The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1895-03-29
HELEN $ FOLLY.
By KATE RICHMOND.
[coNTINUED.1
Helen turned Ianguidly.

GD1llO AllS5AOs
81 shouldn't like it. But, oh, Harry,
you don't want blood on your hands. -
''And dom t want to lose my horses, !"
he said doggedly. eff it comes to that,
it's their own fault. They know the
risks they take.
Helen said no more. Bronson had not
spoken at all. He asked an unimportant
question or two, and then the subject
| dropped
That night every horse worth taking
was stolen from the Tryon and Bronson
ranch, and with the rest Helen's Rebec-
ca. But the third day afterward Rebec-
ca was found in the morning tied before
the door, with as handsome bride and
lady's saddle as the country afforded
and with card appended, Captain
Gordon's compliments to Helen Tryon. :"
''He ought to have said to the heroine
of Pine Gulch," Harry said, with deep
disgust. perhaps Mrs. Morse is in it,
too, :" Bronson suggested shyly. you're
quite sure that Captain Gordon isn't a
friend of yours? Appearances are against
you. First the diamond and he
stopped short as the tears rose in Helen s
| eyes.
81 didn't mean anything" he ex-
planned humbly to Harry afterward.
'Who ever supposed you did? Do you
imagine you are ever going to under
stand what a woman finds to cry about?"
he said wrathfully. ''They don't know
themselves half the time''
D,,E oP+ oil TJo1aY, OF
whom he was storming. An extra meet
ing of the Horse Thief league was sum-
moned. No results followed, and a
month wore away peaceably.
Time did not stand still for Helen and
Helen's lover. He did not again refer in
words to that declaration of his, but
not an hour spent in her society did
not plead his cause. He took it for
granted that his love for her was a
thing complete of itself, without hope
of return. Perhaps that attitude was his
strongest plea Something in his pa
tience seemed wonderful to her. She
could as soon have built the pyramids.
She was one Of those positive people to
whom no half measure is possible. That
man should make such an avowal as
that and then should let the days go on
in such commonplace, cheerful, un-
marked fashion reused new, wonder
ing interest in her mind.
Little by little, unconscious of the
gradations of feeling, her whole mental
attitude changed. She owned now with
shudder that if Payne Morse were to
cross her path for the first time she
would probably be repelled rather than
attracted. She had fallen in love with
an ideal, and the living, breathing facts
did not bear out the fancy And the
next shock was to realize that she had
not yet done with ideals, and today s
hero was in nowise like yesterdays.
Clearly Helen Morse's days of passive
suffering were over. She was silent still,
but her silence was dreamy instead of
coldly hopeless. And unwonted bursts
of petulance stirred the even tenor of
the days.
"What has happened to Helen?" Har-
ry asked wonderingly one day. "Well,
| anything is better than seeing her go
about like galvanized corpse, as we
did for three years
But Harry was too much absorbed in
devising schemes whereby Captain Cor.
don's band might come to grief to heed
such small bits of melodrama as falling
in love, hopelessly or otherwise.
One night it came to pass that after
one of the brief, tremendous storms of
wind and rain peculiar to the latitude
| Helen answered her brothers. hail from
| the outer darkness and. opened the door
to find him and one of the herders hold
ing between them motionless dead
weight and recognized the white face
of Frank Bronson's.
SIS he dead?" she asked quietly.
81 don't know. Only stunned, I fam
cy. Set Sam Lee to heating water and
rummaging our flannels. A tree fell as
we were coming through the timber and
knocked him out of his saddle. What
mercy you are not of the screaming,
fainting kindp'
Harry was giving explanations and
orders in sort of running accompani-
ment that barely yelled his own ankle
| ty. Helen, pale, silent and helpful,
obeyed implicitly. When Bronson open
ed his eyes at last, her face was the
first he saw as his swimming vision
steadied itself. He put out his hand,
and she laid hers within it. There was
good deal in the act She was not a
woman prodigal of such expressions.
The heavy blue eyes opened with eager
| inquiry.
"You must be very quiet, she said,
with smile. She did not withdraw
her hand, and with long sigh of relief
he turned toward her and fell asleep.
He was out and about his business
next day, though in rather shaky fash
ion. All day Helen went about with a
half guilty, half happy strain of feeling
ON her heart. AS the time came for his
return she went and stood before her
glass, for the first time perhaps in years,
with q critical and anxious look at the
reflection therein. She was too pale.
Sorrow and loss had left her face SCARED
with their traces. What had she to do
with love? The fit of self distrust left a
tremor in her manner that even Harry
| noticed.
81 believe you are living back again, I"
he said. "At this rate, Helen, you'll be
q schoolgirl again before you know it. "
Her lips quiyered in painful half
smile. He plunged on: did you ever
see any one change so, Frank No, you
are not living back. You are going to
begin over again, my girl. " And he
stopped and kissed her. They were not
9 demonstrating family, the Tryons.