The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1907-10-11

from this she produced a fat round
object wrapped in a piece of tissue
papesr, very old and worn. This she
| op9neI hastily, and there before her
astonished eyes lay a furnished gold
/ Medding ring!
"Wot tomfool bizness be he up to
now, l wonder!" exclaimed Phoebe,
suspiciously, when she regained her
| speech. Then something occurred to
her, something that made her think
again.
~ jes wonder ef"
She looked out dreamily across the
green cornfields right away to Frog
leigh Marsh, and she seemed to- see
herself again a laughing lighthearted
| girl, with Dan beside her-then a
fine handsome lad-urging his sri
mo Dan! ! 'oain't agoing to tie
myself to no n don't yer fear. There
be plenty O. time yeti"
See, Phoebe, lass; l bought it yes
terday in Swedeborough."
And a bright gold wedding ring
was put into her hand.
"Be It gold, Dan?"
aye! a rale gold ring, Phoebe!'
And now she remembered with a
flush of shame that she tossed it
laughingly at him and ran away.
All! that was thirty years ago and
Dan was waiting yet!
Phoebe held the little furnished
ring in her fingers and gazed thought
fully out into the distance beyond, a
soft light in her dark eyes.
80 don't yer remember sweet Alice
Ben Bolt,
Who weep wi"'-
Dams voice died away in a low UNI
musical whistle.
The spell IA broken! and Phoebe
hastily picked up the odds and ends
in her lap and stuffed them back in
to the pockets. Her fingers fingered
over the ring as if she we're loath to
put it away, but at last she wrapped
it up in the tissue paper covering
and slipped it into the kid thumb
and returned it to it's hiding place.
Then Phoebe put the waistcoat down
and went into the cottage, returning
with her workbox in her hand. And
when Dan Hookam presented himself
shortly afterward to say that he had
finished stalking the peas he found
her stitching away on his dilapidated
garment!
Dan was both astonished and
alarmed, for this was quite new tosthe
Phoebe he had been accustomed to.
Don't e mind about that, Phoebe
1T don't matter not a bit. It's been
like it fer quite a WHILE"
Phoebe Bunce felt some qualms of
conscience, but she replied severely:
Why didn't yer tell me, hey, stead
goin' about all rags and tags?'
And she bit off a length of thread
wrathfully.
Il don't keer, faint so bad" main
tanned Dan, stoutly.
Him couldn't ha' been much WIS
ser, I be thinkin'!" retorted Phoebe
/ grimly.
sit We down, Dan; there be 10 call
fer ye to stand"
Dan sat down humbly beside Phoe-
be and watched her thin fingers while
lie sewed.
Tired, Dan, be ye?"
The voice was not harsh now, and
Dan looked at Phoebe wonderingly,
but she was bending over her work,
and the sunbonnet hid her face.
Jest a bit; nawthin' ter speak on.
But we amt gettin younger, Phoebe,
lass"
Dan had gone back to the speech
OF his youth and his eyes looked out
w~istfully across the fields in the di-
rection Of Frogleigh Marsh just as
Phoebe's had done, to where the old
square tower of the little church
peeped out between the trees, but his
thoughts were with the present, not
the past, as Phoebe's had been,
Il was thinkin' lass that it won't
be long before my ovid bones be laid
out yonder."
Phoebe looked up quickly and shot
q keen glance at her companion, but
his eyes were still fixed on that spot
between the trees, and he went on
dreamily, half to himself.
Eff we could ha' gone down hill
together, maybe 'twould ha' been
easier"....
He broke off with a sigh; then he
turned with a glad light in his eyes.
"Phoebe!n
AYE, Dan" But her eyes were
bent or her sewing.
ID yer mind this day thirty years
ago?"
Dan. Hookham laid his hand upon
Phoebe's arm and looked up at her,
but the sunbonnet hid her face.
AWIuz it ter-day, DAMP"
Phoebe's voice shook and the fin
gers that held the needle trembled.
Aye, Phoebe lass! tn fustso' May!
tn fust o. May, thirty years ago?
Dan looked out across the fields
and his thoughts went back to that
May day thirty years ago.
De summit in tn pocket
wants-d'yer mind lass??"
Dan, lad!"
Phoebe's voice was low and husky
and her eyes still turned away.
There be summit in tn pocket
wants-d'yer mind, lad?"
Aye lassi!";
With shaking hands Dan took the