Rock Island Argus., 1902-07-28
DAILY SHORT STORY
In the Sugar Bush.
copyright. 1892. by the S. 8. Mcclure

Company.I
That March afternoon as Zeb Taylor
made his rounds of the sugar bush
with pals suspended from neck yoke
to empty the brimming troughs of sap
and convey them to the barrels at the
fire it all came back TO him so forcibly
that he seemed to be working in a
dream. He had known Nellie Tomp
kins since childhood. The two farm
houses stood close together, and the
children had been Zeb and Nell to each
other until he had become his fathers
''hired man. and she had put on long
dresses. Zeb had never escorted any
other girl to the circus, TO Il picnic, TO
camp meeting, to n harvest dance or n
corn shucking, and Nell had never en-
couraged any other young man.
The old folks had looked upon it as
matter of course that the young couple
would get married in due time. 1t
was only after the girl had been sent
away to school ana her letters TO Zeb
had been few and far between that he
awoke 10 the fear of losing her.
Nell Tompkins at eighteen was a
good looking, attractive girl. and Zeb
realized that education and society
would improve her still more. Other
young men would be attracted, anu 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 handshake, no love in
her eyes. Even when he reappeared n
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. y change
had come to blast all his hopes. and
on his road home he made up his mind
to face it like n man.
While he mended 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 crows. When
he met Farmer Tompllins. he made Il
great pretense of being jolly. and he
started a report that lie was stuck"
OH Abigail SpoOner and almost in love
with Hctty Cable. He also kept away
from the TOmpkins farmhouse. and il
any one asked him for news of Nell
il 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 il. 'd
Night had come in tie sugar bush
Zeb had eaten cold supper while the
sap in the pan boiled and foamed ana
later on had cut up the wood TO be
used through the hours of darkness.
Then he sat down on log TO smoke
aud figure out how many pals of sirup
would be the result of that run Of sap.
lie intended to follow the sirup TO the
sugar off, process and count up the
pounds of sugar. but his thoughts in
senslbly drifted away TO Nell Tomp-
kins. and for a long ten minutes he
was Oblivious of his surroundings.
Then he was suddenly called to life by
the hoot of an owl He could have
suppressed the cold shivers inside Of
two minutes had not the hoot OF the
woman The sugar bush was 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 hooted again, n
hoot full of the direst peril. and again
it was followed by the scream Of a wo-
man whose life was menaced. Zeb
stopped only TO grab up club, and
then he made a 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.
yves, and, oh, Zeb. the bear-the
bearr' she exclaimed as she held out
her arms to him.
what bear? Where? When?"
Hes just roared out twice, and you
-you''-
''Yes, 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"
II 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"
Not quite so soon."
"And l thought-thought'-
"What did you think. NellT'
81 thought if / came down you'd give
me some maple wax on a white chip
and that l would say that 1 was sorry
IL 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 a bear growled at you?"
"Such awful growls. Oh. Zeb, 1 was