The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1910-10-28
FRANCIS LYNDE

his walking home. Ordinarily he struck
work when the furnace whistle blew,
riding home with his father behind old
Longfellow: but on this particular
| evening Kinderling. the architect. miss
ed his South Tredegar train. and Tom
spent an extra hour with him. discuss
Ing further and future possibilities Of
expansion. Kinderling got away on
later train, and Tom closed his ONCE
| and took the long mile up the pike
afoot In the dusk of the autumn even
ing. thinking pointedly Of many things
mechanical and Industrial. and never
by any chance forereaching to the
| epoch marking event that was await
ing him at the Woodlawn gate.
His hand was upon the latch Of the
ornamental side wicket opening on the
home foot-path when a woman.
crouching In the shadow Of the great
gate pillar. rose suddenly and stood
before him. He did not recognize her
| at first: It was nearly dark. and her
head was snooded In shawl. Then
she spoke. and he saw that 1t was Nam
cy Bryerson-a Nan sadly and terri
bly, changed. but must much Of the
wild creature of face and form still
remaining.
You done forgot me- Tom-Jeff? ?" she
asked; and than. at his start of recog-
milton: Il allow have changed some"
Surely haven't forgotten you, Nan.
But you took me by surprise; and
can't see in the dark any better than
most people. What are you doing down
here in the valley 80 late In the even
In triad tN u,no~np1v
paternally. as an older man might have
said 1t
''You allow it amt fittin' for me to be
out alone after night7 she. with a
hard little laugh. II reckon 1t amt go
in to hurt me none; anyways. had 10
come. Paws been red-eyed for q week.
and he's huntin' for you. Tom-Jeff."
Hunting for me? Well. I'm not very
hard to find." he said. unconsciously re-
peating the answer he had made to the
horse traders warning.
Couldn't you make out to go OF
somewheres for little spell?' she
asked. half pleadingly.
run away, you mean? Hardly; Tn
too busy just at present. Besides. /
haven't any quarrel with your father.
| what's he making trouble about now?"
: She put her face In her hands, and
though she was silent, he could see
| that sobs were shaking her. Being nell
Their more nor less than a man. her
tears made him foolish. He put his
arm around her and tried to find the
comforting word.
How Ardea and Miss Euphrasia, 70.
ing the roundabout way from one house
| to the other to avoid the dew-wet Rras.
| Of the lawns. came fairly within arms.
reach before he saw or heard them. re
| NAMED thing inexplicab BILE. But when
| he looked up they were there Miss Eu.
: phrasia Strengthening herself aloof in
virtuous disapproval, and Ardea look
| ing as II some one had suddenly shown
her the head of Medusa.
Tom separated himself from Nan In
hot-hearted confusion and stood al
! culprit taken in the act Nan hid hsr
face again and turned away. II was
Miss Dabney the younger who found
words to break the smarting silence.
Don't mind US, Mr.. Gordon" aha
| said. icily. I'VE were going to Wood.
lawn to see II your father and mother
could come over after dinner"
Tom smote himself alive and mada
| haste to open the foot-path gate for
| them. There was nothing more said.
or to be said; but when they were
gone and he was once more alone with
Nan. he was fighting desperately with
very manlike desire to smash some
| thing; to relieve the wrathful pressure
| by hurting somebody.
You were going to tell me about
your father" he said, striving to hold
the interruption as II It had not beer.
and yet tingling In every nerve to be
| free. did you come all the way down
| the mountain to warn mel"
| Il had to come anyway. He run mo
out. paw did"
"Heavens!" calculated Tom, prick.
| ling now with q new sensation. And
| Won haven't any place to stay?.
She shook her head
~No. I was allowin' maybe your
paw'd let me sleep where you-uns keep
/ the hawsses-Jest for q little spell TIL
r could make out what-all I'm goin' 70
| do"
| He was too rageful to be quite clear
sighted. Yet he conceived that he had
| a duty laid on him. Once In the fool
4 ish, infatuated long-aso he had told
her he would take care OF her: he re-
membered It: doubtless she was re-
membering It. too. But her suggestion
was not to be considered for q mo-
ment.
Il can't let you 90 TO the stables" he
objected. 1.-THE horse-boys sleep there.
But I'll put q roof over you. some way.
Wait here ! minute TIL ! come back"
His thought was to go to his mother
and ask her help; but halfway to tho
house his courage failed him. Since
the breach IN spiritual condolences ne
had been better able to see the lovab.e
side OF his mothers faith: hut he could
not be blind to that quality Of hardness
in It which. even In such chAstensd
souls az Martha Gordon's. nnds express
sion In womAn's inhunanity to woman.
Besides. Ardea and her cousin were
still In the way.
He swung on his hsel dndecided. On
the hillside back of the new foundry
there was orle-rooned cabin built on
the Gordon land years before BY her.
, NIT Waterman of the Chiawassee plant.