The Sauk Centre herald., 1907-05-09
THE Gay broke with scream of
wind out of the prairies and
such cloudbursts of snow that


big bend of ice. The wind struck so
bitterly that now and then he stopped
and painting and gasping, leaned his
weight against it. The snow on the
ground was caught up and flew like
sea spume in hurricane; it swirled
about him, joining the flakes in the
air, SO that it seemed to be showing
from the ground upward as much as
from the sky downward. Fierce as it
was, hard as it was to fight through.
snow from the earth, snow from the
sky, Joe was grateful for it, feeling
that it yelled him, making him safer,
though he trusted somewhat the
change of costume he had effected at
Beaver Beach. A rough wOrkman's
cap was pulled down over his ears and
eyebrows; 4 knitted comforter was
wound about the lower part of his
face; under a ragged overcoat he wore
blue overalls and rubber boots, and in
one of his red mittened hands he
swung a tin dinner bucket.
He bent his body against the wind
and went on, still keeping to the back
ways, until he came to the alley which
passed behind his own home, where.
however. he paused only for a mo-
ment to make Il quick survey of the
premises. \ glance satisfied him; he
ran to the next fence, hoisted himself
wearily over it and dropped into Roger
Tabor's back yard.
The place seemed empty, and he was
on the point Of going away when ne
heard the click of the front gate and
saw Ariel coming toward him. At the
sound of the gate he had crouched
close against the side of the house.
but she saw him at once.
She stopped abruptly and, throwing
the waterproof back from her head,
looked at him through the driven fog
of snow. One Of her hands was
stretched toward him involuntarily,
and it was in that attitude that he
long remembered her-she looked an
Undine Of the snow.
Suddenly she ran to him, still keep
ing her hand outstretched until it
touched his own.
"How did you know meY" he said.
"Know your was all the answer she
made to that question. Come into the
house. I've got some coffee on the
stove for you. I've been up and down
the street waiting for you ever since it
began to get light. There's no one
here"
She led him to the front door, where
he stamped and shook himself. He
was snow from head to foot.
She wasted no time in getting him
to the kitchen. where. when she had
removed his overcoat. she placed him
in chair unwound the comforter and,
as carefully as nurse. lifted the cap
from his injured head. When the strip
of towel was disclosed. she stood quite
still for moment with the cap in her
hand. Then, with broken little cry,
she stopped and kissed a lock of his
hair which escaped, discolored, beneath
the bandage.
"Stop that!" he commanded, horribly
embarrassed.
"Oh, Joe," she cried, Il knew! l
knew it was there, but to see it! And
it's my fault for leaving you. l had to
go or l wouldn't have-P'-
"Where'd you hear about itw he
asked shortly
Il haven't been to bed," she answer
ed Grandfather and l were up all
night at Uncle Jonas, and Colonel Fit
croft came about 2 o'clock. and he told
u.s."
"Did he tell you about Norbert?'
'Yes-a great deal" She poured cof
fee into a cup from pot on the stove,
brought it to him, then, placing some
thin slices of bread upon gridiron,
began to toast them over the hot Goals.
'The colonel said that Norbert thought
he wouldn't get WE'LL" she concluded.
"and Mr.. Arp said Norbert was the
kind that never die. and they had quite
an argument"
''What were you doing at Jonas Ia
bor's?' asked Joe, drinking his coffee
with Frightening eye.
"We were sent for" she answered.
'What for?'
She toasted the bread attentively
without replying, and when she decid-
ed that it was brown enough piled it on
a warm plate. This she brought to him
and, kneeling in front of him, her ell
bow on his knee, offered for his con-
sideration, looking steadfastly up at
his eyes. He began to eat ravenously.
"What for" he repeated. Il didn't
suppose Jonas would let you come in
his house. Was he sick?"
"Joe," she said quietly, disregarding
his questions-"Joe. have you got to
run away?"
eyes, I've got to-" he answered.
"Would you have to go to prison if
you stayed?' She asked this with a
brea thless tensity.
"I'm not going to beg father to help
me out" he said determinedly. "He
said he wouldn't, and he'll be spared
the chance He won't mind that; no.
body will care! Nobody! What does
anybody care what do?"
"Now you're thinking Of Mamie" she
cried. II can always tell. Whenever
you don't talk naturally you're think
ing Of herv'
He poured down the last of the cof-
fee, growing red to the tips Of his
ears. "Ariel," he said, ''if ever come
back
"Wait," she interrupted. "Would you
have to go to prison right away if they
caught you?"
"Oh, it isn't that" he laughed sadly.