The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-23

the morning. he said, thrusting his
| hands down into the pockets of his
| pantaloons, and striving hard to clear
a strange huskiness from his voice.
They're putting in machinery down
at Dillsboro to start up a locust pin
factory, Nance. Reckon l could get a
| good many locust blocks off of that
piece of land I've bought
Again Zeb's vision wandered toward
Nance; but she still stood motionless
by the fence, her long hair waving
gently in the slight breeze that was
stirring. And the longer Zeb gaZed upon
the woman he loved the fuller grew his
bosom, until he could no longer with
stand the pressure, and his words were
almost in the tone of a wall. as he
sank back uDon the old stump.
| oh, Nance, amt you ever a-goin' to
say anything"
! Nance continued as immovable as be-
fore. At last Zeb replaced his big hat
upon his head and arose.
Il know what's the matter, Nance.
he said: Il can see it all now. Pole
Dorsey's been a-comin' to see you of
late; and-yes-I can see it now,
Nance; you don't love me any more
Zeb paused to steady his voice, which
had grown a little husky.
Nance" he continued. I'D a died
for you any time; and l thought you
would have loved me right on, Nance,
right on But now-I-I can't say any
more. Goodbye. Nance
He turned and walked toward the
road. But he had gone only few
steps when he turned and came back
again, going close up to Nance, where
he stopped a moment Then he spoke:
Before l go, Nance, won't you tell
me fair and square, is il me or Pole?'
There was no answer.
Never mind, then: l know that you
just hate to tell me that you don't love
me any more, and l won't make you.
Once more, Nance, goodbye.
He stealthily lifted a wisp of her
long hair and fervently pressed it to his
lips, then walked away rapidly. Nance
heard the sounds of his footsteps grow
ing fainter and fainter as he assembled
the hard roadbed which turned over
the hill just above the cabin. Finally
she looked around. Zeb was just dis
appearing beyond the turn in the road:
and TO Nance it suddenly occurred
that he might never return. a scared
look came into her eyes, and for
moment she stood undecided what to
do. Then she sprang away from the
fence and ran up the road, hundred
fears taking possession OF her bosom.
But Zeb was gone. "Oh, why did he
go? Why did he not wait just a mo-
and when she reached the top of the
hill, was almost out of breath Zeb
had gone out of sight down the noun
tain. She tried to call his name, but
her utterance was only whisper. But
at last she managed to call:
''Oh, Zeb."
The breeze blew the echo of her own
tones back into her face. Tears gushed
from her eyes, and she sank down
upon the roadside to sob away her sud
den heartsickness.
The clouds began to gather and at
midnight rain began to fall in torrents.
BY dawn the waters of the Tuckasiege
were high between its banks. and the
boom-loggers were busy with their
RATS; but Zeb Norton, their former
foreman, was not among them.
Six years had slipped away, Nance
Hooper still lived with her father in
the cabin on the side of the mountain
She still went out each evening TO call
the hogs at the head of the ravine; and
in her heart still lived the old love
and deep regret. Zeb Norton had
never been heard of since his sudden
disappearance. Gold had been discov-
cred on the Tuckasiege, and the COM
munity was wild with excitement But
what seemed unfortunate TO the pros
pectors was that the rich vein had been
discovered on a body OF land belonging
to one Zeb Norton, whose whereabouts
were unknown. They feared to pro-
coed with mining operations without
having first secured a lease of some
kind: and since this could not be OBJ
tanned from the owner the enterprise
was at a standstill.
Half year passed by. One day