Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-01-24
CHAPTER XVI.

1oU WoULDN L KILL THE MAN LOVET'
Mason was much annoyed with
Gwyn for extorting from him such
conditions. He felt like fool as he
went down stairs, opened the door Of
the washhouse and, making his way
to the farmer between two high built
up walls Of snow, told him, with much
vexation, of the girls whim.
Tregaron heard him in silence and
shrugged his shoulders sullenly. Coch
Tai. who was working with Tom with.
In hearing, leaned on his spade to listen
to the DOCTORS account. which he re-
ceived with a derisive laugh.
won't let you help with the dig
ging, won't sheY' said he in jeering
tone. "She can be thoughtful for some
folks, for surer'
The farmer silenced him immedi.
ately.
''If she's got q fancy, we must humor
her, 1 suppose, eh. sir? But to be sure
she's not at all like our Gwyn when
she's wellv'
"Well, we may compound with our
consciences," said Mason as he seized
spade which lay near him. "She's
not so Ill as she imagines nor in SO
much danger Of bad night as she
believes. l can take hand with you
and look In at her now and then, and
IL she still has the fancy tonight that
we must sit up with her we must all
take turn at it, that's allv'
On the next occasion of his visiting
the sickroom Mason found the girl 81.
lent and sullen. She had heard his
voice outside and knew that he had
been working with the others.
81 told you to rest" she said per.
emptorily, ''and you had better have
done so, for you will have to sit up to-
night all the same"
She persisted in this whim, and In
spite Of her fathers circumstances
she made the doctor and her grand.
mother watch during the whole Of that
night, although t was clear to every.
body that there was no further need
for such precautlon. Mason got
what sleep he could In the armchair,
quite satisfied that there was no need
for him to keep awake. And In the
morning, when he found her still on
the highroad to complete recovery,
with good pulse and q normal .m.
perature, he laughed at hei .ancies
and tried to tease her out of them.
But she was just as rigid in her at.
titude as on the preceding day.
IF l fancy l am going to be very
ILL.," persisted she, land II fancy also
that 1 am going to be neglected and
left to myself, it is just as bad for me
as being really very ILL.,
II promise you," said Mason kind.
ly, that you shall neither be neglected
nor left alone, however wild your fan.
cies may seem to us"
She flashed up into his face sudden
look of gratitude and pleasure which
touched him strangely. In spite of the
whimsicality Of her caprices or per.
haps indeed partly on account of them
he found his interest In his patient In.
crease with every hour. The mystery
which hung about her and about the
household to which she belonged, the
earnestness and passion which he had
discovered in even SO short and re.
stricted an acquaintance, all helped to
make an impression upon him to which
her personal beauty helped to give
both power and charm.
There had come to be strange sort
Of freemasonry between these two,
expressed in an exchange of looks
when he came In or out, of confidence
on the one hand, Of sympathy on the
other.
Whatever there might be amlss In
the household-and that something
was wrong somewhere Mason could
not doubt-this one figure Of the hand.
some, open faced girl stood aloof from
1t, shone out the brighter for her rath.
er dubious surroundings. He was not
without suspicion, too, that this In.
sistence Of hers upon his constant pres.
ence in the sickroom was measure OF
precaution for his personal safety and
that the watching at night, upon which
she continued to insist, was maneu
yer by means Of which she could still
play the part of guardian angel during
the hours which she judged to be the
most perilous to him.
However that might be, for the next
four days. during which the doctor as.
aascd hsr tAak ~ pkogrsss toward n