Morris tribune., 1895-09-25

/ NlSAdSS6u duu Wtuu0T6u away OV6T Tie
far stretching and sun dried prairie, IN
til it was lost in the misty and uncer-
tain distance. Then her eyes rested on
the three peaks of the Sweet Grass hills
that doomed up from their opaline sat
ting like volcanic islands surrounded by
! a vaporous, shipless sea, and, figura-
lively, in this wild region they were is
lands, for between Gabriel st. Denis
house (only year or two ago. and
them there was no human life, only
perhaps small band of wandering
Blood, Sioux or Piegan Indians on the
hunt>and the animal life they hunted.
She was truly remarkable Nlooking
girl, this daughter of Gabriel's, for
there never were two people who could
agree as to the color of her eyes or hair.
Some said her eyes were hazel, some
said blue, and some said chestnut. The
truth was, they seemed to change color
with every mood that showed on her
mobile face. There was always linn
pid depth in them, which, with the
fresh color of her face and her red lips,
indicated healthful, buoyant nature
Her hair was, indeed, of that color which
Georgione and Titan gave to their We
netian women-'sb brown in the shade,
golden in the sun. = Her figure was
finely nodded, and perhaps the dead
plainness and flowing lines of her neat
dress only showed it to a better advan
tage. Her shapely, proud head was well
poised upon that beautifully rounded
neck which sculptors love to create
for, alas, it is SO seldom found But
she was perhaps a girl no longer, for
she stood on the mystic threshold of
womanhood, and there was that inscru
table look in her eyes as of one who lis
tens.
From her small hands and feet to her
dimpled, resolute chin and low, broad
forehead there was not one tame feature
in her face. Had she lived in London or
Paris or any other great city artists
would have discovered her, have made
her famous and worshiped her, and
women would have paid her truer hom
age still, for they would have said all
manner of false and spiteful things re-
garding her and have heartily hated
her. But she was only sold st. Denis
daughter, who lived like recluse
some 20 miles distant from his nearest
neighbor on the prairie of the Canadian
northwest. She was an anomaly-like
golden room in a wooden house. She
ought to have been without heartache |
chow much, after all, does a man know
about that complex thing, a woman S,
hearth; but, as it was the girl dreamed |
her dreams and wove the romances of !
a coming womanhood amid what seemed |
such uncongenial surroundings for
bright young life Perhaps that subtle
spirit of solitude which settles down
over that great lone prairie land with
the blood red sunsets had tinged her
with something of that pensiveness
which occasionally seemed to haunt her I
face.
And now Gabriel spoke, in a some
what embarrassed manner, it must be
confessed He did not look up at the
pretty picture before him, but wound
another piece of string round the joint
of the hoop-a quite unnecessary thing
to do-with an apparent concentration
of purpose that was utterly wasted.
oh, by the way, little un, I was
nigh forgettin to tell ye thet I'll be
gwin away for week Or ten days to
Benton to git some necess ries I can't
git yere. s'pose now ye won't mind
bein left alone for thet time? we've
got old Jeanette, ye know, and I'll
fetch We a present from Benton-some
Of these yere books ye can t git on this
side without givin ever SO much for
s'Oh, dad p
TWAS almost like the cry of a wound
cd animal, but still she did not with
draw her eyes from the vague, blue line
of the uneven horizon; only, all at once,
the light had gone out of them and
there was an apprehensive, piteous loc'l
there instead She had clasped her
hands together in front of her involun-
tarily, and then, as if ashamed at hav-
ing been betrayed even into this mo-
mentary expression of feeling, she caught
at and plucked nervously the leaves of
some creeping plant that clambered up
The doorway Of the house.
It could be easily seen that she felt
and Inundated by what she
aad to say to her father. There was
twitching of her lips then
/ droop about the corners of her mouth,
1ut she recovered herself in another
minute, with visible effort, and con
;inued: I
dad, didn't you tell me that you
would not go across there any more?
Cannot we live without your having to
90 there: Some day the mounted police
will be running across you as you come
pack, and they will take your horses
md wagons and will fine you besides
,ver SO many hundreds of dollars and !
hen what will you have gained in the
md? Oh, dad and there was q world
If entreaty and self depreciation in that i
loft voice Of hers-'sit is not for me to
preach to you, but if you only knew !
low miserable this thing makes me / ,
lon't think you would do it, Besides,
low do you think-though don t care j
10 much about myself, after ALL can
20 into,Medicine Hat and hold up nv /
read, knowing that everybody is point !
no "a me and saving There goes Maria