Arizona -- Fiction; Grand Canyon (Ariz.) -- Fiction; Western stories
It was Diana's turn to laugh. "Oh, come, Mr. Secretary! Of course I
don't recall it myself, but Dad has always said that you were bored to
death at having a small girl taking the trail with you."
"Do you remember that your mule slipped on the home trail and that I
saved your life?" demanded Enoch.
Diana shook her head. "I was too small and there were too many canyon
trips and too many tourists. I wish--"
She did not finish her sentence, but Enoch said, with a thread of
earnestness in his deep voice that made Diana look at him keenly, "I
wish you did remember!"
There was a moment's silence, then Enoch went on, "Shall you carry on
your work with the Indians alone as you always have done? I believe I
can quite understand your father's uneasiness."
"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Diana, glad of an opportunity to redirect the
conversation. "Just as I always have done. I shall have no trouble
unless I get soft, living at the Johnstown Lunch! Then I may have to
waste time till I get fit again. Have you ever lived on the trail,
excepting on your trip to the Grand Canyon, Mr. Secretary?"
"Yes, in Canada and Maine, while I was in college. I used to tutor
rich boys, and they had glorious summers, lucky kids! But since
getting into national politics, I've had no time for real play."
"Some day," said Diana, "you ought to get up an outfit and go down the
Colorado from the Green River to the Needles. That's a real adventure!
Only a few men have done it since the Powell expeditions."
Enoch's eyes brightened. "I know! Some day, perhaps I shall, if Jonas
will let me! How long do you suppose such a trip would take?"
Diana plunged into a description of a recent expedition down the
canyons of the Colorado, and she managed to keep the remainder of the
luncheon conversation on this topic. But as far as Enoch was
concerned, Diana's effort was merely a conversational detour. The
luncheon finished and the Gulf of California safely reached, he said as
he handed Diana into the carriage:
"I've never had a friendship with a woman before," he said. "What do I
do next?"
Diana sighed, while her lips curled at the corners.
"Well, Mr. Secretary, I think the next move is to think the matter over
for a few days, quietly and alone."
"Do you?" Enoch smiled enigmatically. "I don't know that it's safe for
me to rely on your experience after all!" But he said no more.
Enoch spent the evening in his living-room with Senor Juan Cadiz and a
small, lean, brown man in an ill-fitting black suit. The latter did
not speak English, and Senor Cadiz acted as interpreter. The stranger
was uneasy and suspicious, until the very last of the evening. Then,
after a long half hour spent in silent scowling while he stared at
Enoch and listened to the Secretary's replies to Cadiz's eager
questions, he suddenly burst into a passionate torrent of Spanish. A
look of great relief came to Cadiz's face, as he said to Enoch:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account