The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1908-01-09

"Whdt led yOu to think i aUds up in the
north cOrnfcld7''
thoughts She leaned her elbows on
the fence and pressed her palms
against her burning cheeks to cool
them. The sunset, palpitating and rich
with color, seemed to her as she gaZed
out over the fields to the crimson hori-
Zon to mirror her own warm passion
ate heart.
She had lied to these young ladies!
Not In actual words, but the impress
sion she had given was false. Why
had she done it: What good could it
do her? And suppose he knew. A
wave of shame enveloped her. The
hands supporting her cheeks covered
her eyes as though to shut out from
her sight the disgraceful self she be-
held Could she ever look at him
again after this?
"What led you to think was up in
the north cornficld:"
Out of the stiffness and dimness of
the evening voice close beside her
asked the questiOn-his voice.
She cid not uncover her eyes, she did
not move. He was there beside her,
He had overheard her telling those
! girls to look for him in that impossible
north cornfed, a quarter OF mile
away! He had been standing. 10
doubt. just within the spring house and
had heard her utter those lies. He
had surely recognized that they were
lies, though her spoken words had not
been literally untrue.
! 81 didn't tell them You were there
she family answered
"Why, You sent them up there to
find me, didn't you?" he asked. his
tone puzzled.
Yes she confessed like a guilty
child.
"Well, didn't you think I was there:'
She shook her head.
"You didn't? Then why in thunder
did you make them think I was:'
"Because-that's where / knew you
wouldn't be-" The words seemed
dragged from her against her will.
He appeared to puzzle over it bit.
What he really was thinking was that
perhaps he had now stumbled upon
the solution of the mystery of this
maiden. To offer as an explanation
| Of her having sent those girls to look
| for him in the north cOrnfield that
she knew that's where he wouldn't be
evidently she was not quite right in
her mind.
| But another idea occurred to him.
I ~ \, toI to
them false scent. knowing that |
| prefer TO keep TO myself"
1t was beautiful explanation. For
a moment she half believed that Wa;
why she had sent them to the north
cOrnfield-to protect him from thc:s'
unwelcOme society. Anyway, it wa;
infinitely comforting TO have him
! reason. What was her real reason
She could not have defined it. even IL
herself.
He seemed waiting to hear her con
firm or deny his surmise. But she did
not speak.
'It was very kind of YOU" he pres
! emily added, ''to want to Oblige me-"
Her face burned hotter. She had
an impulse to turn to him and unde-
ceive him-to tell him the disgraceful
truth. But what was the truth? Why
had she wished to keep him away
from the two girls?
It was her entire ignorance Of life
that made it so impossible for her to
understand her own quite primitive
| emotions.
ut was clever of you, too," he chuc-
killed.. 1.-THE north cornfeld! I'd be
just as likely to be at the north pole,
| wouldn't I?'
Kinross was, in fact, gratuitOusly as
| Stunning that she had wished to return
| his favor to her in having averted her
| foster fathers wrath upon finding her
with the forbidden newspaper.
! Eunice was conscious of the fact that,
| while in her heart she felt ashamed Of
what she had done, she was thrObbing
with joy at having done it, for was he
not here alone with her in the summer
evening? She exulted madly in her
guilt.
II would never have dreamed you
| capable, little Eunice, of such sub
| tlety," he went on, and she could feel
the amusement in his voice. ITO think
of those two poor girls securing that
| cornfeld in search of me! And you
look so harmlessp'
He. gave short laugh IS he nut, bis