St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1896-07-18


on, It's going to -ain!" she cried.
The next instant the downpour began,
and both rushed through a breach in
the earthen wall of the fort to the tree,
whose branches, to which the leaves yet
clung, offered protection There they
stood in silence for several minutes, she
busiiy brushing raindrops from her hat,
which she had taken off, and he watch
ing her, moodily.
The silence became oppressive, and
she glanced at him, curiously and APP
prehensiyely, from under her lashes.
He caught the glance, and, moving
toward her, said:
"Well?"
'Oh, don't" she exclaimed, starting
away, her eyes still fixed upon ribbon
with Which She was working.
"Why, Katherine-er, Miss Moore"
''0h, you mustn't" @5
He walked to the edge of the circle
protected by the leaves and looked out
over the clay wall of the fort, down
which tiny red rivers ran. She, hav-
ing dried her hat, placed it again on
her head and began brushing her skirt
where, here and there, rain had spotted
it. She glanced several times at his
back, stubbornly turned toward her.
He evinced no intention OF moving, nor
of speaking again, and she became nerv-
ous The situation was nnhearable,
and she exclaimed:
eve must get back to the others!"
1--WE can't very well go&hrough this
rain" he said, without turning around.
Another prolonged silence, broken
only by the monotonous fall of the
rain. Finally, when she had almost
made up her mind to gather up her.
skirts and run to the hotel, quarter Of
mile away, he turned and came
quickly toward her. He put out his
hand as though to take hers, but she
quickly put her hands behind her and
stepped back. He folded his arms and
stood before her. looking earnestly into
the eyes that she raised to his, almost
appealingly.
Katherine" he said, II love you.
VIII you be my wife,"
A beautiful color stole slowly from,
the ribbon at her throat, up, up, until
it tinted the edges of her small, perfect
ly formed ears. His gaze held hers for
moment: then her eyelids fell, and
their long lashes swept her cheeks.
"Mr. Pearce," she said, slowly and
hesitatingly, "T am sorry, but IL
can'ti"
Because you do not love me?"
She looked up quickly into his face;
then down again; but she did not reply.
katherine, tell me- he said, why
is it that you cannot marry me p
Because" she was very busy dis
lodging half-buried stone with the toe
of her -''because-because you are
a Yankee!'' Another swift glance met
his steady look. Then she moved. a
little further away, and stood half
turned from him. His first impulse was
to laugh. But that passed almost as
it came. The gray, brass-buttoned rid
ing habit, the flushed cheeks and bright
eyes with which she had listened to
"DiKie," flashed acrosss his mental
vision. The yankee" might be an OBJ
stacle not, TO be laughed away.
But I am not Yankee" he said,
with emphasis "I am; from Illinois"
1t seemed a long, time to. both that
they stood in silence. Again she was
the first to speak.
a. This is an awful rain,' she saih 3,
&. Eyes, very wet rain, he replied.
~ "Oh, you are going TO jest about it"
"But / am not jesting," he answered,
walking rapidly to where she stood.
what mean is that you viii get wet.
THE ewater is beginning TO drip from the
leaves. Here" stripping off his coat,
''letirne put this around you.P'
=. "Oh, nc" she said, stepping back. .
as.fBut you must. The air islchill, and
If you get wet you will catch cold.''
But yon-you-"
:" "ttswon't hurtsme a bit. Come" sx a
He assumed a commanding tone, and
that. or something else, accomplished
his end, for she made no effort to free
herself when he placed the big. coat
about her shoulders. Tt took a long
time to get it fixed just right,1and his
arm was still around her when he
looked into her face and saw that she
was. looking up into his. Something in
hereyes prompted him to draw her close
to him and to say, very tenderly:
Sweetheart, come from the north,
but. love southern girl. Don't you
think thatsshe can love5a northern man
Just little-if he is not Yankee?'"
She studied the arrangement Of his
necktie closely, and then transferred
her scrutiny to bis watch chair. But
evidently she was not thinking of
either. for when she spoke she asked:
''I11inois people aren't Yankees p
Certainly NOT he replied. with
conviction. "They are long way. from
Yankeedom More than a thousand
,1niles.'' ~ 'sssSz
she examined the necktie again,
looked into his eyes for moment, then
ever his shoulder off into the raj i. "
therine, BE said, softly, do you
love me ?9,.ss rs "
She turned her head slowly until
their eyes met. wave of color rushed
into her cheeks, and she murrnured
family: Eyes"
And you will be my wife
With perhaps sudden thought OF
ner surroundings, and of stormy day
thirty years before, she replied: I'll
surrender"
The rain. as if to hide from the scene
my possible observer, fell more heavily
for a moment. Then it ceased alto
gether, and soon the sun shone through
from o blue sky where the gray clouds