The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-03-16
BILLS "WIED ROSE"

~ ,aiubOW uucS N SAoy
liked mountain tops, whose SOM
,r iaggedness here and there CLINT
q - brightly where the golden shafts
. ..J;,nhanous sunbeam kissed them.
a,hs lurid glow of the light of the
.,,;ny sun filled the atmosphere
il ..;,h = weird, fiery haze, the gray
4 IN Yellow sand of the earth glenn
4 "a more golden, and the dark olive
81 - the outrageous trees shone of
& hrirhter green. A group Of men
.,s clustered loungingly about the
8 ,,nor of Gruff Rock tavern.
III amt nuthin to none of us"
no Of the miners is saying, EEK
4 '4n,jn that what hurts Bill hurts
q Us. =.
.If Master David means wrong by
4 ,be Girl. another says, and his fists
4 finch incidentally.
.Hol' on, Buck" some one inter-
runts him. 'If in all the white
sared %aristocracy there's one gentle
man. its Master David"
b "Gn.h. l wonder if Bill knows?''
..Shutup comrades! Here he is"
4 4 form, uncomrnonly tall, stall
i w,rt a. iii oak, straight as a pine,
4 advances toward the group. He
.,riles to q vacant chair in silence.
There, nothing prepossessingly
4 handsome about this gruf western
or excepting tho gentleness that
turks about his mouth. Bill had
nerceivcl the seemingly mutual par
4 tjality of his little Rose and the pale
A faced stranger, yet why had every
4 one perceived it7
When young Lodding, a stalwart
4 stripling, had come to Pawree Bill
4 10 tell. in his honest. faltering elo-
ouel.rc, the story of his love for lit
tic Rose. Bill shook the boys hand
] with kind heartedness.
"Lod," Bill said, "Ilove my little
/ cal better nor anything else on
earth. but you're worthy Of her, lad.
4 TO ask the chit, and my heart and
/ eodspeed so with you"
l Lo,iding never preached the sub
/ ject TO Bill afterward, but his eyes
] lowered and his lips twitched pain
fully whenever the great blue eyes
Of Bill met his. Rose never men
1 toned Lod's name now, while there
! vas ii time wh6n she would run TO
4 Bill with a merry laugh to exhibit
tho rare mountain stone or q brace
Of game that Lod had given her.
! That was before there had been a
question of love; but now-well,
now it was different.
Among the miners all conversa-
tional desire seems to have fed,
and each, engaged with his own
thoughts, seems not to be conscious
Of the long silence. Some distance
eastward, silhouetted against the
transparent blue of the evening sky,
two forms are visible meandering
slowly along the rocky powders
and low lying cliffs-the figure Of
a girl, from the wide rim of whose
hat floats a tangle Of sunny curls, a
smile lighting the loneliness Of her
youthful countenance as she places
one slender hand in that Of her com
panion, who offers his assistance
from where he Glands on a jutting
rock a little beneath her.
His lips part in O genial smile. as
though he had said something ANUS
ing or pleasant. and fha girls sn,il-
ing face breaks into. ripples of
laughing smiles. Pawnee Bill has
turned and gazes at the tableau in
silence. He utters no word. Rising
silently, he moves slo wly .tom the
still companionship Of his comrades.
AS he moves from his comrades
they look at him in silence. What
hahn could come to Pawnee Bills
Rose2 What would that aristocrat
DO in Pawnoe Bills hands2 A help
less atom, a reed-why, nothing at.
all.
do let us stop here. I'm tired,
Master David"
Rose. why do you persist in call
ing me Master Davidf Do you not
like David just as wellf"
Yes, but--you see-everybody
here calls you Master David. and
why should I be different from any,
body else7"
You cannot help being that,
Rose; at least not TO me. Now.
= please Iis. lei me hear you say
{ lvid."
She looked at him, half TIMELY at
nrst; then, fixing her glance firmly
On his, she says clearly and sweet
", David"
"Bravely donei But I have not
yet, finished. Could you not cay
dear DsvidG'"
The long lashes are lowered now,
ana her face is crimson flushed.
.Couldn'tyou Rosesn he pleaded.
She strives to meet his gaze as be-
lore, but her eyelids seem to droop
.nvoluntarily, and her lips falter