The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-11-29

I !
But he gave no sign. No one could
pass the outward mask which ma
| ture had set up for the safeguarding
of his innermost thoughts and feel
ngs. His rugged face bore no trace
of suffering, his quiet eyes remained
unlimmed his lips permitted no
chance word of complaint to escape
them, his hands were controlled by
nerves OF steel Whatever his afflic-
ton, he kept it hidden.
The days passed; a week, two
weeks. There was no change from
the anxious watching. His whole
interest seemed to be bound up in
the life and death struggle being
waged in the sick-room. He was
never permitted to see his wife:
but every morning, every noon, ev-
! cry night, he received Emily Yer
riCker's report, accepting her YER
d,ct without question. often with
out comment And during that time
he carried on the work of the farm,
! moving about amongst his Xaffir
! boys, but never absenting himself
| long enough to miss receiving a
single bulletin.
1t was at the emi OF the third
week that the crisis in the iANcr
came. Mary passed it successfully.
and he was told that as far as hh-
man probabilities went she wou'd
recover She mad returned to con
sciousness
For a few brief moments he was
permitted to see her. But it was not
for speech; merely that he might
feast his patient eyes upon the wan
form, now, at last, free from the
rag ng fires of 'eyer and peacefully
resting in a childhKe slumber
And when ne passed out of the
rim. His eyes were no longer quiet:
there was a deep, slow fire in them |
which said far more than any words |
But it was only his eyes that be-
trayed the change.
He passed out of the house into |
the light of the golien sunset. Just
for moment he paused on the |
stoep, ike a man who desires 20 H. |
naliy review the details OF ;Ir
p2se lcng since arrived at. His |
thouslts were moving swiftly while |
his ears listened to the voices of |
the boys herding the cattle into the |
kraals for the night, and to the |
evening sounds that came from the !
village away to the left and from
the river below him. There was a
wild, melodious drone in the chant
ing voices at the village which was
very seductive, and blended har
moniously with the incessant song
of the frogs down at the river. A .
thousand times had he listened to
these sounds, but never had they
so fitted in with his mood till now.
1t was the voice of Africa's wild
in tune with the primitive man
stirring within him.
His eyes hungrily devoured the |
scene that opened out before him. |
1t was as though he would drink |
in the inspiration OF Natures vir>
gin work. He looked upon the vast |
upland of giant rollers beyond the |
river with a new understanding; |
broken. dissheyelled, ragged, the
earth spread out like a breaking |
sea II was like the view of an
ocean, so distant seemed the sky |
line where earth and heavens met. |
Everywhere the purple shadows |
gathered under the bushes OF thorn, |
and willow, and blue gum; and the
tawny grass of the veldt reflected .
the red and gold of the suns dy- !
ing light. The sky was slashed |
with a myriad hues, glowing and |
fading like the light OF the FREELY |
already moving among the remoter .
shadows down by the rkSer, and fl !
nally eliminating in the furnace
like glare of the evening cloud |
banks on the western horizon. 1t |
was sunset in keeping with his |
mood No blood hue in the sky |
cou,d glow more ardently than the |
love which was stirring his pulses; |
no cloud-bank could compare in its
moulding with the tattered emotions
of his heart.
The sun droppei- below the hort
zon, and he went round to the farm
buildings and summoned Saturday
The fruit-gardens of the ROOF