The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1907-05-25

What is the use IL we are all to live
separate in different caves"
This idea, / am sure, occupied her
thoughts a good deal. One day she coax
ed me to neglect work, herself showing
a repugnance to it for the first time.
Talk, talk she said, holding my arm.
but there is work to do. The water
10 out. l must not lose a minute"
"Why do you want to get out into that
worldT" she added. Must you live
alone, too? There are three caves here.
l will go in the next one if you do not
want me with you. And thin this will
be better than that great one where all go
away from those who love them"
We'll talk about that another time,
Psyche" said /, rising.
She let me go alone for half dozen
steps-it was the first suggestion of OPP
position on her part-then she sprang up
with a cry of regret, and, oyertaking me.
mutely looked into my face with eyes that
pleaded for forgiveness.
And that morning she worked in tho
burrow as she had never worked before.
To see her one would have thought that
her happiness rather than mine depended
OH our escape.
/ tried in vain to obtain some history
of the past from her; she could reveal
nothing beyond her life in the caves.
Always here, always the same till you
came," she said.
Days, and weeks, and months slipped
away without seeming tedious, even to
me; to Psyche they were all too short.
We rarely worked for less than ten hours
Il day, and every fresh inch of progress
in the borrow added to my hope of
happy end. In the intervals between
work and sleep we amused ourselves some
times in playing bowls with the rounded
pieces of chalk that we found in our
excavation; sometimes in carving a run
ming scroll that | designed on the wall
of the smaller cave. The latter amuse-
ment pleased Psyche greatly. She had a
strong initiative faculty, and became very
deft in the use of knife in carving, but
the great charm of this occupation was
that 1t beautified our dwelling place. No
lady could be more fastidous about the
arrangement Of her drawing room than
she was about the wretched appointments
of these miserable caves; she seized Gag
.erly any suggestion for making them more
habitable. Cav was no longer allowed to
perch on the loaf, nor was he permitted
to hop across the table at meal time.
She became scrupulously careful about
her personal appearance. When we came
from the burrow all bedabbled and grim
ed with salt water and sand, she retired
into her alcove, which l had screened
with blanket, and thence she came forth
in due time dressed in her best, and with
shoes and stockings on. She was pro-
digiously proud of the addition of shoes
to her costume as being ike mine, and
never let me see that they panied her
every time she moved-for she had worn
them some weeks before l discovered, by
accident, that they were far TOO small for
her poor feet. Taking me as her model,
she would have cut her hair short like
mine, but | forbade that, and taught her
to plat it into two long tails-which
was the only arrangement ] could think
of in the absence of hair pips-to her
immense delight.
Without doubt great and good change,
physical as well as moral, was produced
in her by the altered circumstances of her
life. She made flesh her cheek lost its
hollowness, and little color came into
1t; her shoulders expanded her arms grew
plump, and her figure developed graceful
curves. She was more human. At first
her laughter brought tears into my eyes.
but now there was Joyous ring in il
that made me glad. She had healthy
love Of gaiety and fun, and most human
craving for praise and admiration. Only
when she grew tired something of the old
elfsh, pensive sadness came hack to her
face, and at these times she would for
sake her amusements and coax me to talk
about the world she was going to, and the
people in 1t, sitting wistfu!ly silent by
my side.
1t was on the 30th of Augnst--just four
months and three days from the day |
was made prisoner-that a stroke of
Psyche's Ratchet brought down a cone Of
wct sand, and she'd of light streamed
into our tunnel through a crack at the
edge of the chalk over our hands. AT
lastw l cried, driving my iatched into
the crack and so widening the gap that
great food of light burst upon ps.
With a moan Of pain Psycne cropped
her AK and covered her eyes with her
hands. Frantic joy made me brutality
indifferent TO her suffering thought
only of my recovered liberty. and drop
ping the Ratchet tore away tae sand and
shingle with my hands until l had made
hole through which ! wriggled my body.
Then stood up, and stretched out my
arms toward the opening sky over my
head, thanking God aloud with a choking
voice for His mercy.
CIy 4 rp,I,r-D WIZ