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miles out of town; but my rig's below; and I can take you out



anytime you can go。〃







〃I can go now; and it will give me real pleasure to do so;〃 said



Everett; quickly。  〃I'll get my hat and be with you in a moment。〃







When he came downstairs Everett found a cart at the door;



and Charley Gaylord drew a long sigh of relief as he gathered up



the reins and settled back into his own element。







〃You see; I think I'd better tell you something about my



sister before you see her; and I don't know just where to begin。 



She traveled in Europe with your brother and his wife; and sang



at a lot of his concerts; but I don't know just how much you know



about her。〃







〃Very little; except that my brother always thought her the



most gifted of his pupils; and that when I knew her she was very



young and very beautiful and turned my head sadly for a while。〃







Everett saw that Gaylord's mind was quite engrossed by his



grief。  He was wrought up to the point where his reserve and



sense of proportion had quite left him; and his trouble was the



one vital thing in the world。  〃That's the whole thing;〃 he went



on; flicking his horses with the whip。







〃She was a great woman; as you say; and she didn't come of a



great family。  She had to fight her own way from the first。  She



got to Chicago; and then to New York; and then to Europe; where



she went up like lightning; and got a taste for it all; and now



she's dying here like a rat in a hole; out of her own world; and



she can't fall back into ours。  We've grown apart; some way



miles and miles apartand I'm afraid she's fearfully unhappy。〃







〃It's a very tragic story that you are telling me; Gaylord;〃



said Everett。  They were well out into the country now; spinning



along over the dusty plains of red grass; with the ragged…blue



outline of the mountains before them。







〃Tragic!〃 cried Gaylord; starting up in his seat; 〃my God; man;



nobody will ever know how tragic。  It's a tragedy I live with and



eat with and sleep with; until I've lost my grip on everything。 



You see she had made a good bit of money; but she spent it all



going to health resorts。  It's her lungs; you know。  I've got money



enough to send her anywhere; but the doctors all say it's no use。 



She hasn't the ghost of a chance。  It's just getting through the



days now。  I had no notion she was half so bad before she came to



me。  She just wrote that she was all run down。  Now that she's



here; I think she'd be happier anywhere under the sun; but she



won't leave。  She says it's easier to let go of life here; and that



to go East would be dying twice。  There was a time when I was a



brakeman with a run out of Bird City; Iowa; and she was a little



thing I could carry on my shoulder; when I could get her everything



on earth she wanted; and she hadn't a wish my 80 a month didn't



cover; and now; when I've got a little property together; I can't



buy her a night's sleep!〃







Everett saw that; whatever Charley Gaylord's present status



in the world might be; he had brought the brakeman's heart up the



ladder with him; and the brakeman's frank avowal of sentiment。 



Presently Gaylord went on:







〃You can understand how she has outgrown her family。  We're



all a pretty common sort; railroaders from away back。  My father



was a conductor。  He died when we were kids。  Maggie; my other



sister; who lives with me; was a telegraph operator here while I



was getting my grip on things。  We had no education to speak of。 



I have to hire a stenographer because I can't spell straightthe



Almighty couldn't teach me to spell。  The things that make up



life to Kate are all Greek to me; and there's scarcely a point



where we touch any more; except in our recollections of the old



times when we were all young and happy together; and Kate sang in



a church choir in Bird City。  But I believe; Mr。 Hilgarde; that



if she can see just one person like you; who knows about the



things and people she's interested in; it will give her about the



only comfort she can have now。〃







The reins slackened in Charley Gaylord's hand as they drew



up before a showily painted house with many gables and a round



tower。  〃Here we are;〃 he said; turning to Everett; 〃and I guess



we understand each other。〃







They were met at the door by a thin; colorless woman; whom



Gaylord introduced as 〃my sister; Maggie。〃  She asked her brother



to show Mr。 Hilgarde into the music room; where Katharine wished



to see him alone。







When Everett entered the music room he gave a little start



of surprise; feeling that he had stepped from the glaring Wyoming



sunlight into some New York studio that he had always known。  He



wondered which it was of those countless studios; high up under



the roofs; over banks and shops and wholesale houses; that this



room resembled; and he looked incredulously out of the window at



the gray plain that ended in the great upheaval of the Rockies。







The haunting air of familiarity about the room perplexed



him。  Was it a copy of some particular studio he knew; or was it



merely the studio atmosphere that seemed so individual and



poignantly reminiscent here in Wyoming?  He sat down in a reading



chair and looked keenly about him。  Suddenly his eye fell upon a



large photograph of his brother above the piano。  Then it all



became clear to him: this was veritably his brother's room。  If



it were not an exact copy of one of the many studios that



Adriance had fitted up in various parts of the world; wearying of



them and leaving almost before the renovator's varnish had dried;



it was at least in the same tone。  In every detail Adriance's



taste was so manifest that the room seemed to exhale his



personality。







Among the photographs on the wall there was one of Katharine



Gaylord; taken in the days when Everett had known her; and when



the flash of her eye or the flutter of her skirt was enough to



set his boyish heart in a tumult。  Even now; he stood before the



portrait with a certain degree of embarrassment。  It was the face



of a woman already old in her first youth; thoroughly



sophisticated and a trifle hard; and it told of what her brother



had called her fight。  The camaraderie of her frank; confident



eyes was qualified by the deep lines about her mouth and the



curve of the lips; which was both sad and cynical。  Certainly she



had more good will than confidence toward the world; and the



bravado of her smile could not conceal the shadow of an unrest



that was almost discontent。  The chief charm of the woman; as



Everett had known her; lay in her superb figure and in her eyes;



which possessed a warm; lifegiving quality like the sunlight;



eyes which glowed with a sort of perpetual salutat to the



world。  Her head; Everett remembered as peculiarly well…shaped and



proudly poised。  There had been always a little of the imperatrix



about her; and her pose in the photograph revived all his old



impressions of her unattachedness; of how absolutely and valiantly



she stood alone。







Everett was still standing before the picture; his hands behind him



and his head inclined; when he heard the door open。  A very tall



woman advanced toward him; holding out her hand。  As she started to



speak; she coughed slightly; then; laughing; said; in a low; rich



voice; a trifle husky: 〃You see I make the traditional Camille



entrancewith the cough。  How good of you to come; Mr。 Hilgarde。〃







Everett was acutely conscious that while addressing him she



was not looking at him at all; and; as he assured her of his



pleasure in coming; he was glad to have an opportunity to collect



himself。  He had not reckoned upon the ravages of a long illness。 



The long; loose folds of her white gown had been especially



designed to conceal the sharp outlines of her emaciated body; but



the stamp of her disease was there; simple and ugly and obtrusive;



a pitiless fact that could not be disguised or evaded。  The



splendid shoulders were stooped; there was a swaying unevenness in



her gait; her arms seemed disproportionately long; and her hands



were transparently white and cold to the touch。  The changes in her



face were less obvious; the proud carriage of the head; the warm;



clear eyes; even the delicate flush of color in her cheeks; all



defiantly remained; though they were all in a lower keyolder;



sadder; softer。







She sat down upon the divan and began nervou

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