The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1902-02-27
ha Who LiStGRGl..
BY MARY KING EMORY.


He sat by the roadside, his elbows
on his knees, his face in his HANDS,
gazing at the sunlit hills before him.
TIE afternoon was hot, and he was
tired and hungry He lad walked
many miles since morning, and the
dirty face beneath the torn hat-bTim
was streaEed and smeared with per5pi-
ration. 1t was careworn, hopeless
face; face upon which want and pri-
walton had left their marks, face
which childish pleasures had hurried
by; but in tho eyes there was an ex-
preston Of defiance, mingled with un-
certainty.
Before him the sandy road stretched
southwark; behind him rose the rug
ged hills, with their scaaty covering
OF stunted oak and pine trees and a
meagre sprinkling of scattered houses.
Moving uneasily, ne glanced anx-
iously over his shoulder at the clay
daubed house In the clearing. half
way up the hill behind him; then his
eyes wandered back to the hills again.
Il dunno what ter do" he muttered,
at last. 'It were bad afore Nanny
went away, but cts worse since Liza
Snow an tn new baby come. Yesti-
day her knocked me over, an tn day
afore Dad beat me, an now l got In
chance I'm a-go!n'."
His hand clinched and the shrill,
childish voice had defiant ring The
sun was sinking in the west, flooding
the hills with gold, while from some
where out of the pines came the tinkle
Of a COW bell. The boy shuddered.
Il dun tn best l knowed fur youns,
Nanny" he whispered; but fur lit
tie Tidy Ann"
His voice ended in a sob, and tears
trickled UNDECIDED down the dirty lit
tie face. The hills, the houses and
the trees faded away. He saw again
the room in the house on the hill be-
hind him, with its few battered cook
ing, utensils, it's nt-bOttomed
chairs and worn deal table. Lying on
a bed in the corner was woman, her
eyes bright with a feverish light, her
wasted face turned toward the window,
through which she watched the setting
sun.
Joe" she said at last, YEARLY
turning her head. I'm a-goin' Home
ternight, an l wants yer TO promise
ifore I go tibet yer'll take care O. lit
tie Tidy Ann l dun the best I could
fur ye," she continued, brokenly;
though, Cord knows, 'twan't much.
Yer dad won't care when I'm gone,
and more'n like he'll take ter beatin'
ye, when he amt got me-" She looked
yearningly at the child beside her. so
I wants yer ter promise tibet yer'll al
lus stan atween him an Tidy; then
ken rest easy"
And, kneeling there in the gathering
darkness, he gave his promise to the
dying woman. That night all was
over, and the clay-daubed house
perchsd on the rocky hillside was
Glled with the silence which comes
only when life has flown. Early the
next day he had helped his father and
some Of the neighbors bury her, in
t. grove beneath the hill, where the
pines chanted a requiem and the with
cred oak leaves moaned through the
long winter nights. For two years he
had been faithful to his trust; for two
years. and now
II dunno what ter do" he sobbed;
IT dunno what ter dol" He had lost
sight OF the ugly clay-daubed house
and the familiar hills that morning for
the first time in his life. Long before
sunrise he had crept from the house
and followed the road as it wound
around the hills like some great snake
in the purple morning light toward the
distant town. He walked until the
rugged mountains rising above his
home grew hazy and .ndistinct; until
strange scenes and new faces met him
at every turn. Once or twice he had
been given lift by some friendly
mountaineer, to whom he boldly
lowed he were a-goin' ter tn cir
Gus" But when he reached the town,
with its unaccustomed sights and
sounds, he felt alarmed and uncertain
as to what to do. Hesitatingly he fol-
lowed the hurrying crowd toward the
circus tent; but as he neared it the
strangeness of the scene, the music
and the noise frightened him. Push
ing his way through the crowd he
looked anxiously about for some
means Of escape, when suddenly he
determined to run around to the back
OF the tent, for there all seemed quiet.
Unnoticed and alone he crouched in
the grass until. gaining courage with