Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1910-10-13

this in Neil's eyes.
81 wish we might" he said quietly.
I'VE cant" exclaimed Nathaniel.
my ship"
1T is impossible. / am speaking Of
Winnsome. Arbor Croche's house is
in the heart of the town and guarded
by dogs. doubt II she would go.
anyway. She has always been like a
little sister to Marion and me and she
has come to Observation-Disclosures
we do. hate to leave her"
obadiah told me about ner
mother" yentured Nathaniel. He
said that some day Winnsome will be
q queen"
Il knew her MOTHER replied Neil.
as though he had not heard Ma.
thaniel's last words. He looked frank.
ly into the others race. Il worshipped
her!"
"Oh-h.h!"
From a distance" he fastened.
She was as pure as Winnsome Is
now. Little VIM looks like her.
Some day she will be as beautiful"
one ID Oeautli0l now.
But she is a mere child. Why, II
seems only a year ago that | was to-
ting her about on my shoulders! And
by George, that was a year before
her mother died! She Is sixteen
now"
Nathaniel laughed softly.
Tomorrow she will be making love,
Neil, and before you know 1t she will
be married and have a family of her
own. | tell you she Is a woman-and
II you are not "A fool you will take her
away with Marion"
With a powerful stroke Of his pad
die Neil brought the canoe in to the
shore.
"There!" he whispered, You have
only to croes this point to reach your
boat" He stretched out his long arm
and in the silence the two shook
think of a way-that we might get
Winnsome-" he added. coloring.
The sudden grip Of his companions
fingers made him finch.
I'VE must" said Nathaniel.
He climbed ashore and watched Neil
until he had disappeared in the wild
rice. Then he TUNED into the woods.
He looked at his watch and saw that
it was only 3 o'clock. He was con.
sciOus of no fatigue; he was not con.
scious of hunger To him the whole
world had suddenly opened with glo.
rious promise and in the still depths
of the forest he 'clt like singing out
his rejoicing. II" had never stopped
to ask himself what might be the end
Of this passion that had overwhelmed
him; he lived only in the present, in
the knowledge that Marion was not
a wife, and that II was he whom fate
had chosen for her deliverance. He
reasoned nothing beyond the sweet
eyes that had called upon him, that
had burned their gratitude, their hope
and their despair upon his soul; moth
ing beyond the thought that she would
soon be free from the mysterious in.
fuenCe OF the Mormon king and that
for days and nights after that she
would be on the anne ship with him.
He had emptied the pockets of the
coat he had given Neil and now he
brought forth the old letter which
Obadiah had rescued from the sands.
He read It ever and over again as he
sat for n few moments in the cool of
the forest and there was no trouble
in his face now. 1t was from a girl.
He had known that girl. years ago, as
Neil knew Winnsome: in years OF
wandering he had almost forgotten
her-until this letter INT 1t had
brought many memories back to him
with shocking ctearness. The old folk
were still in the little home under the
hill: they received his letters; they
received the money he sen Them each
month-but they wanted him. The
girl wrote with merciless candor. He
had been away four years and It was
time for him to return. She told him
why. She wrote what they, in their
loving fear OF inficting pain. would
never have dared to say. At the end.
in a postscript, she had asked for his
congratulations on her approaching
marriage.
To Nathaniel this letter had been
n torment. He saw the truth as he
had never seen 1t before-that his
place was back there In Vermont,
with his father and mother; and that
there was something unpleasant IN
thinking of the girl Is belonging &c
another. But now matters had
changed. The letter was q hope and