Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-24

behind He stood en- stood all day til
nigh on nghtfall. We kept Watchin
III lone picket til we couldn't stan II no
longer. We TUX a canteen Of good not
soup en- crope slow en- cautious-lihe up
tn Rainbow He never turned his haid
er notice us al all. It's plain toe MS tn
picket warn't on watch When we soi
near we both knowed him sure-th' sick
Young Teller we'd house-roofed en- tended
nigh all summer. But he We're stone
da ID TIL perishin' cold sweepin' tn
northwest of tn mountaing had friz III
no picket t death befo' daylight. We
fetched him home ourselves. but il warn I
no use-th' life had gone clean out'n him.
Yore ma took boards off tn shed ROOM
en- somehow we made him er coffin. en-
ner,n me dug him er grave UP there Jes'
where we foun him lon en- lonesome.
There he'd stay now lone en- lonesome,
savin' you en- me, Molly. flowers his grave
pncet a year t'mind him he amt ferSot,
tho he warn't one er ours
Daily Hannah HarkS and Molly made
Digrimages to The marsh for lilies. to ra-
vines and shady banks for wild Vlolets,
waXeE white laurels and feathery clema-
It's. The evening before Decoration Day
they shaped some of them into Wreaths
and clusters Of mountain bloom shedding
the aroma of the forest. Hannah carried
them al to the loft where the Squire
-aever CHANGED 10 go. After supper Molly
was plucking a few more white hlacs
My daughter" he said. in the mild.
slow tones that always frightened her
1t hes come to my ears that tn young
Teller, Martin. prowls continual on IN
Rainbow. l don't prowl 1t myself. nor
none of tn Grays, and II aire my lana.
I've kept my say-so to that, en- I've give
in to a new surveyin But we greed I
shoot whomsoeve footed on Rainbow
mountaing 1t has come to me that II
tn Teller defyin' of us. He aire comely,
proper boy, but a monstrous Iooi, en-
seems like they don't know Johnson
Gray"
The lilacs dropped from Molly's hands.
She knew johnson Gray. her inf1eXlble
father. who adhered to his Wcrd WIN
rigid fidelity Conflicting impulses sIFred
her From the chaos one conviction came
supreme-she had n promise TO keep. IL
VAS not being friends with Martin TO let
him unwittinSly anger the Grays
DuskN and dark III the corners was
the loft when Molly and Hannah Harks
brought down the flowers. In the midst
Of a wealth Of lilies Molly put slip OF
paper on Which she had written:
Keep of the Rainbow until the dlVid,
ing line is made as YOU give your WORD
YOU would You'll b shot
The young moon had long since van
isned behind the peaks. but the stars
plearaed in cloudless brilliancy. Now
and then a wakeful bird twittered dream
liz and the creek rippled its foaming
waters over the white gravel in the cove
below. The peace and sublimity of the
mountains seemed too infinite for evil
design. And yet the Squire and half a
dozen Grays were lying nolseiessly in the
brush along the dividing line. Every
mans finger was on the trigger. Tor
some one had broken the compact, some
one was proving on the Rainbow.
Across the contested line, hundred
wards back. the dense underground hid
the reflection of the moon along other
rifle barrels Grohsman and his men
were equally vigilant.
Family at first, but growing louder and
louder with each step, the scuffie of ad-
yancins feet was heard. The watchers
on both sides-crouched in readiness to
mete out the deserved retribution. linen
the traitors came into view-two of them.
Smothered CALCULATIONS of surprise and
every man Strengthened himself in sU l.
den distrust of his own eyes, relapsed into
tense ominouS silence-for there. going
boldly across the cleared slope, were
Molly and Hannah Hanks. They were
laden with glistening clusters of white
flowers They walked unafraid along the
sinuous path upward to the, lone grave
on the mountain top.
The rifles of the Grays came to earth.
The Squire started forward and stopped.
His face was white and drawn. Though
he could not see them, he knew that
other eyes watched the self-same slope of
the RainboW-from the other side-that
other fingers, just as remorseless, rested
on other weapons Would they be merci-
full to this. his only one? Would they!
Across the line the bushes shook audi
bly, and a leveled rifle cleaned in the
moonlight second. but was lowered