The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1878-01-16
A Life for a Life.

a Lie Tor a. Lie.
Bertrode Dodge was blue. It was
August weather-there was no air stir
ring from one arid noon until the next,
and the insects Kissed maliciously all day
long in the parched grasses. Perhaps
that was the rfason that Bertrode wa5
blue.
Perhaps it was that as she walked
Growers Tract, day by day, and saw the
summers limited completion in the red
apples burning among the gray.greer
boughs, the hay-felds at aftermarth, the
purple tasselled corn, and yellow wheat.
that she felt her life to be aimless. She
had let the summer come and wane
across her passive existence. The pre-
yious winter she had said, "I feel ice.
bound now. When summer comes, /
will shake off this merton and redeem
to-day"
Yet the summer was rapidly passing
and she was still a-dream. The hour
never seemed to come which called her
to exertion. Well, cloves young
dream comes but once it was all well,
perhaps. -,
Growers Tract and her farmhouse life
was not dull as she had expected it
would be when she returned from her
mountain tour year before only at
times the outdoor sounds and the
leisurely growing works of nature op.
pressed her. In the winter she had
been gay, looking at the sunset across
the snow, watching the chick.a-dees, and
searching the woods for purple merer-
ion. In the spring the long walks to the
post Office had been full of joyful fancies
and golden realities; she loved the
sweet country sights and scents more
than ever before in her life.
But in August something seemed to
Cypress her. The sky burned too blue,
the woods were to calmly content in
their greenness, the days closed too
beautifully in their ripe splendor, as she
walked the Tract at sunset, coming
from the notwithstanding always
empty-handed. Yes, something was
wrong, and when she realized it fully,
she said:
"I am idle-I am stepped in idleness.
I have been doing nothing for a year.
Now will have some work, and Dick
may 90 to the post-office. I'care toe
much for those letters"
Whatever those letters might be, there
came no more of them. A certain gay
tourist drifting about the world, forgot
to write them at last; perhaps Bertrcde
was pretty, but one travelling everywhere
meets many pretty faces.
Bertrode's cheek grew thin and white,
Her mother saw that she struggled to re-
press growing irritableness. But sne
worked on increasingly at her new EN-
ployment of teaching the district schoo
of Growers Tract. She devoted herself
to the children. Their parents said they
had never before learned 30 fast. Ber
trode smiled only family at their praise
One day. coming home from schoo
through the woods, she flung herself
down among the ferns and dry grasses.
"It is dust and ashes! !" she cried.
The sky cleaned blue through greer
boughs overhead, and bird sang cheer
ily in q neighboring bush. She lay
there until she felt the dew falling. Al
she rose up, something rustled at hel
side. She looked down great rattle
snake was slipping through the grass
going from her, apparently unaware OF
her presence. Fascinated, immovable
vet full of horror, she stood and watched
the creature. For a moment it glided
steadily on, its course 80 direct. its ap
pearance 80 subtle and deadly, that she
felt spelbound as she regarded it
Suddenly, with a thrill of horror, she
saw the reptiles aim; it was making
directly for shady spot, where mar
Law asleep beneath the trees. One
moment more would be too late to pre-
vent the threatened attack. Starting
from her passivity, she seized stone al
her feet and hurled it full at the crea
ture. he had just paused and raised
his crest to view his position, when the
stone struck him upon the back OF the
head, and with vengeful hiss he leapet
into the air, then fell at full length upor
the ground and slowly expired.
Bertrode stood looking at the dusty
length and bloody head of the deat
snake, her mind in sort of wonder tina
ANYTHING could be 80 loathsome, whe1
she heard her mans spoken. She raiset
her eyes and saw Fennel Gould standing
before her. The young man looked a
the snake with aIsort of shudder, ant
said
"Bertrode, you must have saved m.
ife." ,
II suppose I did," she answered
"The creature was coming directly to
ward you. Did you ever see anything 81
horrible, Fennel ?"
He took her hands; she hardly glancet
at him.
Darling" he said.
She snatched her hands away sud
den impatience.
"Dontr" she said. II wish vo'
wouldn't, Fennel."
"But love you"
Il cannot help it."
He regarded her sorrowfully. Sh
took her shawl from the grass and pu
it on. .
at is chilly here, and late. 1 an
going home," she said.
he walked silently at her side out o
the woods and across the wide fields o
Growers Tract. Never was there a NOR
hopeless lover than Fennel Gould. A
the farmhouse door he said, "Good
night, Bertrode." She bowed, and b
went on over the hill In the warm gra,
twilight, cursing his cruel fate 90 lover