Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-06-18

a.bat, Il. ), h .,ste1 ,aa frightened {gioei
MOI Dcrs'a wan ting ! chrF dG
even FOR YOU. kccIai derc's wan ting
can't geeve. OATS all-jus' wan Oh aii
de worl'. | can't Kill de III goa VIII
de how an arrer He's all dat max
de sun shine. de birds sing an ole
leaves w'isper to me; he's de wan III
Teller wat max my life wort livhi an
keep music I'm my soul. IL keel I'M
dcrc ain no more lef' lax 1t, an I'm
never coi:i' nn' my Ian OF content
nor sing nor laugh no more. I'm
t'inkln' I would raider sing songs TO
I'm all alone onderneat' de stars beside
my campfire an talk wit I'm In my
bark canoe dan go Twin wit you In
fine house an let i'm get col an die.
but | told him I'd marry you-that
had always intended TO. He'll be-
lieve | was lying" she moaned IN dis
tress.
Oats too bad, but dis ting ain no
doin's wit me. Derets wan ting III
dis worl mus live forever. an OATS
love. If we kill i'm den It's purity poor
place for stoppin' in. I'm cut off my
ham for help you. Necia, but l can't
he husban 70 no woman In fun"
Poleon waited patiently until her
paroxysm OF sobblng had passed, then
gently raised her and led her ont through
the back door into the summer day,
which an hour ago had been SO bright
and promising and was now so gray
and dismal. He followed her with his
eyes until she disappeared inside the
log house.
"An' dat's de end Of 1t all. he unused.
give year I've wait-an' JUS for dis"
Meade Burrell never knew how he
gained his quarters, but when he had
done so he locked his door behind him,
then loosed his hold on things mate
rial lie ragged about the room like
wild animal and vented his spite on
every inanlmate thing that lay within
reach. AS yet his mind grasped bat
duly the fact that she was to marry
another, but gradually this thought In
turn took possession OF him. She
would be some one else's wife In two
days. The thought drove the lover
frantic, and he felt that madness lay
that way If he dwelt on such fancles
for long.
AS he grew calmer his reason began
to dlssect the scene that had taken
place IN the store. and he wondered
whether she had been lying to him.
after all No doubt she had been ell
gagged to the .Frenchman and had al
ways planned to wed Poleon. for that
was not out of reason. She might
even have set out miscflievously to
nmuse herself with him, but at the
recollection of those rapturous hours
they had spent together be declared
aloud that she had loved him, and him
only. Every instinct In him shouted
that she loved him In spite OF her
ruel protesta tons.
A man came with his supper, but he
talled to him to begOne. There are
those who believe that in passing from
daylight to darkness a subtle transit
ton occurs akin to the change from
positive to negative In an electrical
current and that this intangible, un-
traceable atmospheric influence exerts
definite psychical effect upon men
and their modes Of thought. BE this
as it may, 1t is certain that as the
night grew darker the lieutenant's
mood changed. He lost his fierce an
ger at the girl and reasoned that he
owed 1t to her to set himself right in
her eyes; that In all justice to her be
ought to prove his own sincerity.
An I'D river stea mboat was just land
ing as he neared the trading p0st-a
| freighter as he noted by her lights
| In the glare at the river bank he saw
Poleon and the trader. who had evil
IDENTITY returned from Lees creek, and
without accosting them lie hurried on
to the store Pcerlng in from the dark
ness, he saw Alluna. No doubt Necla
was alone in the house behind. SO he
stumbled around to the back to end
the window Of her room aglow behind
its curtain, and, receiving no answer
to his knock, he entered, for 1t was
customary at Gales to waive cere-
mony. Inside the big room he paused,
then stepped swiftly across and rap
ned at her door, falling back pace as
she came out
Instead of speaking at once, as he
had planned, to prevent her escaping,
he was struck speechless, for the
vision that met his eyes was that
which he had seen one blithe spring
morning three months before, but to-
night there was no shawl to conceal
her sweetly rounded neck and Shout
iers. whose whiteneSs was startling
] against the black Of the ballroom
gown. The slim gold chain hung
around her neck, and her hair was
piled high, as before. He noted every
smallest detail as she stood there wait
ing for him to speak, fOrgetful OF eV-
erything else.
She had put on the gown again to
see il perchance there might be some
| mari, of her blood or breed that had
escaped her previous scrutiny, and, as
there was no one to observe her, she
had attired herself slowly. absorbed
| I'm her whimsy. Her wistful beauty
dazed the young man and robbed him
of the words he had rehearsed, but as
che made to flee from him. with
pitiful gesture, toward her room the
fear of losing her aroused him ana
spurred his Wit.
"Don't 90 away! I have something