| Show I r The Legacy BY NEITH BOYCE B L TJ TI t d II had been stalled MaJied in n a drift Xun while the snow nw plow Jr for a i path a th for fo it U and aDd now with two dug and one pushing ng nes bUg ug up un the steep slope alope to the top It IP Dint LIMU DvId In the smoking car ear a of numb ot f t philosophers had named tile the tte me t i 1 imprisonment In perfect it If became beame necessary to wear war h hum v r rat but the larder had with oil M tal ia the demands made upon t ni n every everyone one played cards erds f 1 i m III fact bui bUl one marked ex ox tile lie man whom no one had t to take a hand at whist or orr orp reI Ita kr ker r He It stayed In tn the smoking car cart p k lowly and n constantly one tn t Vi 1 1 after another other Now and then fyd a few worde with one or of fH f but they led no her and iI n I h II evidently preferred to toi It HH i n t i ill U his lis ch chair Jr wrapped in his t in th dark fur collar of or which mai great iI n for nta hie striking head le H iI 1 handsome man mane of or the type h IV hj h lines arid and dark color are areY i by n Y tilt tie blanching touch of age o HI I 1 silvery hair h heavy he vy black eM the tho clear r cut his hist hi r d t d his strung lOUth t tit ht stalwart tal wart Rave gave him a arl rl of aspect His Hi both onell tOp too and silence Ute the UI Immobility ne nes of n r hi his h k added to this rather grim j mi H lIf lie commanded notice even though he ht ti might wish to avoid it From FromIn In L firt first old U Ii of the Journey the negro had made him hun an object of ot ape ipe the attentions attentioN Ial and porter porters jr were rt only ones oneil welcomed by 1 y the The alone was informed of de To the hl hi t f the others othe h he be got off of at ot a II away way av tation nearly at the top of ot the Di Iid d a it t mere little clump of ot frame half haIC buried burled in snow His Hie too was taken off but with ut u any n W for this the tile tall man maR mad nade hi his way vay ay off the platform into his to low th h nu nI and aud made way a a feW rods rod distant which was wall out Ut t to o him as the hotel and whiCh ha I its name Halfway House Housea Ti 11 a sign over nver the door He was Wall evi evl petted expected and the interest of th the inhabitants who were gathered n 0 the th platform or ui at the windows was tas directed toward him rather than oward the belated train The stranger walked into the hotel and nd ail aid t the man behind the bar barM bary barly Travis Trails You telegraphed telegraph d dile M ly y name me is i ile i ie Irm here Its rs yes sir air one second said aM th pr hastily He finished Curing f ut the whisky ky for tor two CUlt cue mer who vho were staring at the n now new w ni mr mH r and then led the way into th Us parlor an airtight room across the th narrow irroW entry where there was a hot oil oal fire tire in a u stove I J can ran have a room mom here for the th night light I suppose my baggage is com coin coming coining In ing over s aid ald Mr Travis Yes its Ye sir wait on one moment Ill call my rn wife wite said the hotel keeper ner nor outly ou ly He seemed exceedingly re relieved when he had delivered the new omer orner into the hand hands of the small pare woman noman whom he be called in from he kitchen and could return to the bar har Mrs frs Sprague umed the charge he hI gave gre her with CUI fust dignity You Yu will want to go upstairs Mr Tat she sie said Or perhaps you T would rather see the Jacb tl jt down we fr for theres the s no fire tire up there Let e 1 go up please pl he said rath tr If r huskily ti With i hi hl fur coat buttoned about him is in hat in his gloved hand he followed he hp little woman up the flimsy creak 1 Lf Ig g stairs into a narrow hallway with v lf if a docen dosen pine doors on either side aide aidene ne Tu n of these the e doors at the end she and closed silently after him himlie Me lie found himself elf In a small room cold lighted by a window of ot nl hh h the green shade hade was half balf drawn A 1 his heavy step sounded BOunded on the floor girl started up from the bed bt d where HIt it w nus ws s lying and a dark shawl hawl that ad her slid hid off oll on the floor owing her light bight dress drees somewhat dill dis dl dred derd Travis barely noticed her He Hei HeIm Heime mo ime Im i to tu the bedside and stood looking ju on nfl the body of his hla son BOn sonA BOnA sonA A white coverlet hid all except the theung ung face fae thin from the ravages of or di ease but with a light color till the cheeks and lips The Theng ng g curving lashes like a Childs gave pathetic look to the handsome face facet Iut ut t there was no look of suffering Th Fh foe fice fa and the whole figure sUm slim and andun v Ril it un tr the coverlet had bad the th peace pe oe iv Ii majesty of ot death Richard Travis stood motionless sl si n fl 01 for fr long moments In a sons sens he hf h fool there he was himself tak lak ng n Ifal l av of ut life Ufe No one knew not noten even en George terge this only child of ot his hie had bad n fl n how much of life Ufe he had bad meant j his father How much of hope of of pride had been bound up n him and perished first tint or last Jut Rich d had never said aid for or George Georgei a i l bitterly disappointed him All Alt along rom the th beginning of his bl college colle e days org viz rg had hi been a disappointment i ie f fh h e ft m flit t irritating kind For It was fl try r one said that the boy had bad Hem unusual gifts IrI that he Is had bad I hare har of if 0 the family inheritance of or rl and an he had wasted it all In eg am since he bad had been idle nd ind preferring to write poet end ami talk taik philosophical Jargon rather ian tIan use Ui u MS his hI energies to any uy purpose Hp IP I b h had a shown not the least beaM ear cure re for the ill tradition not the least beast ambition 1 pi t himself elf He not even take care of his tt 1 huh was wu inherited from bom his nr Y TT r yeah ak At t a deap d deprat rat te pass paa passi H 1 hi i had heen been ordered to J ti t v the cure cur curs And now flOW it I h i II as dead and he had left a aV V je 11 rl hom whom he had married out f 01 fl in the wilds I I f t Indifference to the opinion F l s If f any anyone one else He bad had been arr ar 1 srm mp mont but It wall W II not nt till tin he felt he be was wu dying tiring a 3 jd started homeward and here hereL I L nv death had overtaken him bim ard arr Travis Trav mind the old old gnawed with its familiar ta lUar lUard a d harper sharper a more bitter g f g ff was added now no For ForA 0 t A d all over wet now at last hope i SM n up And not Ull till now had bad hadi f 7 i how hw h he had really hoped all I TIE fr foW George Gerge bow how he be had bad built n him even though he be knew H on sand nd For George Georae Georgep a a p had iad the only person he had hadT hadr 1 w T nT r the only person pen who could c h natural pride He Re would have gl d of f half a dosen sons lIOns his in IV T a rfd rr to see a family gathered rl N in patriarchal fashion and andI andrut I 8 g rut lit robustly over the earth earthen en fl 11 hs wife after giving him one faded tadd Into he had bed V 1 in this limitation After fter all n H not t expect too toe much of wo p r r vV r had nad rily faded JL or mental strength out oat nf of life lIle and he a n f fn m again apin for he loved her 0 f t ht H ere r was Vas George n then a brilliant un ak II COli could Id carry cg on the family v and anda andI IhA h f name am a I t u Illustrious once more at t had ad bein te ID j cok times His W j to see ee him In ln public life a 8 life h had been be spent mainly In making a fortune He had been born to poverty and had resolutely lifted him himself himself self Hlf out of ot It He was a man of bus mess very successful and he had meant his iia money to help Georges George career And George had not been willing to take the first step toward a career George hal had ha been a complete failure Bewildered he looked for the first time at the girl on the other side of ot the bed She stood with her liar hands clasped on her breast her head bent belt and her large eyes ey looking up at him hina rather wildly She was wall very young slight aUght anti and ex ox extremely extremely pretty prett Her brown hair roll rolling rollIng ing log in soft disorder back from front a narrow forehead her short oval face sweetly curved lips and deep dark eyes all In spite of ot her pallor of ot her evident suf auf suffering feting fering had the fresh and nd exquisite charm of ot youth Richard RIhard Travis barely saw her but buther Quther buther her presence there somehow hurt him He turned away abruptly and went out of ot the room In the hall Mrs Sprague was awaiting him She showed him his bedroom and said seid that supper would be he ready in half hall an hour And I do hope sir Mr that you ou can get that poor young thing to take some food and look after herself herselt a little she added There she ahe stays in that ice cold room and I have been hardly able to get her out of ot It these three days and she hardly eats a mouthful And she strong you ou know she cant go goon goon goon on so Its pitiful to see sec her Mrs Spragues Sprague eyes were full of tears Richard Travis said curtly Yes Yee I want to talk to nor bier Will you ask uk her to come down stairs He was conscious of ot the womans look of surprise and a change in her tone as u she said Yes Ill a ask k her And If It ex excuse cuse estee me Mr Travis I really r Uy think she ought to see the doctor d Theres one at atthe atthe atthe the next station but she talk to him or anybody after her husband I died diedA A doctor Why Is she ill Travis I asked rather impatiently Why she the shock and grief and andall all ly you know Mr Travis she is going to have a child Oh Well VeU send sand for the doctor by byall byall byall all means mens If you think she needs n ds atten attention attention tion Uon I shall be glad to see sea her as soon as at she is able to come down Thank you With this dismissal Travis closed his hIB hi door He was aware that his tone and man manner manner manner ner had bad been cold eold and brusque and that he ho had shown no more feeling than was In him which was none at all His feeling all of it was for the dead boy lying in that bleak room Besides George he had for years loved no living being and now he cared for nobody not even himself This Thill girl whom George had married was nothing to him He could scarcely see He her heras as Georges wife That title had always seemed to him a proud one and he had pictured to himself some charm chann charming channIng charming ing woman of whom he could be proud as bearing it She was to have been a girl of family of position and breeding and Georges marriage an affair of or state and ceremony befitting its Importance And then he Richard Travis would have had a daughter and she and her har children would have comforted his age and made his stately house gay and warm So he had often fancied But George had married by the way wayside wayside wayside side picking up his wife apparently on the Impulse of the moment without warning oven even to his father He Ho had written simply that he was married that he had fallen very ery much In love but that he would not have married so hastily except that Ysabel was very un unhappy unhappy unhappy happy at home that he was going to bring his wife east and hoped his fa ta father tather ther thor would feel kindly toward her and would come to love her Richard Travis had had no intention of or loving her He did not spell spelling spellIng spelling ing of her name nor the fact that she had a streak of Spanish blood nor any anything anything anything thing else that he ho knew of ot her which was at little besides He disliked her for marrying George There was no tie between her and himself and it was plain to him that she must go back to her own people Of or course he would see sea that she was handsomely provided for forThe forThe forThe The thought occurred to him that she might have married for this provision sIte she must have known that George could not live long His fade was set and not pleasant to see as he went down to await her in the parlor He had some little time to wait walt Then Mrs Sprague came down and said Mrs Travis will be here directly and supper Is IB ready when you want It ItA ItA itA A faint color rose to the old mans cheeks Mrs Travis Yes of ot course it was h her r name She had a right to that name and she had her legal rights too as Georges wife All AH her claims should be duly honored generously honored he resolved resole and his jaw set grimly She did not look very Intrusive as she came in and took the chair he set Slit for her before the fire She moved noiselessly and she looked absurdly small and childish Her blue dress had been ben put in order her ber hair neatly rolled up In her pale little face her eyes looked deeper d r and blacker than before They were soft BOft liquid foreign eyes and anti beautiful even now though they were red with crying She waited for tor Travis Trai to speak bHe He was rather at a toss loss 10 for tor a IL moment U was because he was trying to remember her name and could not He sat down lown near her and began in a courteous and matter of ot fact tone for he was afraid that she would cry again apin Have you he be asked sent word to any anyone one of ot your family Is any anyone one coming to you here bere bereNo No she s said Mid ki faintly You mean you ou telegraphed or anything No NoI I Is I there some Ome on en who could come com on one of your parents perhaps I Id dont nt think so BO Uy Ly mother gj well enough and aad my ray stepfather no he ho come But have hae you any plan plau then Have you thought what you want to do Yea Ysa Ysabel bel THe T He had Just Juet recollected the name She looked up at him with h her r wide eyes ees as 8 though startled No NoI I thought about It It she said Then she added quickly I 1 will I go back backI I will go by myself And then she looked away Indifferent Indifferently ly by as aa though there were no more to be beMid bemid Mid said midI saidI I 1 speak of it at once onee said Travis Trav somewhat embarrassed ed because I shall start tomorrow for fer my home It will willbe willbe IU IUbe be necessary neoe ary I take Georges Georgs body bod home for tor burial She started at that and her ber eyes ayes widened but she else did not net look at him nor speak Richard Travis got sot up abruptly from his bis seat sat He wished that she le had been boon beena boona a more practical and businesslike per person person person son She seemed so helpless and shi could fOuld not net be left like this It was her hiN right at least leant to see sec her husbands body laid in the earth If she so desired Therefore he said td Will you do you yen wish to come with I me I Now she Me looked at him and he saw fear or dislike In her eyes No she he said Rid It si ISI l 1 be Just as you wish I 1 wi I L go back backI I shall hall see said Mid Travis that you are made as all comfortable as possible now and for the future She Sh rose with Uh her indifferent rent look anxious only to get away Will you come and aid have ve something to eat supper I believe bellee they thay call it with me Travis asked a ked No Nu thank you I think I will go to tomy tomy my room ream she said She made him a little bow and went toward the door Have you OU a warm room roem Is there thare anything I can get for you You will have something sent up at least you must eat ething Travis said ill III at ease In the midst of his own trouble because e of or her Now that he saw she shedid shedid did not mean to trouble him he h felt ZaI l some shame at his coldness toward her herand herand herand and yet lie he li could not pretend a warmth he did not feel Yeti Yes thank you Mrs Irs Sprague is very good to me I dont need any anything anything anything thing Ysabel said looking down anil she |
