The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-09-13
In SHADY CANON.

Big Flats very handsome, well dress
ed, athletic looking young man alight-
ed and took the trail for Shady Canon.
Turning the corner of huge granite
column. out of whose perpendicular
split centre grew Il stunted pine, he
stopped short and laughed outright
at the lIittenish antics of a small girl
playing alone by the trail. The girl
stopped her play and stood before him
with hands down and clasped, looking
straight into his face, not boldly nor
yet bashfully, but with sort of Won
dermcnt of expression. She was a
very small creature, and as to age
might have been anywh ere from II to
lG. Her hair, which was perfect
yellow, was cut close to her head.
The young man started slightly
when he met the full gaze of the
strange yellow eyes. Cat eyes, was
his first thought: Il repelling fasci"a
tion crept over him as the impression
deepened in his mind that there was
an indescribable feline expression all
over the child. So swift do ones
thoughts take shape, before he could
bring his lips to form a question the
ridiculous idea had come and gone,
that should he turn away from the
moveless stare of those curious yellow
eyes the small creature would spring
upon his shoulders. ferociously wild
cat.
MY little girl can you tell me how
far it is to Shady Canon
She bobbed her head over her
shoulder, thus indicating both dis
lance and direction. See it,
He flushed slightly at the nearness
to the town, or may be at the implica /
ton conveyed in the tone and gesture. |
Nobody ever said that to me since
he died. -
Said what?''
My little girl.
What is your name:'
Its Cat Eyes since he died.
The creepy sensation again came ov
en- young man when the child utter /
ed the first thought which had come /
to him about her eyes. He con
quered the feeling and asked her very
kindly, How long has it been since (
he died?"
1T has been 100 years, think
9 Anything in that. nodding to the
valise which he carried. 'that'd get
out?' Assured that there was not,
she continued in her quiet quaint
way: Then I'll carry it up to the
house for you, cause you called me
what he used TO-.
He let her take it and followed her
up the trail just to sec how the adven-
ture would end. To him anything that
a new sensation would sure
" be followed. He was only q, but
he had been born rich. artistically, in
physiologically and tinan.
.ially, and had been adventurously
Drodigal with all these gifts. \ few
steps below the trail, one of some
Boys who were picking gum from a
burned log said to his companions.
loud enough that the girl
night hear, 'By Jehosephat, it's Cat
Eyes Allowing a greenhorn up to Mrs
Squeers'.
She put down the valise and turned .
lpon them in a fury of rage and
.horus of laughter. The girl could not
lave told why she was ashamed. but
she was. Cat-Eyes belonged
o Shady Canon, but not a child in
he village would play with her.
They said they were afraid of her cat .
YES, and that sparks would fly from
Ter yellow hair. One boy declared I
hat he had only given her hair the a
-I h., Ia
nto an angry yellow cat and
lie said her mother had been frigh- @
ened terribly by cat. t
Three wears before, on chill Sun v
ay afternoon, she had been left z
rouching on her fathers grave.
course. that some other kind heart t
d woman would care for her And n
0 it happened that Mrs. Squeers. $
,ok the sobbing child TO her saloon o
nd gambling resort. The child's ia s.
her had sauandered many gold 4
iece in her place, and when the child h
lung TO her in her desolation a feeling b
f protection sprang up in her heart. Il
Mrs. Saueers was an educated wo- "
ian with much graciousness of man IS
err So she was popular with the men h
at Eyes, therefore, IN spite. of her :
ENVIRONMENTS. received some advantage ''
speech and polish from the woman. -
Cat Ewes led the Young man into C,
[rs Squeers' place, Vernon Atkinson. %
hich was the Young mans name. did Sc
n STAY as Cat Eyes had hoped, but 50
emf TO the little hotel, whose creak- "a
10 sigpboard seemed always lament =
10 a better time. Allison's stay at
hady Canon heightened into months.
. took Cat. Ewes on long brambles up
,,-l.ra ,hax- ba6 ~ ,,ca