Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1902-08-13
In THE SUGAR BUSH

| Ills IOuLtS VI bLC SQ1SI Duon
with pals suspended from a rock yoke
to empty the Drumming trouShs CT sap
and convey them to the barrels 1T the
fire it all c. ne back to him SO fcrcibly
| that he seemed to be working in q
dream. He had known Nellie Temp.
kins since childhood The two farm
houses stood close together. and the
children had been Xeb and Nell to each
other until he had Become his fathers
'hired man" and she had PIT Gil long
dt Ses. Zeb had Fever escorted any
other girl to TIE c.rcrs, 10 Il picnic, to
camp meeting, TO Il harvest CaEce CT Il
corn shucking, AID Nell lad never en-
couraged any other Young Eaa.
The old folks nad locked rpon 1t IS a
matter of course that the young couple
would get married in Cue time. 1t
was only after the firl lad Lccn sent
away to school and her letters TO Ieb
had been few and far between that he
awole to the fear CT losing her.
Nell Tompkins at eighteen was
good looking, attractive girl, and Zeb
realized that education and society
would improve her still more Other
young men would be attracted, and he
would stand no show.
As Zeb reached the camp and emp
tied his buckets of sap into the bar
rels he fingered and thought of more
recent sorrows. Nell Tompkins had
returned from school two weeks be-
! fore on n vacation. He had FASTENED
over to the farmhouse in his working
clothes to welcome her, and plainly she
had been shocked. There was no
warmth in her handshakc, no love in
her eyes. Even when he reappeared a
night or two later in his Sunday best
she had called him Mr.. Taylor and had
refused to remember how he had car
ried her on his back over mudholes
and boosted her over fences. a change
had come to blast all his hopes, and
on his road home he made up his mind
to face it like a man.
While he mcnded the line fence be-
tween the two farms next morning he
raised his voice in song so that Nell
Tompkins might realize that he was
not taking her conduct to heart, but
his voice sounded like Il crows. When
he met Farmer Tompllins, he made
great pretense Of being jolly, and he
started u report that he was stuck"
on Abigail Spooner and almost in love
with Hetty Gable. He also kept away
from the Tompkins farmhouse, and If
any one asked him for news Of Nell
it appeared to take him all of thirty
seconds to recall her name.
Thus Zeb Taylor had tried to make
himself believe that he was getting the
best Of it.
Night had come in the sugar bush
Zeb had eaten cold supper while the
sap in the pan boiled and foamed and
later on had cut up the wood to be
used through the hours of darkness.
Then he sat down on log to smoke
and figure out how many pals Of strip
would be the result Of that run Of sap.
He intended to follow the sirup to the
sugar OFF, process and count up the
pounds of sugar, but his thoughts In
sensibly drifted away to Nell Temp
kins, and for a long ten minutes he
was obivious Of his surroundings.
Then he was suddenly called to life by
the boot of an owl. He could have
suppressed the cold shiyers inside of
two minutes had not the boot Of the
bird been followed ley the scream Of a
woman. The sugar bush was Il mile
away from any house, and the voice OF
a woman in the dark woods weakened
Zeb's knees and brought his heart into
his throat. He was shaking with |
alarm when the owl booted again, a |
boot full of the direst peril, and again |
it was followed by the scream Of wo |
man whose life was menaced Zeb
stopped only to grab up club, and
then he made rush into the darkness
He had only fifty feet to go before dis
covering Nell Tompkins leaning up
against the trunk Of tree.
"You-you here~ gasped Zeb as he
came to halt.
"Y-yes, and, oh, Zeb, the bear-the
bearw she exclaimed as she held out
her arms to him.
"What bear? Where? When"
Hes lust roared out twice. and you
you
eyes, heard him roar, but don't you
be afraid" said Zeb as he put his arm
around her and gently walked her to
the fire. The arm still encircled her as
they sat down on the log together, and
he asked:
"Nell, did you start for anywhere
and get lost"
d don't know" she half sobbed.
81 heard you were making sugar down
here all alone and that you were going
to sugar off tonight"
mot quite so soon."
"And | acknowledgements
"What did you think, Nell?'
81 thought If came down you'd give
me some maple wax on a white emp
and that.I would say that was sorry
If hurt your feelings the other night"
"And you got lost in the woods|
queried Zeb as his heart began to melt
IL guess so. 1t was awfully
dark"
"And bear growled at you|
"Such awful growls! Oh, Zeb. l was
so glad to see you'll might have been
eaten aliver'
Eyes. Say. Nell. you are sorry, I'm
sorry and whatY
"Why, you'll go home with me. won't
you?"
"Yes. and what them
"NVhp If no mud ma haven't rome TO