A Romance of South Dome [pp. 57-74]

1886.] A Romance of Sout ) Dome. 59
"No matter: if he is as good as you say her head, saying, "You don't know papa;
he is, and is so devoted to you, you ought why, it Could be just like him to stop the
to be happy, even if he came from Pike train, take me back, and leave the rest of the
County, Missouri, where I hear very odd party."
people come from." "Just let me manage," said Frank. "I'll
"I amo happy- transcendentally happy — bring you out all right, for when his nerves
supernaturally happy; for being engaged to are too highly wrought up, I'll open the esTed has been an anchor to me, and there is cape valve. Trust the whole thing to me,
nothing a girl needs so much as an anchor. and be a mere passenger. I am going to
Whenever I feel the tendrils of my affections send a note down to the hotel to Ted, askreaching out after any one else, the thought ing him to come up right away to talk over
of Ted always brings me back. He is going important matters concerning Yosemite."
with us to Yosemite, you know." "Well, I'm awfully afraid, but it would be
"Does papa know that he is going with lots of filn," said Grace, carried away by
us?" asked Grace quickly. Frank's enthusiasm, and yet quaking inward "I don't think so. Why?" ly at the possible results.
"Because you have no idea how papa acts Meanwhile, the subject of most of this
when there is a young man around. He gushing confidence was sitting iri front of a
always thinks that he is going to propose to cheerful open fire in his room at the hotel.
me on account of my fortune. I very much He had evidently been writing, for an unfindoubt if he will go, when he learns that Mr. ished letter lay on a table, while he sat near
Roberts is to be of the party." it in restful attitude, smoking a cigar. He
Frank stopped with an armful of things was, as Frank had said, a handsome young
she was about to put into the trunk, and fellow, with those dark brown eyes that are
looked at her cousin in astonishment. TIhen, always called black. His hair was cut so
seeing that she really meant what she said, that it stood stiff and straight on top, a fashshe dropped the things and rushed up to ion which gives to some young men an exher, exclaiming: "Oh, Grace, the jolliest tremely simian appearance, but which gave
plan has just occurred to me, the first bright to Quincy E. Roberts, Jr., quite a distinidea I ever had in my life! You say that guished air. He had a truly Western belief
your father is afraid of anything in the shape in himself and his destiny; with grounds,
of a young man, and will not go if he knows too; for barely at the age of twenty-three, his
that one of the noxious beasts is to be of present age, he was made a member of the
the party. Very well; he does not know firm of which his father was senior partner, a
that I am engaged, and I will see that he large wholesale drug establishment in Terre
does not find it out. He is, you know, a lit- Haute. When not yet nineteen he had
tle close, nigh, somewhat, in money matters, taken a degree in pharmaceutical chemistry