Arizona -- Fiction; Grand Canyon (Ariz.) -- Fiction; Western stories
"Well, and where does your princely salary permit you to live?" Enoch
concluded.
"On New Jersey Avenue, in a brown stone front with pansies in front and
cats in the rear, an old Confederate soldier in the basement and rats
in the attic. As for odors and furniture, any kind whatever, provided
one is not too particular."
"My word! how you are going to miss the Canyon!" exclaimed Enoch.
Diana nodded. "Yes, but after all one's avocation is the most
important thing in life."'
"Is it?" asked Enoch. "I've tried to make myself believe that, but so
far I've failed."
"You mean," Diana spoke quickly, "that I ought to have stayed with my
father?"
"No, I don't!" returned Enoch, quite as quickly. "At least, I mean
that I know nothing whatever about that. I would say as a general
principle, though, that parents who have adequate means, are selfish to
hang on the necks of their grown children."
"Father misses mother so," murmured Diana, with apparent irrelevance.
Enoch said nothing. They were opposite the Post Office now and Diana
paused. "I must go to the Post Office! Good-by, Mr. Secretary."
"Good-by, Miss Allen," said Enoch, taking off his hat and holding out
his hand. "Let me know if there is anything further I can do for you!"
"Oh, I'm quite all right and shall not bother you again, thank you,"
replied Diana cheerfully.
Enoch was very warm when he reached his office. Jonas and the bottle
of milk were awaiting him. "How come you to be so hot, boss?" demanded
Jonas.
"I walked back. It was very foolish," replied Enoch meekly.
"I don't dare to let you out o' my sight," said Jonas severely.
"I think I do need watching," sighed Enoch, beginning his belated
luncheon.
That night the Secretary wrote to Diana's father.
"My dear Frank: Diana came and I found a job for her in the Indian
office. I feel like a dog to have broken my word with you, but her
work is very interesting and very important, and I feel that she ought
to have her few months of study in Washington. She is very beautiful,
Frank, and very fine. You must try to forgive me. Faithfully yours,
"ENOCH HUNTINGDON."
CHAPTER V
A PHOTOGRAPHER OF INDIANS
"When I tutored boys I wondered most at their selfishness and their
generosity. They had so much of both! And I believe that as men they
lose none of either."--_Enoch's Diary_.
Enoch knew what it was to fight himself. Perhaps he knew more about
such lonely, unlovely battles than any man of his acquaintance. The
average man is usually too vain and too spiritually lazy to fight his
inner devils to the death. But Enoch had fought so terribly that it
seemed to him that he could surely win this new struggle. Nothing
should induce him to break his vow of celibacy. He cursed himself for
a weak fool in not obeying Frank Allen's request. Then he gathered
together all his resources, to protect Diana from himself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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