The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-07-07

out on the OCEAN of mist that lay over the
valley, you might have amused yourself by
imagining that the end OF all things had come,
and having turned your back on the known,
you were yenturfng out into chaos.
Janey was not born to pretty fancies and
yet her thought was not unlike what yours
might have been, except that il enyelopcd her
"a chill and unrelendug certainty-just as the
mist settled down uponth valley aud shut out
the sun. The beauty offs fog Is SO much a
matter Of ones elevations.
A the store group OF men were standing,
talking idly They separated as she came up,
and one Of them helped her out OF the wagon
with a smile and gOOd-natured word The -four
merchant talked TO her kindly as he busted
himself among his brown paper bags. A woman
came in and set her baby on the counter. The
tiny creature crept along and laid its pink,
velvety hand on Janey's wrist. Some Of the
warm, confding little life thrilled through her
arm, and got into her sluggish blood. II
mightsb that people were not cruel Two OF
The men saunterell in from the platform, and
seated themselves behind her
They're waniin' girls over to the cannery,
bad, said one of them leisurely; - Swiggart's
packin' raisins this week; he's offerin' dollar
day"
The merchant warmed up and grew garru-
lous With the sudden me ropolitan rush OF
trade.
There's a letter for your pa Pemberton
was up Saturday; lac says them rascals have
hauled of about the springs. Pm glad of it;
Il
nasty job, anyway
The girl looked up at him. wistful and dumb.
He counted out the change TO her carefully.
g guess that's all rigat; there was three
cents due on the letter; it's a good big one
you'll be careful not to lose it.''
The man followed her out to put the pack
ages in the wagon.
It's Luke Delmar's half-witted girl" he
said, when he came back. ''I'd a good deal
sooner be his dog-poor thing %
Safe in the wagon again, Janey drew long,
gasping breath OF relief. Possibly she was
nearer happiness than she had been before in
all her short, stagnant life. If she had known
what she would probably never know, that her
father had missed her. aud longed for her re-
turn with a blind unreasOnin@ sense of pro-
tectlQnin her presence, sense of which van
ished the instant she came in sight, the day
might have passed into Janey's calendar as
even more noteworthy than il was.
Lake had watched the wagon crawling
homeward like leisurely insect across the
plain below, and the time dragged intcrmin
ably, until the limp, faded sun-bonuet with
its encircling cloud of dust, appeared above
the line of grcase-wood near the home.
Il thought YOU an the mare had fell asleep;
brush, y he said gruffiy, as the creaking vehicle
stopped before the door. lnvolun tarily Jsuey
looked toward the vineyard. 1t lay there just
as she had left it, brown, irregular network
on the hillside; the Struggling summers
growth still untouched Luke followed her
glance with his restless, blood-shot eyes.
''What We lUokin at the vineyard fers' he
said, augrily. THE knife was dali an
couldn't find the milestone. Gr me the to-
backer.n
She gave him the package aud got down
from the seat NEARLY. Beyond a vague Won
der that he should think OF accounting to hei
for his actions atal tile girl was conscious OF
nothing bat the old dealening tyranny The
letter slipped from her shawl aud fell to the
ground lbzlay at Lakes fee, an imposin =
ohcia-looSins document, covered with mys-
FERROUS stamps and lettering.
There Was no need for .Janey to be afraid of
him now Heclutched the wagon wheel, and
turn 4 TOWARD her Dteously.
''What is ii! Where did you get it, ]
hain't done nothin'i. Who told 'em. What
do they want3'
lie seemed to her suddenly a querulous,
trembling old man.
Janey picked the letter up and wiped the
dusf from i, with her shawl.
''.ihe man at the store gave il to me. He
said 10 was foryou. lhidn'task nothing abo ut
it'll thought you'd know
He shrank further away from her, covering
aud terror-strickcn. The lines on his ashen
face seeme3to deepen and grow palmer.
Its nobody's bIsiness-the land and every
thing is mite. IF you told 'em anything
He had staggered against the horse and was
holding himself up BY the shaft; his breath
came in slow, labored sasps. Janey stared at
hun stupidity.
..Ididu't tell 'em nothin'. ] diin't know
nothin' 70 tell. The man said the springs
was your'n, and he gave me the letser-that's
all.
Il was the weak lnccrtaintv of her voice
more than her words chat treasured Luke He
Jurued away, funbling neryously With the
ssHe reekoned YOU mad been 10 boarlin'
school, an could read writin he said, with a
low, sneeriug Ian IA. II hain't no use for their
letter re kin kindle fire with it. Burn It
up-d'ye hear metf
-Nes+a-l,,- Ianav vronId have rtava1 b;,,,
her own kind had stirrei her blood. She slip
ped the letter under her shawl, and went into
the house. When she heard the shafts fail,
she came back to thedoor. Luke had stopped
10 liil his pipe, and the mare was dragging her
halter, and nos'ng the tesder alderia on her
way the shed.
Here's the milestone" said the girl, list
lessly; 1T was in the tooi-boS, where you left
1t was the first time she had ever spoken to
him in that Way Luke started and looked at
her with muttered oath
- Dive want me to come out am trim the
cuttin 81 she asked, in her slow, meaningless
monotone. = Ef YOU goin' to set out the
other eleario' spose yourl want TO heel lem
in over there
The MANS face ioolson a sullen, logged res
olutiOn. IL came close to her side.
Dye think I'm foolfi he said in a cold,
cruel undertone; " sc think I'm =oin to im-
prove another mans for y! They kin plant
their own vineyards I'm a-goiu' to Arizony--
I'd gone iong ago If We hadn't been a-hangin'
on 10 me Ike a bnrin
He had nerved himself to meet her gaze. 1t
was not much TO do after all. She parted her
lips, aud looked at him, in white, speeches.
misery. It's voice had far away sound to
her, like an echo. She repeated the words after
him, stupidity.
The mare had strayed into the young barley
now, and Luke had gone after her. Janey was
stand ny there alone There must have been
something chilling in her dull, colorless face.
The hound came Up and looked at her an in
slant, and then siuAk away and rubbed HIM
self against his masters legs. Inside the house
she could hear the clock ticking noiseIessly
She wondered il slIeewould ever be able to
wind L. when he was gone. Arizona was a
long way of. She had heard of it. though.
Great retches of sert, and hot, barren
mountains, where mea dug silver. Women
and children never went there. The hound
might go, and possibly the horses; but she
wotlld have to stay here. Who would NOV the
barley, and get il in when it was ripe, and
plov the vineyard,
Something darted into her dulled conscious
ness with "A sharp sudden pain She put out
her hands hlindly in the warm sunlight.
ait ein't his'n "she said, looking about hel
with low piteous moan. "the land amt his n
they've took it away from him, an there's nc
place for to stay
Perhaps the first shock OF grief or fear il
worst to those whose perceptions are keenest.
Everything came to Janey slowly. 1t is hard
to imagine a murderous blow lengthening it.
self out through weary hours; and vet thf
girl went about Until nigh fall; with the same
white, tortured face she had worn as she stood
there in the warm, GREATNESS noon, when thu
fullmeaning OF her fathers word dawned upor
her, Luke was pruning. the. vineyard. H'
was glad of any pretext that kept him out o
sight OF the homely awkward figure moving
silently about the house. 1t did not occur &c
him to ask her what she doing. That ans
resolution was shaping itself in her dimly
lighted brain did not enter his thoughts.
He left his work at sunset. and smoked hi:
pipe by the kitchen door in silence Jane'
was moving about inside with slow, listlesi
steps. There was new moon-a wet moon
Luke said TO himself, noting its curve. tn,
blackened branches Of the sycamore rose ou
of the canon in gaunt sfihouettes against III,
sky. A fog drfted in presently, wrapping
them about like winding sheet. The mai
got up, shuddering, and went into the house
Janey was standing by the bed, tying the cor
ners of a rude bundle. She looked at hin
with her dull, expressionless eyes.
Pm goin' away" she said, slowly. az
Won wan to 70 to Arizony won't hang oD 4
you like-like a bur, no longer Theysrs
wantin' pirlS over to the cannery bad.'i thu