Pleasantville weekly press., 1909-01-02
CHAPTER III.


N overheated from his rapid
wv walk in the sun, he stopped
w at the springhouse to get
glass of water before going into the
kitchen.
1t was with sudden sharp thrill
that as he stepped into the cool. shady
stone room he unexpectedly found
himself alone with Eunice.
She was seated on the stone steps
by the well, bending laboriously over
a torn sheet of a newspaper.
AS his figure suddenly darkened the
doorway she started violently as
though discovered in some shameful
guilt He was held for an instant by
the picture she made, the grace of her
actual fear, the beauty of her wide.
frightened eyes, the exquisite delicacy
Of her face in its sudden whitepess.
But his second thought was not so
complimentary.
what a craven little coward, was
his mental comment, with an impulse
OF contemptuous pity. for he had not
lived here ten days without having
seen that this foster daughter of the
MorningStars was downtrodden as none
but a girl of weak or mean spirit would
permit herself to be, and he under
stood that her present sense of guilt
was due to the contraband newspaper
she was found idly reading when she
should have been hard at work. AS far
as he had observed, the girl was never
allowed ten minutes of relaxation from
morning to night; also. Mr.. Morning
star had strictly forbidden his house
hold to touch the .'gent'man boarder's"
daily paper, which he pronounced
willy invention of Satan.
So it was only a feeling of fear that
could rouse her from her lethargy.
Its only l." he said alphabetically.
May | come in and get a glass of wa
ter?'
She did not seem much reassured by
the fact that it was only he. She sank
back Imply against the step as he came
forward and helped himself, but her
eyes as they followed him did not lose
their strained expression nor her face
regain its color He watched her curl
ously as he slowly drank a glass of wa
ter. The newspaper was crumpled into
her lap, and her gaze seemed held by
his in sort of fascination.
Don't be afraid, he smiled upon her.
Il won't telly
She did not answer. She seemed
spellbound. He wondered whether he
could make her talk. At least he had
made her look at him.
Its one of my newspapers, isn't it?'
he asked.
YES" she breathed.
"Old Morningstar makes me hand
them over to him to be burned every
morning How did you rescue sone?"
She swallowed hard as she managed
to answer in a voice just above wills
per. "He puts them in the stove to be
burned when light the fire for break
fast. | take them out"
"Eh? And then snatch chances like
this for reading themY'
Yes
"Um-mr' he commented thoughtful
~. upon my word.
They looked at each other for an in
slant without speaking.
'You had never read a newspaper, !
suppose, before l came here?"
NO"
''Do you find them amusing?"
"Amusing?s she repeated, the strain
ed expression in her eyes giving way
to puzzled look.
We'll" he conceded, perhaps you
don't find them that-a daily record of
crimes and accidents. Interesting, !
should have said. Do you like themF
he added, cropping for words inteiligi-
BILE to her simplicity.
Yes
"But you can't read with much prof
it or pleasure when you have to snatch
chance moments at them in this way?'
She did not reply.
"And much that you read would be
unintelligible to you, l should say. see
ing you are not accustomed to reading
newspapers. | don't see how You get
enough out of 1t to pay for such a
fright as you had just now when you
thought you were being caught"
Still she did not answer.
what stupid creature," he
thought, marveling that so dull dam
sci should have a pair Of eyes that
shone like stars and countenance OF
such extraordinary thoughtfulness.