Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-03-19

rough pine slab tbaG did duty 70
frout-door step. u lap vAa fuI
of corn and corn c. A pile o.
unshelled corn was 1cked on th,
slab within easy rseh. With /,
fine disregard for b own caticle
she rubbed the grain Tree from .h,
cob with the redden1 ball of heI
right thumb.
When all the cdSn shpnld bs
shelIed, she would liN mp her voice
shriIly, and countlss fsathered
pensioners would make glad res
ponse. Roosters. forgetting to be
stasalF Gaiaes fos 9ro~p 81 /.
denly 'gregarious, pigeons swooping
from aloft to share in the liberal
largess, would all come, fiuttering,
flying. scrambling. hnrrying, each
filed with genuine human greed,
striving to eat ahead of it's fellows.
Sue rather liked 'feed- d-time" to
come. 1t broke up the dreadful
monotony of her day. and intro
ducec cheerful clamor into pro-
found silence.
She was left very much slone dur
ing the day. Her father and her
four uncouth brothers were always
of as soon as the breakfast of black
coffee and greasy bacon she got up
at dawn to prepare was disposed of.
What their business was, beyond
the making and garnering Of the
meagre crops which seemed never to
result in any betterment of her own
condition, she did not know. Nor
did she much care. She was not of
a speculative turn. She went the
dull round of her sordid duties un-
questioning, unrepining. She had
the ethics of the case,
with unconscious philosophy, into
a single aphorism:
'Frettin' don't do no good. SO
whar's the use Of frettin'?'
Under softer conditions she nigh,
have developed into an uncommon.
ly pretty girl. The first time Brad
lev Martin saw her. her face was as
the face of guardian angel to him
a,rnn..i--i;-troductior trange
She leveled her clear, brown eyes
on him over her head to consult the
shadows. The familiar landscape
must attain precise stage of OBJ
scurity before she called the wan
derers home for the night.
From the stile that crossed the
rude yard fence the mountain foot
path dropped precipitately down.
ward. This rendered approach to
the honse possible without any warn
ing view beforehand. Standing on
this stile, holding bis hat in one
hand, while with the other he dashed
great beads of sweat from his fore
head, Sue saw a man!
She levelled her clear, brown eyes
on him in intense surprise. He
was a stranger, and strangers were
not common at Lumley's Pass. She
stood up, with the corners of her
check apron gathered .ngether me-
chanically, with thrifty thought for
her shelled corn. She gained in
dignity by change of posture. She
was tall, and just now she was stand
ing on the defense.
Who be YOU? And what be you
doin' standin' stock still on our
stile?' she asked, in q slow, gentle
drawl that gave no indication of her
perturbed state. r
Her voice was as sweet as a wood.
pigeons note. Her eyes were clear,
steadfast, fearless. In spite of the
shortness of her coarse cotton gown,
there was a certain air Of command
about this mountain girl which i'm.
posed upon the stranger. But il
was face to be trusted, and the
young man on the stile stood in sore
need Of q friend.
He was by her side in o few swift
strikes. She could see his broad
chest heave with the breath that
came in pants.
You are alone?' he asked.
She trem bled at the eager excite
ment of his voice and manner, bul
her fright did not appear in bel
drawled answer:
'Waal, what il | be"
Hide me, and keep my secret
What for shall hide you? VIII.
be you, and what yon been up to,
Moonshinin'?'
He cast about him excitedly will