Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-05-17
his voice rang out triumphantly, reaching
her family amid the noise Of beating hoofs.
rafting wheels and gay chatter:
Scatter the dust on the kings highway,

his voice rang out triumphantly. reaching
her family amid the noise Of beating hoofs.
rafting wheels and gay chatter:
Scatter the dust on nth the kings highway.
Far behind Danfortn was following the
coach on horseback. AS he caught sight
of the figure, the head thrown back and
the poise expressing the strength that
the beating of Winds as he heard the de-
fiant notes Of the ringing voice, his face
hardened, and he refined up before the
group of two. The dog welcomed him with
slow thurnps of his tail; evidently he and
Danforth were friends. if not very enthusi-
astic ones. =,
The eyes of the two. men met and struck
fire. 1t was the battle of Greek and bar
barian. Each was conscious of rivalry
rivalry grudgingly admitted by Danforth
and scarcely hoped for by the vagabond
He is masterful, and it is masterfulness
that wins was the thought that struck
Danforth with the force of blow
He is of her class" mourned the heart
of the vagabond, as he took in the perfec-
ton of the other, from riding boots to hat.
when can 1 take the dog homer said
Danforth; His tone was more insolent
than he knew.
Into the vagabonds soul there surged hot
resentment but it was succeeded by con-
| fidence. How dared he doubt with that
red rose next to his hearth
'Now-if he will go with you" He said
| it carelessy, as matter of small import
ance. But within him the blood was throb-
bling. Would the dog decide for them?
Danforth f1icked his whip against his
boot impatiently. Go. of course he viii
go. am very fond of him. He was a pun
Ply when Catherine and l were youngsters
Catherine and II How easily he said
it! -
Come. Barry called Danforth, and
mounted his horse.
At the call the dog bounded forward
He followed for a little distance up the
road, then stopped and looked back at the
vagabond. Then he stood for a moment
irresolute; in front of him the man of cool
consideration. behind him the man in
whose arms he had slept for many weary
nights. He wheeled and made straight for
the vagabond. and. reaching him. leaped
upon him with joyful barks .
Far up the road Danforth was whistling
for him, but Barry sank down at the vag-
abond's feet, and painting, gave evidence
of attention, except by the twitching of a
| half-cocked ear.
Danforth rode on and the vagabond sat
down and Rugged the dog.
/ Barry had decided it. He would take
| her away-if she would go. But he knew
| she would go. Hidden somewhere in her
was the wild nature that responded to the
| restlessness in him, and the woods called
| to her. and she would not close her ears
And the man who called her Catherine
! so easily! AS his wife she would have
society, family. friends. She would live
| the life that her grandmother lived and
that her granddaughter would copy. At
her side would be this man, making name
! for himself in the world-a name for her.
| His eyes looked out over the fields, and
| toward the blue line of the mountains-the
| rugged mountains He thought of her, of
| her white hands, of her perfumed hair, OF
| the daintiness of her tastes.
| And he would take her where the hands
would grow brown and the hair rough-he
would take her into the dust and the mud
of the road and when she was old-he
pushed the dog from him, and his heart
stopped-for himself he was content to
think of death as the brutes die, in some
leafy hollow of the woods with the birds
to sing a requiem-but for her-horrible
His forehead was knit into frown.
"Oh, grandmother. grandmother, what big
eyes You have" somebody chanted
He turned his eyes to the gypsy-lil1e Wis
ion. The red coat was open. A rough yell
low straw hat was on her head. and it's
wreath of poppies struggled down over her
hair. Sac had been running, and u long
curl fell on her shoulder.
Il ran away from them" she began.
"Catherinei'
In that one word he said all that he could
say, and she understood.
How did you know" she whispered.
When l heard it, 1t seemed to me that
1 had always known it," he said
They sat down side by side on the log
that lay near the stream. He knew it was
for the last time, and he knew, too, that
he should always see the rapt face, with
the stiffness upon it. That he should see
the poppy that lay half against her hair
and half against her throat; that he should
see the little restless white hands that
pulled at the lace handkerchief, and more
than all. he should sec himself yearning to
do the thing he must not do-to fly with her
to the end of the earth.
Out of the blue sky came the faraway
roll of thunder. and puff Of cool damp
air, the first hints of storm, but they
neither heard nor saw.
Listen" he said. II have told you much
of my life, but there are some things that
l have not told There was one winter
when I was i'll. I had plenty of provisions,
and at first l dragged around and helped
myself But there came a day when l
could not get up. | could not reach for a
cup of water l could only suffer-suffer Of
fever, and hunger and thirst My cat was
the only living thing near me- and she
came and went through the little hole l
had cut for her, and kept herself alive.
But she could do nothing for me. Do you
know what it means, the loneliness-the
dread? | was saved by a half-frozen wood
man, who sought my cabin for shelter"
She was troubled. The little mountain
home seemed peopled by observation-disclosures
ones of starvation and death. What of the
care-free life? If he would tell her of that.
But his voice went on.
THAT is well enough for a man. but sup
pose l had had wife, and that had died,
and she had been left alone on the noun
tain with only the old cat for company?
She would have gone mad. Women are diff
ferent from men,
Yes, women are different" she whs-
pered, but her eyes pleaded.
She rose, shivering. The thunder rolled
nearer, the clouds were banked up in black
masses, the trees bent, and the leaves
twisted about, and showed little white sig
mails of distress.
For moment he stood looking down upon
her, then the old look came into his eyes,
and he placed his hand softly beneath the
roundness of her chin and raised the droop-
ing face to him.
From something that 1 see in your eyes
7 hot hn
the vagabond, but the king, the conqueror.
Is it not so 90
He was answered as she chung to him.
But l am not very much of fellow"
he tried to speak lightly. God knows that
if 1 were worth much 1 would forsake all
this and come to you to live a man
should live; and. yet / have this saving
grace, that l will not take you into the
roughness of my life
The storm had come upon them fiercey.
Her big hat blew back on her shoulders,
and the wind caught her curls and flung
them across his lips
With a sudden mighty effort he put her