The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-01-05

WHN HIIfplHtIbHBIJ IllB'l lllB
md looked at her across the narrow
strip Of table. 70 him she waA the
one feminine thing In the world worth
looking nt
"But was telling you about the
girl" he said slowly.
"Oh," 80 you were" She feigncd an
ill-concenled yawn.
Fnrroll reached into his pocket. and
drawing out crumpled yellow paper.
passed II 10 her.
II wns some time before the letters
would keep still enough for Judith
Grant to read. She hated herself for
that, for the sickness In her heart. for
the sudden weight OF love for this
mountain product planed down by Il
year of conventions and city ways. A
gain the words OF the telegram swan
before her:
yellow Trail O, X. jackson finishes
work tomorrow. Come by stagc."
Her cheeks were brave with color az
she passed II back.
We'll" shc smiled, determinedly.
the assessment work has been done,
and you own the richest claim in the
county. In spite Of the fact that you've
played for the last twelve months"
Scarcely played" he unused, glanc-
ing nt his big hands. when a mans
thirty II is'nt easy for him to go back
TO school" There was fragment Of
silence, Sometimes love comes like
the thaw on the timber" he went on
more slowly, n little at "A time. lit
Tie nj a time. with snow flowers and
violcts sort Of smiling up between.
Sometimes II strikes one like "A blast
when the fuze's been tnmpcd and iigh-
ted in the dark. and then--why. then"
He leaned abruptly across the little
table. his eyes were luminous. Look
here. Judy" he said. III n fellow
knows he's big and clumsy as n bowl
der. II he hasn't got thing but a
claim and heart and pair Of knuck-
ley fists. no-~learning. so to speak. II
she's slight as brook willow and sweet
er'n plum bloom, II she's been below
to school"
Has she been below" cried Judith.
She began n hurried mental summary
Of the six girls In the county who had
been away one Of them must be the
girl he loved.
Farroll nodded. still looking at her.
And she couldn't be proud of fell
low unless he'd sort OF studied up to
make things square" he suggested.
Judith's gaze wandered absently
down the narrow dining room of the
roadhouse. She had been born in that
house. yet now familiar objects looked
blurred and unnatural as she blnked
to hold back the tears The white
washed walls. still hung with drying
Christmas wreaths, were splotched
with light where kerosene lamps swung
against tin rehcctors; the squares of
hinged windows curtained outside by
the night. lost their corners the OIL
cloth covered tables danced to the
empty chairs standing in formal rows.
Travel was always light on New Years
Eve, and tonight the Hanford stage.
stopping an hour for dinner and
change Of horses, had brought but this
one passenger, She had always known
Dave Farroll would come back, and
she had hoped
did you study up?" she suddenly
asked. t
Again he nodded. That's why |
couldn't work the Trail" he said.
You see, it was night shift on the
books and a day shift in the foundry,
and n sort of betweenti times studying
things out" He shook his big shout
ders and laughed the laugh was big.
like the rest of him. why it was
great, Judy" he finished doing it for
her"
The girls lips were drawn but they
still smiled.
"Of course it was only common
things that l learned" he went on,
trine humbly; things Id ought to
have known when | was little There
was sums and grammar and writing"
Diving abruptly into his pocket, he
pulled out a notebook and n fountain
pen. On d blank page he wrote Mrs.
David Fawolr' in prim, vertical script.
"These!" he said, in satisfaction, she
won't be ashamed of that, eh. Judy?"
Judith bent low over the paper. To
her the penmanship was beautiful but
she said, slowly, "The letters look like
the wooden figures used to In my
Noah's Ark"