The Savannah morning news., 1903-05-17

to speak to you as l did: No, MOI"
she implored, as Jim opened his mouth
! to expostulate. Il must tell you that
and please don't interrupt me.
MY husband is doing some very val
liable work" Prue continued, very
valuable, and when he gets it done he
will be very famous and very rich. But
| just now it takes all his time and at
tention, so that he doesn't realize
| ow-poor-we-are." The little WOm-
ans cheeks burned, and she lowered
her head until the sunbonnet hid her
face. "Of course, if l should tell him, "
she went on proudly, "he would at
| tend to it at once. But l mustn't do
| that. He needs such a little time to
| finish his work, and l mustn't-must
II" And she suddenly looked up into
Jim's honest eyes with an imploring
gesture.
Jim was standing, his broad hat
against his knee, looking at her fix
| eddy. No doubt he was thinking how,
| when he had first seen her, her cheeks
were as full and ripe as the apples of
his old home in New England and
was wondering If the dip of strata were
worth this. Seeing that he intended
no reply, she looked down again and
went on.
Il came here to see you about that.
Once, Mr. Buckley, you offered to lend
me some money, and liam afraid 1
was very rude. And now-oh, dear'
| And suddenly the poor little figure in
faded and patched calico sank to the
ground. and began to sob as if her
| heart would break.
Jim was distressed. He started for
ward, hesitated, looked up at the sky
and down the gulch. Then he threw
down his hat and darted into the cabin,
returning in a moment with a buck
skin bag, which he tossed impulsiVely
into her lap.
There, there!" he said, distractedly.
why didn't you say so before? Stop
Please stop! Oh, the"
She looked up suddenly with a blind
ing smile.
Now. don't say anything naughty"
she cried airily through her tears. She
| laughed queerly at Jim's open mouth
| and astonished eyes. He could not
grasp the meaning of her change of
| mood. Before he could recover, she
| was on her feet, a roguish vision of
blushing cheeks and dancing eyes. She
shook the buckskin bag in his face.
Aren't you afraid you'll never be
paid, sir?" she demanded; then, with
a quick sob, II think you are the kind
est man in all the world" The next
instant the alders closed about her flut-
tering figure on the trail. For a week
after, her cheeks burned, and she was
afraid to look out of the cabin lest Jim
should be coming up the path.
AS the winter wore away, however,
she began to see the bottom of the lit
tie buckskin bag. The doctor was lis
absorbed as ever. She could not bring
her pride to the point of asking Buck
ley for another loan, and so again the
terror of poverty seized upon her. Her
eyes looked harassed and worn, and
her mouth had queer little lines in the
Sha OF uAa foh n ~
the flames in the chimney for hours,
and then would turn suddenly, hun
grily, and snatch up the little girl,
devouring her with kisses. Sometimes
she would wrinkle her brow. peeping
into the doctors manuscripts, trying
to make out how near the end he was,
but she always laid them down with
puzzled sigh. She did not eat
enough, and she grew thin. She tried
expedients of which she had read. For
instance, one day she went down into
the creek bottom and cut some will
lows. She peeled the bark from them,
and from the inside rind she collected
a quantity of fine white dust, with
which she made a pasty kind of dough.
The biscuits were tough and of queer
flavor. Even the doctor after tasting
one of them, looked up in surprise.
What do you call this, my dear?'
he inquired.
She clapped her hands gayly, and
laughed with a catch in her voice.
"Oh, a queer Indian dish I've learned,
that's all. You never do pay any at
tention to what you eat, so 1 thought
I'd make you for once"
oh" said the doctor, smiling
family.
The willow -four appeared no more.
So the long winter drew to it's close,
and still the brave little woman set
her face resolutely forward, striving
to help the doctor with his life-work
| as only a woman can. She could see
no way out. The case was hopeless,
and often she shed impotent tears over
her inability. He worked so hard, and
| she did so little.
And then the spring brought with it
the solution.