Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-03-16

time. What's an hour or two when
they've got a life sentence comm to 'em.
Dammit, you jest ought to see them
clothesr' And by very force of his vo-
alterations he succeeded in exacting the
/ promise of a brief stay in the proceedings
/ before he bolted out. the rags of his gel
! low mackinaw Tapping excitedly.
{ The priest returned to Necia, leaving
the trader and Poleon alone.
] 81 s'pose it's best, said the former.
"Yesw
Beats the deuce, though, how things
work out, don't it?'
I'm glad for see dis day." said the
Frenchman. Hes a good man, an he
ain never goin' to hurt her none" He
naused. "Dere's JUS wan ting / want
/ for ask 1t of you, John-you member dat
dav we stop on de birch grove, an you
spik bout her an toll me dose story
| bout her moder? Wal, 1 was dreamin'
dat tam. so I'm goin' ask 1t you now don
never tell her wat l said"
/ doesn't she know, my boy?
oNo; ain never spoke bout love. She
t'inks I'm broder wit her, an'-dats wat
] am. ba Carl" He could NJ hold his
voice event. broke with him; but he
| avoided the old mans gaze. Gale TOOK
| him by the shoulders.
! There amt nothing so cruel in the
world as a gentle woman" said he;
but she wouldn't hurt you for all tne
world, Poleon; only the blaze of this 9TH
er thing has blinded her. She can't see
nothing for the light of this new love
OF hers"
II know! OATS w'y-nobody onder-
STAINS but you an me
Gale looked out through the open door,
past the sunlit river which came from
! land of mystery and vanished into val
lay of forgetfulness. past the forest ana
| a wondrous love that had lived with MIN
these many weary years, and said:
Nobody else can understand but me-
7 know how IL is 1 had even harder
thing to bear. for you'll know she's Fp-
nv at least while l." His voice trem-
bIed. but, after a pause, he continued:
''They neither of them understand what
1 you've done for them, for II was you
! that brought her back; but some time
they'll learn how grcat their dept Is
and thank YOU 1t IL take them years
ard wears. however. anu when they do
they'll tell their babes of you, Pcleon, so
! that your name will never die. loVeo
her mother, but don't think l could have
done what you did
"She's purity hard ting, for sure Dur
ain t'ink bout Poleon Doret none
wen I'm dom it, No, I'm t'ink bout heI
all de tam. She's liz gal, an I'm beeg.
4 strong Teller W at uOn hiebbSA AAAN~AA -
, vat ain know much-'cept singin', an
lovin' her. I'm see for sure now dat
ain fit for her-Pm beeg, rough, fight
/ in Teller wat can read, an she ue
beam of sunlight wat bin my eyes
| "If I was a fool I'd say you'd forget
in time. but I've lived my life in the open'
and 1 know you won't. l didn't.
| Il dom want to forget the brown man
cried. hurriedly, lie bon Dleu woulu noe
I
of a daddy to your GAL ana III gum ~
be in at the finish
Back and forth paced the Lieutenant
restlessly, pausing every now and then
/ to peer down the river. Suddenly ne Ut
| tered a cry and with a bound Gale was
beside him, Lee at his shoulder
Look! over the point! Down yonder!
saw smoke!'
The three started at the distant forest
fringe that masked the bend of the river
until their eyes ached, and the dark
| Green grew black and wavered indis-
| tinctly.
You're tired, my boy" said Gale.
Watt!
| They obeyed and finally over the tree
tons saw faint streamer of black.
ct Isl 1t ISL cried the soldier. I'm
going for my war bag" And before the
| steamboat had hove into sight he was
/ hack with his Scanty bundle or baggage,
behaving like one daft, talking and
laughing and running here and there. Lee
watched him closely, then went behinc
the bar and poured out a stiff glass OF
| whisky, which he made Burren drink. To
Gale he whispered, a moment later:
Keep your eye on him, John-heH &C
mad at this rate"
They waited. 1t seemed interminably
until at last a white hull slowly rounded
| the point, then shaped a course across
the current towards the other bank
where the water was less swift. AS 1t
came fully into sight. Gale swore aloud
/ in despair:
| ITS the mission boat!''
| well. what of that?" said BurreH
| We'll hire it-buy it-take it!''
Its no use; she amt got but three
dog-power to her engines" Lee explain
| ed. "Shes a down-river boat-has to
run with the current to move"
1--WE can't use her." Gale gave in, re-
luctantly. shed only lose time for us
We've got to wait for one of the A. C.
| boats"
Waltz cried Burrell "Good Cod
we've done nothing but wait, wait, watt
Let's do something!'
You go back yonder and set down.
| commanded Lee Wen have a boat
| before long"
Continued in Next Issue