Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1908-07-18


The mother crossed the room anC
patted the daughter on the shoulder
and the Incident was closed. Mr.. BreeI
was not even Informed of the gossip.
Linda had not sung for months. ShC
began singing now. She had not ram
bled from the cabin for weeks. Sh,
now began taking long walks. Laugh
ter came to her lips once more, anC
when she stopped at the little post
Office and was told that there was nc
letter her smile was not replaced by Q
look Of disappointment
"Llnda's forgot about Tom and is git
tin perter than ever" remarked the
father to the mother one evening as
they sat alone.
The mother did not answer. She
looked at him in contempt. AS moth
er she knew that Linda was simply
breaking her heart. The true woman
suffers most when she laughs most
She was watching Linda. There was
an underlined fear that the girls reck-
less spirit might lead to tragedy.
Weeks passed, however, and nothing
appened-nothlng except that Linda
grew pale checked and thin, and a note
Of defiance rang In her laughter. She
was suffering and yet defying the pain,
Then came a crisis. She was mile
down the mountain road one day, seat
ed on a bowlder where she had often
sat before watching the highway wind
ing down into the lowlands and the
busy world she knew not Of, when a
human figure came into view half q
mile below. She recognized 1t even at
that distance. A blush came to her
cheek, and her eyes flashed. Tom Sal
tiers was coming back at last.
She saw that he was dressed as she
with weary step and detected attitude.
Until he was within a quarter Of q
mile the girl was blushing and trem-
bling and ready to raise her hand and
shout a glad welcome. Then she be-
came thing Of stone, except that she
moved her eyes to note his progress.
He did not discover her until he was
within a hundred feet. Then he drop
ped the satchel he was carrying and
sprang forward, her name on his lips
The girl slightly inclined her head,
but there was ice In her look.
"And you won't shake hands! You
won't howdy! You won't say
She motioned to him to sit at her
feet, and in a weary, hopeless way he
obeyed. He waited long minute and
then in husky voice began:
II have come back to stay. was a
fool to go away. l was bon up yere,
an I might have knowed | wasn't fit
ten for down there. Mebbe somebody
told you that tried to be one Of 'em.
Yes, did. wore shoes. l wore store
clothes. l tried to talk like 'em an
act like 'em, but I wasn't fitten. ]
thought I might be, but I never could
be. Won't you speak to me, Lindap
Go on" she replied, still without
looking at him.
"Mebbe-mebbe somebody from up
yere told you about-about gal down |
there. Yes, there was one. 1 fell in
love with her, an she-she made fun |
Of me. She laughed at me. An, Lin |
da, the fellers mocked me an put upon |
me an made game Of me. I dun
stand it no mo-, an so have
come backbone back to you-all.
Won't you speak to me?"
For two minutes the girl sat and
looked down the road as she had look
ed before. Then she rose, passed Tom
and went up the rOad-went slowly up
he road toward home and never look
ed back.
Unlearned, unlettered and ignorant
If the ways Of the world, she had the
leart of the highest woman in the
and, and she demanded expiation for
/ lovers Gisloyalty. Her mother read
n her face what had happened and
simply put an arm around her and
"There, there, child-by and by"
One evening three months later Lin
la sat In the moonlight on the same
I'D log at the door. Again her elbows
we're on her knees and her face in her
lands. By and by some one knelt be
ore her and lifted her head and look
d into her eyes and said:
Cant you do it now, LindaY
"Yes, reckon" she replied as she
ave him her hand.
And that, too, was Gust like a wo-
1anw