's cook whenever we can," was the answer; and with

map and making notes thereon after the manner of a man h

long afternoon which he wore out in solitude, there grew up in him a keen desire to see what would befall if these tw

soon as the announcement of its taking-on had gone through the train. Adams and Winton were of this rush, and so were the members of Mr. Somerville Darrah's party. In the seating the party was sep

as still within call and he beckoned him, meaning to propose

tantly to the rescue. "Miss Carteret, my fr

ed permission in a word. But for Wi

make allowances for his-for his-" He broke down

suggested. "I do, indeed;

but Winton was a man and

ind was an exchange of seats with him. I thought it would be pleasanter for you; that is, I mean, pleasanter for-" He stopped short,

nity just the tiniest little cranny to creep out of, Mr. Wint

headlong, holding the bill of fare wrong side up when the waiter asked for his dinner order, an

"I am much more interested in this," touching the b

. After that they got on better. Winton knew Boston, and, next to the weather, Boston was the safest and most fruitful of the commonplaces. Nevertheless, it was not immor

trees and the fruit, and the po

f sketching in the mountains of Colorado at this time of year? I shoul

pen-mouthed, it

d, with the inflection which takes

an unhumbled man of the world as well; but, to use th

e said demurely. "I didn't

was sitting opposite a square-shouldered, ruddy-faced gentleman wit

the mountains in midwinter! that would be decidedly original, to say the le

of the kind that mounting souls bestow upon the stagnant. But the subconscious lov

ot? I am sorry to have to make it-to h

hing like that?

g it all along. Don't ask me how I know it: I couldn't explain it if I

teret was finding it a new and singular experience to have a man tell her baldly at their fi

the world, and so few to do the

t I am not one of the few?

the eyes. "What is lack

ere is no one near enough to

the plaudits or the hisses-happily, I think. Yet there are always those standing by who

was not having a monopoly of the new experiences. For instance, it had never before happened to John Winton t

him. Would she be loyal to her mentorship and tell him he must win, at whatever the cost to Mr. Somerville Darrah and his business assoc

nflexibly. Yet in the inmost chamber of his heart, where the barbarian ego stands unabashed and isolate and recklessly contemptuous

in the eyes of one woman. None the less, he saw the possibilities: that a time might come when this woman would have the power

ad that their ways, coinciding for the moment, would presently go apar

se, too, folding the seat for Miss Virginia

im the tips of her fingers and going back to the c

on's reply transcended th

e, I assure you. I hope the future will b

el-eyed. "The world has been steadily growing

e straw of hope. "Then

" she said; and he stood aside

rtment and thinking things unspeakable with Virginia Carteret for a nucleus, there was a series of sharp whistl

and the train-men were in conference over a badly-derailed engine when Winton came up. A vast herd of cattle was lumberi

he engineer's verdict. "That's for somebody to

t means all night," g

ers, and a red-faced, white-mustached gentleman, whose soft southern accent was

seh? Then we miss ouh

win on that," wa

in a lower tone: "I beg your pahdon, my deah Vi

ew off his

eedn't wait for the wrecking-car," he said to the dubious trai

elpful sort. But they are as quick as other folk to recognize the man in essence, as well as to know the cla

e of you, and heave down the jacks and frogs. We'll have

new it was working under a master. The frogs were adjusted under the derailed wheels, the jack-screws were braced to lift and p

y enough with all that string o' dink

I'll show you how." And he climbed to the driver's

and Winton began to ease the throttle open. The steam sang into the cylinder

nd out through the connecting rods to the wheels. With the first thrill of the gripping tires Winton lea

he rails, he gave the precise added impulse. The big ten-wheeler coughed hoarsely and spat fire; the driving-whee

s tempered with something remotely like embarrassment. But she suffered him to walk back to the private car besid

no 'prentice,"

, that's about what he is. Shouldn't wonder if he was the

he's a train-master, 'r p'raps a bigger boss than that

. When the Limited was once more rushing on its way through the night, and Virginia an

k it was Mr. Adams who score

ite Bisque, who was too s

e puts it. Mr. Winton is precisely all th