Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-12-02
: CHAPTER VII.

heart was on fire this evening, and she
felt that she would stifle or shrek II
she went into the house and shut her
self within those dreary whltewashed
walls. Here in the open she might
breathe deep. Today her pent up feel
ings had renched the high water mark,
and tonight they must have outlet or
she must sufrocnte.
What was the meaning, she was ask
ing herself in bewllderment Of this
mry,led ecstasy and woe which were
now her daily portion when Of old
$50 long ago 1t seemed, though in real
fly it was only three weeks ago that
he-the man from the city--had come
among them her soul had been cold.
dormant, incapable Of feeling aught
Of pain or pleasure? And now--to the
tips of her fingers was she tinging
with life. with burning emotions
which stitled and panied, yet gave her
the first taste Of JOY she had ever
known. For the first time In her mem
DRY the heavy loneliness In which she
had always lived seemed lifted. Some
thing in her which had always been
starved was fed. 1t had become worth
while to rise up in the morning and
go through with her tasks. The days
palpitated now and throbbed. They
We're no longer the dull, dead drag they
had been There was always the pos
sibility of a word or act of kindness
from him. Never before in her life
had she known kindness, but he had
been kind to her. Tie had tried to
shield her from her foster fathers an
ger and had then hidden the newspaper
for her. He had helped her when he
saw her burdened with her heavy buck
cts of milk He had several times
spoken to her with friendly interest.
These episodes, entirely triaing In
themselves, appeared large and lumi-
nous to this girl, accustomed only to
sights. Her Imagination, fired by his
utter difference from any one she had
ever before seen, made Of him crea-
ture whose least word or act was
weighted with Significance. Her absorb
Ing and passionate interest In every
thing about hinl--his voice, his accent
$50 strange to her ears, the movements
Of his white hands (never had she seen
such hands,, the way he sat or walked
or stood or looked-all that he did or
uttered was fascinating, intoxicating,
And today her feelings had suddenly
reached climax of intensity which
had amazed herself. 1t had come upon
her when she had seen him return
from his afternoon outing in company
with the two young ladies-youns la
dies Of his kind of people. OF education,
beauty. worldly knowledge, money,
freedom from drudgery. everything
which made woman appear attrac-
tive, everything which she lacked.
Apparently he had been spending the
afternoon with them. Theirs was the
privilege of looking upon him for hours
together, of hearing the sound OF his
voice. Of drinking in his thoughts about
things chow hungry her own mind was
to. read all his thoughts and feelings),
and-oh, bitterness!-they had all three
come upon her when, weary and soiled
and oyerlnden she was awkWardly
Juggling her heavy buckets across the
garden. She had fancied his snowy
hands had shrunk from touching her
soiled ones as he took the buckets from
her. The Overwhelming sense OF her
own inferiority in the face of the con-
trast between herself and the board
ers had been followed by passion OF
inward rebellion that had left her
physically exhausted. 1t had not yet
spent itself as just now she fingered
in the dusk by the spring house fence.
Her heart burned within her with
feeling that she did not understand,
for the passion of jealousy was to her
as unknown as the passion of love.
Her own binding, consuming emotions
were appalling to herself in their utter
strangeness and newness.
He had said that he wished to as
sumo farmhand's disguise because
he didn't want to associate with the
new guests. Why, then, was he spend
ing whole afternoons with them? Was
he repenting him Of his whim? And
they, even though they thought him
mere farmland, could not fail to
find happiness in being with him, for,
farmland or gentleman, he was him
self.
The young ladies appeared to her
very stupid not to recognize that he
was not farmland. To be sure, they
probably did not know many farm
hands and so did not see how impos-
sible it was, but they had only to COM
pare him with Abe and his father to
see the absurdity Of it.
This evening, for the first time since
he had come to the farm, she fell to
wondering III a vague, indefinite way
what was his mental image of herself,
whom he saw only at her drudgery,
treated slightingly by every one, al
ways looking hideous in her working
clothes, shy before him even to COW
ardice. That day he had found her
with the newspaper he had evidently
supposed that her starting and turn
ing white had been caused by her fear
of being caught in the act of disobey-
ing her foster father. She had read
his look Of half contemptuous pity
clearly enough, and it had served to
increase her agony of embarrassment
before him. Then his poorly con-
cealed mockery at her not knowing
about that great man, Andrew Car
negie-how that had mortified her!
And now to heighten the effect of her
own uncomeliness here were these
well dressed. we'll looking, well edu-