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ZEN of the Y. D. r - ( el of the Foothills BjIOBERT stead . ,u„/ r Thi Cow Punchtr"—"Tho Horn Author Neighbon,“ ttc. ROBERT STEAD XII —Continued. —l s— e t ) friends discussed at great . n J h r details of the Big Idea, and upon a val in the West, Linder lost ao timin preparing blueprints and diarts escriptive of the improve ments made on the land aud the or(1ei : which the work was to be carrieen. Grant bought a tract sult a!)ie : his purpose, and the wheels 0 f th machine were set in motion. When this had been done Grant turneto the working out of his own mdlvJnl experiment. [Hug the period in which these ar rangients were being made it was inevible that Grant should have heal more or less of Transley. He bad'Ot gone out of his way to seek Inf, nation of the contractor, but It rat r had been forced upon him. Tr;sle.v’s name was frequently heard In it oflices of the business men with w! m he had to do ; it was mentioned inical papers with the regularity pe aar to celebrities ir. comparatively snll centers. Transley, it appeared, hi become something of a power in p land. Backed by old Y.D.’s capl t, he had carried some rather daring uitures through to success. He had ized the panicky moments following e outbreak of the war to buy heavily 1 the wheat and cattle markets, and tcreases in prices due to the world’s ,emaild for food had made him one if the wealthy men of the city. The iesire of many young farmers to enlist had also afforded an opportunity to acquire their holdings for small con siderations, and Transley had proved his patriotism by facilitating the am bition 1 of as many men in this posi tion as came to his attention. The fact that even before the war ended the farms which he acquired In this way were worth several times the price he paid was only an Incident in the transactions. But no word of Transley’s domestic affairs reached Grant, who told him self that he had ceased to be inter ested in them, but kept an alert ear nevertheless. It would seem that Transley rather eclipsed his wife in the public eye. So Grant set about with the devel opment of his own farm, and kept his mind occupied with it and with Lis larger experiment—except when it went flirting with thoughts of Phyllis Bruce. lie had written to Murdoch to engage Phyllis at any price and bring her West with him. She would be needed in the new business. He bad Intimated that the change would be permanent, and that it might be well to bring the family. . . . He selected a farm where a ridge of foothills overlooked a broad valley receding Into the mountains. The dealer had no idea of selling him this particular piece of land; they were bound for a half section farther up the slope when Grant stopped on the brow of the hill to feast his eyes on the scene that lay before him. It burst upon him with the unexpectedness pe culiar to the foothill valleys; miles of gently undulating plain, lying appar ently far below, but In reality rising In a sharp ascent toward the snow capped mountains looking down silent ly through their gauze of blue-purple afternoon mist. At distances which even Ids trained eye would not at tempt to compute lay little round lakes like silver coins on the surface of the prairie; here and there were dark green bluffs of spruce; to the eight a ribbon of river, blue-green save where the rapids churned it white, and along its edge a fringe of leafy cottonwoods; at vast intervals square black plots of plowed land like sections on a chessboard of the gods, an<! farm buildings cut so clear in the mountain atmosphere that the sense of space was lost and they seemed •ike child-houses Just across the way. Grant turned to his companion with an animation on his face which almost startled the prosaic dealer In real estate. "Wonderful! Wonderful 1” he ex claimed. "We don’t need to go any farther if you can sell me this." ‘‘.sure I can sell you this,” said the dealer, looking at him somewhat queerly. "That is, If you want It. I thought you were looking for a wheat farm." Ihe man’s total lack of apprecia ber. Irritated Grant unreasonably. ' heat fills the belly,” he retorted, j t sunsets keep alive the soul. Wbat )s the price?” Again the dealer gave him a queer side-long look, and made as though to -eg e with him, then suddenly seemed '■ change his purpose. Perhaps he that strange things happened lQ ; he boys overseas. I I H get you the price in town,” he Sa jd. "You are sure it will suit?” Suit? No king In Christendom has "■s palace on a site like thia. Td go ''Und the world for it” “You’re the doctor,” said the dealer, turning bis car. Giant completed the purehnse, or dered lumber for a house and barn, and engaged a carpenter to superin tend the construction. It was one of his whims that he would do most of the work himself. I guess I’m rather a man of whims,” he reflected, as he stood on the brow of the hill where the mate rial for his buildings had been deliv ered. "It was a whim which first brought me West again. I have a whim about my buildings. I do not do as other people do, which Is the un pardonable sin. To Linder I am a jest er, to Murdoch a fanatic, to our friend the real estate dealer a fool; I even noticed my honest carpenter trying to ask me something about shell "shock! Well —they’re my whims, and I get an immense amount of satisfaction out of them.” The days that followed were the happiest Grant had known since child hood. The carpenter, a thin, twisted man, bowed with much labor at the bench, and answering to the name Peter, sold his services by the day and manifested a sympathy amounting to an indulgence toward the whims of his employer. So long as the wages were sure Peter eared not whether the house was finished this year or next — or not at all. He enjoyed Grant’s cooking in the temporary workshed they had built; lie enjoyed Grant’s stories of funny incidents of the war which would crop out at unexpected moments, and which were always good for anew pipe and a few min utes’ rest; he even essayed certain flights of his own, which showed that Peter was a creature not entirely without humor. He developed an ap preciation of scenery; he would stand for long intervals gazing across the valley. Grant was not deceived by these little devices, but he never took Peter to task for his loitering. “If the old dodger isn’t quite paying his way now, no doubt he has more than paid it many times in the past,” he mused. “This is an occasion upon which to temper justice with mercy.” But it was in the planning and build-, ing of the house he found his real de light. He laid it out on very modest lines, as became the amount of money he was prepared to spend. It was to be a single-story bungalow, with veranda round the south and west. The living-room ran across the south side; into its east wall he built a capacious fireplace, with narrow slits of windows to right and left, and in the western wall were deep French windows commanding the magic of the view across the valley. The dining room, too, faced to the west, with more French windows to let in sun and soul. The kitchen was to the east, and off the kitchen lay Grant's bed room, facing also to the east, as be comes a man who rises early for his day’s labor. And then facing the west, and opening off the dining-room, was what he was pleased to call his whim-room. The idea of the whim-room came upon him as he was working out plans on the smooth side of a board, and thinking about things In general, and a good deal about Phyllis Bruce, who had just arrived from the East, and wondering If he should ever run across zen Transley. It struck him nil of a sudden, as had the Big Idea that night when he was on his way home from Murdoch’s house. He worked it out surreptitiously, not allowing even old Peter to see it until he had made It into his plan, and then he described It Just as the whim-room. But It wan to be by all means the best room In the house; special finishing and flooring lumber were to be bought for it; the fireplace had to be done In a peculiarly delicate tile; the French windows must be high and wide and of the most brilliant transpar ency. . . The ring of the saw, the trill of the plane, the thwack of the hammer, were very pleasant music In his ears. Day by day he watched his dwelling grow with the infinite joy of creating, and night after night he crept with Peter Into the workshed and slept the sleep of a man tired and contented. In the long summer evenings the sun light hung like a champagne curtain over the mountains even after bed time, and Grant had to cut a hole In the wall of the shed that ho might watch the dying colors of the day fade from crimson to purple to blue on the tassels of cloud-wraith floating In the western sky. At times Linder and Murdoch would visit him to report progress on the Big Idea, and the three would sit on a bench In the half built house, sweet with the frugrance of new sawdust, and smoke placidly while they determined matters of pol icy or administration. Grant was almost sorry when the house was finished. “There's so much more enjoyment In doing things than in merely possessing them after they’re done,"’ he philosophized to Linder. "I think that must be the secret of the peculiar fascination of the West. The THE DANtELSVILLE MONITOR, DANIELSVILLE. GEORGIA. East, with all It? culture and conveni ences and beauty, can never win a heart which has once known the West. That is because In the East all the obvious things are done, but In the West they are still to do.” "You should worry,” said Linder. “You still have the plowing.” "Yes, and as soon ns the stable Is finished I am going to buy four horses and get to work.” "I supposed you would use a trac tor.” "Not this time. I can admire a piece of machinery, but I can’t love It. I can love horses.” “You’ll be housing them in the whim room,” Linder remarked dryly, and had to Jump to escape the hammer which his chief shied at him. But the plowing was really a great experience. Grant had an eye for horseflesh, and the four dapple grays which pressed their fine shoulders Into the harness of his might have delighted the heart of any team ster. As he sat on his steel sent and watched the colter cut the firm sod with brittle cracking sound as it snapped the tough roots of the wild roses, or, looking hack, saw the regu lar terraces of shiny black mold which marked his progress, he felt that he was engaged In a rite of almost sac ramental significance. “To take n substance straight from the hand of the Creator and be the first in all the world to impose a hu man will upon It Is surely an occasion for solemnity and thanksgiving,” he soliloquized. “How can anyone be so gross as to see only materialism in such work ns this? Surely it has some thing of fundamental religion In it! Just as from the soil springs all physi cal life, may It not be that deep down in the soil are, some way, the roots of the spiritual? The soil feeds the city in two ways: it fills its belly with ma terial food, and It is continually re vitalizing its spirit with fresh streams of energy which can come only from tlie land. Up from the soil comes life, all progress, all development —” At that moment Grant’s plowshare struck a submerged boulder, and he was dumped precipitately Into that element which he had been so gener ously apostrophizing. The well trained horses came to a stop ns he gathered himself up, Done the worse, and regained his sent, “That was a spill,” he commented. “Ditched not only myself, but ray whole train of thought. Never mind; perhaps I was dangerously' close to the development of n new whim, and I am well supplied in that particular al ready. Hello, whom have we here?” The horses had come to a stop n short distance before the end of the furrow, and Grant, glancing ahead, saw immediately in front of them n little chap of four or five obstructing the way. He stood astride of tho fur row with widespread legs bridging the distance from the virgin prairie to the upturned sod. lie was hatless, and curls of silkly yellow hair fell about ills round, bright face. His hands were stuck unobtrusively in his trouser pockets. “Well, son, what’s the news?’’ said Grant, when the two hnd measured eacii other for a moment. “I got braces,” the boy replied proud ly. “Don’t you see?” “Why, so you have!” Grant ex claimed. “Come around here until I see them better.” So encouraged, the little chap came skipping around the horses, und ex hibited his braces for Grant’s admira tion. But he bad already become In terested in another subject. “Are these your horses?” he de manded. “Yes." “Will they bite?” “Why, no, I don’t believe they would. They have been very well brought up.” “What do you coll them?” “This one Is Prince, on the left, and the others are Queen, und King, nnd Knave. I call him Knave becuuse he’s always scheming, trying to get out of his share of the work, and I make him walk on the plowed land, too.” “That serves him right,” the boy de clared. “What’s your name?” “Why—what’s yours?” “Wilson.” “Wilson what?” “Just Wilson.” “What does your mother call your “Just Wilson. Sometimes daddy calls me Bill.” "Oh!” “What’s your name?” “Call D.e The Man on the Hill." “Do you live on the hill?” “Yes.” “Is that your house?" “Yes.” “Did you make it?” “Yes.” “All yourself?” "No. Peter helped me.” “Who’s Peter?” “He is the man who helped me." “Oh!” These credentials exchanged, the boy fell silent, while Grant looked down upon him with a whimsical admixture of humor and tenderness. Suddenly, without a word, the boy dashed as fast as his legs could carry him to the end of the field, and plunged Into a clumf. of hushes. In a moment he emerged with something brown and chubby Id his arms. “He’s my teddy,” ho said to Grant. “He was watching In the bushoe to see if you were a nice man.” "And am I?” Grant was tempted to ask. “Yes.” There was no evasion about Wilson. lie approved of his new ac quaintance, and said so. “Let us give toddy a ride on l’rlnce?” “Let’s!” Grant carefully arranged teddy on the horse's hames, anil the boy clapped bis hands with delight. “Now let us nil go for a ride. You will sit on my knee, and teddy will drive Prince." He took the boy carefully on his knee, driving with one hand and hold ing him in place with the other. The little body resting confidently against his side was anew experience for Grant. “We must drive carefully,” he re marked. “Here and there are big stones hidden in the grass. If we were to hit one it might dump us off.” The little chap chuckled. “Nothing could dump you off,” he said. Grant reflected that such implicit and unwarranted confidence implied a grent responsibility, and lie drove with cor responding care. A mishap now might nip this very delightful little bud of hero-worship. They turned the end of the furrow with a fine Jingle of loose trace-chains, and Prince trotted a little on account of being on the outer edge of the semi circle. The boy clapped his hands, again as teddy bounced up und down on 1 lie great shoulders. “Have you n little boy?" he asked, when they were started again. “Why, no,” Grunt confessed, laughing at the question. “Why?” There was no evading this childish Inquisitor. He hnd a way of pursuing a subject to bedrock. “Well, you see. I've no wife." "No mother?" “No—no wife. You see—” "But I have a mother —” “Of course, nnd she Is your daddy’s wife. You see they have to have that —” Grant found himself getting into deep water, but tho sharp little intel lect hnd cut a corner and was now ahead of him, "Then I'll he your little boy,” he said, and, clambering up to Grant’s shoulder, pressed n kiss on his cheek. In a sud den burst of emotion Grant brought his team to a stop nnd clasped the little fellow in both his arms. For a moment everything seemed misty. “And I have lived to be thirty-two years old nnd have never known what this meant,” lie said to himself. “Daddy’s linrdly ever home, nny wny," the boy added, naively. “Where Is your home?” “Down beside the river. We live there In summer.” And so tho conversation continued nnd the acquaintanceship grew ns man nnd boy plied hack nnd forth on their mile-tong furrow. At length It occurred to Grant that he should send Wilson home; the boy’s long absence might be occasioning some uneuslness. They stopped at the end of the field nnd care fully removed teddy from bis place of prestige, but Just at that moment a horsefly buzzing about caused Prince to stamp impatiently, nnd tho big hoof came down on the boy’s foot. Wilson sent up a cry proportionate to the pos sibilities of the occasion, nnd Grant In nlurm tore off the boot and stocking. Fortunately the soil bad been soft, and the only dnmnge done wus n slight bruise across the upper part of the foot. “There, there,” said Grant, soothing ly, caressing the injury with bis An gers. “It will be all right In a minute. Prince didn’t mean to do It, and besides, I’ve seen much worse than that at the war.” At the mention of the war the boy suspended a cry half-uttered. "Were you at the war?” bed mnnded. “Yes." “Did you kill ’em In the tummy 7” “We’ll talk about that tomorrow. Now you hop up on my shoulders, and I’ll tie the horses and then carry you home." He followed the boy’s directions un til they led him to n puth running among pleasant trees down by the river. Presently he caught n glimpse of a cot tage in a little open space, its brown shingled wulls almost smothered In a riot of sweet pens. “That's our house. Don’t you like it?” said the boy, who hnd already for gotten his injury. “I think It Is splendid.” And Grant, taking his young charge from his shoulder, stepped up on to the porch and knocked at the screen door. In a moment It was opened by Zen Transley. (TO BE CONTINUED.) Double Danger “That young man proposed to me last night, mother. What slmli I dor “But, my child, you’ve only known him two weeks." “I know, mother; but If I delay In accepting him he might find out some things about me he won’t like, too.”*— Boston Transcript. ROAB^ DAY OF NARROW ROAD CONSTRUCTION GONE Don’t build the road narrow. But however it is built, have a right of way ample enough to provide for widening in the future. On these two hang all the law and the profits of modern road building! An expensive fault of the narrow road is the concentration of truffle. Wheels moving constantly over the same places produce parallel lines of excessive wear. To prevent rapid dis integration of n single track road a heavier foundation and surface Is needed than is required for a wider road. Substantial shoulders at the sides on which the passing truffle may turn out are also necessary, as otherwise the wheels of vehicles turning out to puss will quickly wear ruts at the edges. In these water collects, to penetrate beneath the foundation, with disas trous results. A narrow road with soft earth shoulders Is dangerous to motor traffic in slippery weather. To hujld the heavier foundation and surface needed to hear tbo concentra tion of truffle on a narrow road, and the substantial shoulders nt the sides require its much money ns to build n wider road. On a wide road, traffic Is scattered, and wear Is distributed. With n paved surface sufficiently wide for two lines of rapidly moving ve hicles to pass In safety, the necessity for artificial shoulders is eliminated. To build a narrow road, thin and without shoulders, means a loss of the ontlro Investment in a comparatively short time. A narrow right of way requires drainage ditches close to the travel. With no shoulder between paved sur face and ditch the chances of serious accident nr® largely Increased. All drainage ditches tend to heconj' l deep er, so that the danger to traffic be comes constantly greater. Before any program for beautifica tion of highway Is undertaken, some assurance that the rights of way are wide enough to accommodate future truffle should be had. Motor vehicle traffic will increase ns tiie mileage of hard roads Increases. A general extension In tho width of wearing surfaces will call for wider rights of way. To obtain wider rights of way now menus an ultimate saving of a large sum of money and will pre vent many future difficulties. Great Influence of Better Roads The following points show how Improved roads Influence farm home life: 1. Shortens the distance from neighbor to neighbor nnd so re duces isolation and loneliness. 2. Brings the town and the country home closer together, making It possible for tin* farmer and his family to enjoy the amusements and educational ad vantages offered In town. 3. Saves time In traveling from the farm to town and from farm to farm. This allows more time for work, rest or pleasure. •4. Lightens the burden of mar keting crops. 5. Social Intercourse between town and country tends to break down harriers of misunderstand ing, Jealousy, suspicion and Ill feeling. fl. Improved roads make possi ble bigger and better consolidat ed schools ami churches In town or In tho country. 7. Improved roads offer greater Incentive to hauling limestone and fertilizer In building up the farm and increasing its produc tivity and income. Learning to Build Roads The advisory hoard of highway re sell roh, which recently met In Wash ington, Is composed of from sixty to severity of the leading engineers and scientists of the country. More than $1,000,000 Is being spent on learning how to build highways so as to give the best and longest service per dollar, and this group of men have assembled to discuss and exchange data on the experiments In progress on roads. Roads Help Keep Pace Good roads have helped the farmer keep pace with modern times. Who would go hack to those days when the farm was Isolated, especially In wet weather, the deep rutted dirt roads, the horse and buggy, or perhaps the sleigh, with Its limited area of travel when a trip to town was con sidered a Journey,