Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-11-06
BY RALPH COWNOR

Author OF

come to confde in the Pilot during his
year Of missionary work among us.
Somehow the cowboys name Of "Sky
Pilot seemed to express better than
anything else the place he held with
us. Certain it is that when, in their
dark hours, any Of the fellows felt In
need Of help to strike the upward
traip' they went to the Pilot, and SO
the name first given in chaff came to
be the name that expressed most truly
the deep and tender feeling these
rough, big hearted men cherished for
him.
When the Pilot came home care
fully prepared him for his trial, telling
all that Gwen had suffered and striy-
ing to make him feel how desperate
was her case when even the Duke had
to confess himself beaten. He did not
seem sufficiently impressed. Then l
pictured for him all her fierce willful-
ness and her .fretful humors, her tmpa-
tience with those who loved her and
were wearing out their souls and
bodies for her. "In short" I concluded.
"she doesn't care a rush for anything
in heaven or earth, and will yield to
neither man nor God"
The Pilots eyes had been kindling as
I talked, but he only answered quietly
what could you expect?
"Well, I do think she might show
some signs Of gratitude and some gen.
tleness toward those ready to die for
her"
"Oh. you do!" said he with high
scorn. "You all combine to ruin her
temper and disposition with foolish
fattery and weak yielding to her
whims. right or wrong; you smile at
her imperious pride and encourage her
willfulness. and then not only wonder
at the results. but blame her, poor
child, for ALL Oh, you are fine lot,
the Duke ard all Of your!
He had q most eXasperating ability
for putting one in the wrong, and l
could only think Of the proper and suf-
fcient reply long after the opportunity
for making it had passed. I wondered
what the Duke would say to this doc
trine. All the following day, which
was Sunday. could see that Gwen was
on the Pilots mind. He was strug-
Cling with the problem Of pain.
Monday morning found us on the
way to the Old Timers ranch, and
what a morning it was! How beauti-
full our world seemed! About us
rolled the round topped, velvet hills,
brown and yellow or family green,
spreading ont behind us to the broad
prairie, and before, clambering up and
up to meet the purple bases Of the
great mountains that lay their mighty
length along the horizon and thrust up
white, sunlit peaks into the blue sky.
On the hillsides and down in the shell
tering hollows we could see the
punches of cattle and horses feeding
upon the rich grasses. High above,
the sky, cloudless and blue, arched its
great kindly roof from prairie to noun
tain peaks, and over all, above, below,
upon prairie, hillsides and mountains,
the sun poured his floods Of radiant
yellow light.
AS we followed the trail that wound
up and into the heart Of these rounded
hills and ever nearer to the purple
mountains. the morning breeze swept
down TO meet us. bearing thousand
=, I,
life One can know the quickening
ioyousness Of these footlill Dreezes
only after he has drunk with wide open
mouth deep and full Of them.
Through all this mingling beauty Of
sunlit hills and shady hollows and pur-
pie. snow peaked mountains we rode
with hardly word. every minute add
ing to our heart filling delight, but
ever with the thought of the little
room where, shut in from all this out
side glory. lay Gwen, heart sore with
fretting and longing. This must have
been in the Pilots mind, for he sud
denly held up his horse and burst out:
Poor Gwen how she loves all this!
1t is her very life. How can she help
frctting the heart out of her? TO see
this 10 morc-' He flung himself off
his bronco and said. as If thinking
aloud: 1T is too awful! Oh. it is
cruel. l don't wonder at her! God
help me. what can say to her?'
FIe threw himself down upon the
grass and turned over on his face.
After few minutes he appealed to
me. and his face was sorely troubled.
How can one go to her? 1t seems
10 me Sheprcst mockery to speak of pal
tience and submission to wild young
thing from whom all this is suddenly
snatched forever--and this was very
life TO her, too, remember"
Then he sprang up and we rode hard
| for an hour till we came to the mouth
of the canyon. Here the trail grew diff
fcult, and Wc came to walk. AS we
went down into the cool depths the
spirit of the canyon came to meet us
and took the Pilot in its grip. He rode
in front fcasting his eyes OH all the
wonders in that storehouse of beauty.
Trees of many kinds deepened the
shadows OF the canyon. Over us
waved the big elms that grew up here
and there out of the bottom and around
their feet clustered low cedars and
hemlocks and balsams, while the
sturdy. rugged oaks and delicate. trem.
bling poplars clung to the rocky sides
and clambrrcd up and out to the can
yon's sunny lips.
Back of all the great black rocks