Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1909-07-16

She had hidden him lift her into a
grapevine swing that looped itself
from branch to branch of two wild
plum trees. They were white with he
fullness of their blossom tide.
She was but a light armfui- he
could easily have put her In the covet-
ed seat with one hand. but he trembled
under the pressure of her sweet young.
body, and his great heart thumped VIC
lently against his ribs, all because he
was such a coward Ralston, you seet
The swaying of the swing set the
delicate plum blossoms arfalling. They
gemmed her brown hair and fell upon
her lap. She filed her little hands
with them and laughed gayiy:
"Such pretty, gauzy petals! They
look like fairy lace Titania's wedding
veil might well have been woven Of
just such stuff"
He had thrown himself on the ground
at her feet. His great brown eyes wera
full of the dumb alteration Of a slave
when I get married." he heard her
say, It'll have a wedding bell made
of the Wild plum blossoms-so much
daintier than the stiff, conventional
things one always sees"
He laughed nervously. "11l have a
whole wagon load of them gathered as
soon as you say the word"
She stared at him insolentiy. what
wordg'
"Such a little word, Katie5yes.S
She still held him mercilessly with
the blue eyes that had taken on the
chill of polished steel.
"What are you talking about john
sic R~alston?"
He rose from his crouching posture
to tower over her commanding1y.
Don't you know that l love you,
Katie? You will have to answer Yes,
to that. There's no other honest an
swer."
She flung her answer at him defiant
ly: Eyes. What them"
"And don't you know that l want to-
marry you? Haven't you known 1t
these half dozen years, KatieT-
Eyes. What them"
'sThen'-he held out pleading hands
to her-"oh, my little girl, wifi you
not come to me while the sweet Wild
plums are poisoning for you and for
me? l will try so hard to make Vou
glad all the days Of your hfe."
From under her crown OF wild fow-
ers she looked at him with a cruel
smile of negation. She vaulted lightly
earthward and stood before him with
her small hands clasped behind her
Standing thus. she dealt him his death
blow.
"Never, never, never, John Ratstoni
I'll marry no coward, an 1t please you.
sir. Why didn't you kill Dave Sturms
the other day instead OF turning the
other cheek? All, you thought I would
never hear of It, but you e / have[
havel' Her pretty face was dark WITH
passion. mo man shall ever point tho
finger of scorn at my husband We'd
ding bell will never hang over you
aud me, John. Goodhyf'
She flung him. yweTl
from the tips Of her fingers and sped
homeward alone through the leafy
aisles of the forest
He stood like a man who has re-
cetved his deathbiow In battle. All
the sweetness had gone out OF the
air, all the light out of the sunny
day. He flung out his hands with a
gesture OF despair.
She had never loved him or she could
not have condemned him unheard.
How easy to convict her Of error If
it had been worth whilel
1t was then that he retired to the
Cross Bayou place and took up the life
of a hermit crab, all because he was
a coward. you see.
Only one human being accepted him
unquestioningly, believed In him abso-
lutely. That was Black Prince, and
when Johns'e went into retirement on
the Cross Bayou place Black Prince
went with him.
Prince was his foster brother and
his chattel. Nanny Ann had nursed
them both from her full maternal foun-
tains. There was nothing princely
about the chattel save his loyalty and
a chivalric devotion that found all the
reward 1t asked in obliterating self for
the object it adored.
M and MarSe comprised
the universe for Black Prince
From Black Princes point of view
life as it was lived at Cross Bayou by
''me and Marse Johnsie" vas simply
perfect A little labor and a great deal
of resttng-what more could heart of
man askf
If the white man had his periods of
self disgust and bitter re~trospecdon.
the black one was level the wiser for
it. If there came TO the master mo-
ments of passionate longing, when a
shadowy girl face looked at him from
out the memory land with a cruel
smile of negation ON her sweet face,
the chattel was the sadder for
It If Prince was conscious of any de
fined longings. 1t was to have things
go ON just rs they wer forever and
forever unlr IS, indeed, 1t might be for