The Greeley tribune., 1906-01-11

avery eye turned toward the windcu
,or an explanation of Henderson's sud.
ueh panic. But all was dark without
On the prairie. The magic had gone
@ ..olh tne dance, the whirlwind of dra.
perry that had swung like fiags In n
oreeze dropped in dead air. "What
was lt"' the dancers asked one anoth.
er in whispers.
Aha ior answer Judith entered. but
judith that was strange to them
,here was about her n white radiance
that kept the dancers back. and in her
eyes something Of Marys look as she
turned from Calvary. The dancers still
Kept the position of the figures. the
men with their arms about their part
ners waists, the women stepping for
warn. Ihey We're like the painted fig
ures or dancers in a fresco. And
among them stood Judith, waiting to
play her part, waiting to show her
world that she could dance and be mer-
ry because all was we'll with her and
hers. But the bronzed sons of the sad
dle hung for the honor Of dance.
1hey were afraid Of her. 1t would be
ike dancing with the death angel.
She looked from face to face. Surely
some one would ask her to dance. and
her eyes fell on Henderson returning
from the bottled courage in the bunk
room. Some word was due from him
10 explain his terror Of a moment ago.
"Oh, Miss Judith, l thought you was
a ghost when l seen you at the Win
dow"
"A ghost that's ready to dance" She
held out her hand to him. In her ges-
ture there was something of royal COM
mand, and Henderson, reading the
meaning in her eyes, stepped forward.
Her face, almost perfect replica Of
the dead mans, looked at him.
Il bring you greeting from my broth
er,' she said. He has gone on long
journey"
Henderson started. Through the still
room ran the murmur, 'Rodney's out
witted them; he's played a joke on the
rope." And Judith his daredevil sister,
had come with his greetings to Hen
derson, leader of the faction against
him. The tide had turned. The ap-
plause that is ever the need of the
winner was hers. to command. The
cattle faction We're ready to sing the
praises of her splendid audacity. In
| their hearts they We're glad in the
thought that Jim had outwitted them.
Miguels bow dashed across the
! strings. and he drew from the little
| brown fiddle music that again made
them merry and glowing. The magic
| came back to the dance. the blood leap
ed again with the merry madness, and
they swept to the bowling like leaves
when the first faint wall of winter
cries in the trees.
| Hamilton, standing apart with Kitty
| Colebrooke. had been n daZed witness
of the scene. With the rest he had
watched the entrance of Judith. had
been stunned by the change in her ap-
pearance, had seen her triumph and
heard the rumor of Jim's escape, and
his heart had warmed with the good
word She had probably managed the
| plan and had come tonight in the joy
of her triumph, to hurl in their faces
! that she had outwitted them. And she
| had paid the penalty of her courage
her face told that What n woman
| she was. She was the one woman in
all the world for him. though his blind
| eyes had faced the light for years and
| had not known it. He had squandered
the strength of his youth in the pur-
suit of little wax light and had not
marked the serene shining of the moon.
And n man there was and he made
| his prayer" he quoted to himself. Well,
| thank God that it had not been an
swered. He would take her away
| from here. She could take her place in
his family and reflect credit on his
| choice. His family, his friends-he
WINGED at the thought Of their possible
reception of the news. But Judith's
| presence would adjust these difficult
ties. He would present her to Kitty
| now, that his old friend might see
what manner of woman she was. Kit
| ty. he felt, would be kind in memory
of the old days She would give to
them both in friendship what she had
denied him in love. And as he warm
ed to the thought he turned to the wo-
man of his youth And she read look
in his face that had not been there in Il
| long time. Had he, then. come back
/ to her? Was the distance from bark
| to shore lessening as the sea of misun-
| derstandlng diminished?
kitty, we We're speaking moment
ago of Miss Rodney. You would like to
! know her, I'm sure. We've been such
good friends all these years while you
were deciding that what | wanted was
not good for us-and deciding wisely.
| as [ know now. Look Mt her! You IL
understand how she has helped me
keep the balance of things. When she 5
finished dancing you'll let me bring her
TO you. won't you:'
And Kitty, who had expected much
| different words. struggled with the
meaning of these unexpected ones
| The strangeness of the pain bewiidered
| her. Her dazed consciousness refusea