The San Francisco call., 1904-02-28

oss on him 10 try to read his un-
APIessed wish. Sometimes he csugb+
isse watching eyes and read in them
lhlng that vaguely disturbed him
-e oay, coming no from the creek
'I cne Of his surreptitious views of
- DdDy. he found its cradle emptv
"a was about 10 return 10 his work
"Neh ne heard laugh rising from
s---'-i hnoll among the aspens. II was
-+ogh of the most infectious. fresh
sweetness. and made Moreau's own lips
Pii| he stole in its direction. and as
-l7 e-Fanced IL sounded gain. rippline
GENEROUSLY On the crystal air. He
'0sned through the aspens and came
on Lucy and her baby. She was hold
.-s II ln her lap. ore hand on the
oaeh ~ its head Something had
tout ned its unknown sense OF the lu-
olcfous, ana its lips were parting in
SO" nut intensely amused smile over
-'s loolh-ess sums. Zach smile was
ans" cred by its mother with run of
N-e laughter MoreaU had heard
te looked AZ them for a moment. and
then- advancing. his foot cracked a dry
branch. and Lucy turned. Her face
was nushed. her eyes stil fun Of their
past melriment her smiling lips looked
coral red against the whiteness OF
her small. even teeth. Her sunbonnet
was of ana her rich hair EIcwed like
copper in the sun. He had never seen
her lock like this. and stopped. regard
Ing her with curious. sudden gravity.
Inc thought WAS in his heart:
she's only a girl, d-and-almost
beautiful"
Lucy looked confused
'Oh. was just laughing at the
baby, she said alphabetically: she
looked so sorter cute smiling that
way"
1 never heard YOU laugh like that be-
fore- Why don't you do it oftener?"
She seemed embarrassed and mur-
INJURED.
didn't think you'd like to hear me-"
I think you're sometimes afraid OF
me he said; " is that true?"
she bent her face over the baby and
said very low:
I'm afraid as how you might get
mad al me. / don't know much and
I'm different. and you've been more
good TO me than"
She stopped. her face hidden over the
child. Moreau felt a sudden sense Of
embarrassed discomfort.
"Oh. don't talk that way" he said,
hastily, 'Or 7 may get mad. That's the
sort OF talk that annoys me. Laugh
and be happy-that's the way I want
you to be Enjoy yourself; that's the
way 10 please me-"
He swung himself down from the
knoll into the creek bed and went back
20 his rocker. He found it hard to col
Iect his thoughts. The music Of Lucy's
laugh haunted him.
A week, and then two. passed away.
The golden days slipped by, still
scented with the healing pine balsam.
The nights were white with great stars.
which AIoreau could see between the
pine bouehs. for il was still warm
enough 10 sleep on the knoll. His
nights rests were now often disturbed.
A change had come over the situation
in The cabin. The peace and serenity Of
the first days after Fletcher's depart
IRE had gone. leaving a sense of con-
straInt and uneasfness IN their stead
Mcreau now looked up At the stars not
with the calm content Of the days
when Lucy had first come, but with the
trouble Of q man who begins TO realize
menace in what he thought were harm
less things.
- Fletcher's departure when one day,
walking down the stream with an idea
If trying diggings farther down, he
came upon Lucy washing in a pool Of
. water enlarged by a rough dam she
herself had constructed She was
Eneeling on a fat stone on the bank,
her sunbonnet of, her sleeves rolled up,
laving In the water the few articles Of
robe. Her arms above the sunburned
wrists shone snow white. her roughened
hair lay low on her forehead in damp,
curly strands. The sight Of her en-
gagged in his menial toll irrltated Mo
reau and he called:
What are you doing there, Lucy?
Get Up"
She started with one Of her old ner-
vous movements and sat back on the
stone. Then, seeing who il was, smiled
confidently, and brushed the hair back
from her forehead with one wet hand.
4 was washing the baby's things
That's the dam I made"
Moreau stood looking, not at the dam,
but at the woman. flushed, breathless
and smiling, a blooming girl
NO one would ever think you were
she same woman who came here two
months ago." he said, more to himself
than 10 her.
Il don't feel Ike the same" she an
swered. beginning TO wiring her clothes.
Il don't feel now as II that was me-
II thought you were quite an old wo-
man then. DO you know that? I'd no
idea you were young.
Il felt old. Oh. God" she said, sud
denly dropping her hands and looking
across the pool with darkly reminiscent
eyes how awful I felt"
But you're quite well now You're
really well, aren't your" he asked.
"Oh. I'm all right" she said, return
snr 10 her tone Of gayety. I amt
never been like this before. Not sense
was married, anyway.
~. oTTrresou 70 her marriage maze