Omaha daily bee., 1911-05-07

her smoothly bound hair and her neat
white kerchief looked thoroughly respesta-
BILE
As l stared in her lips moved In the act
OF speaking. l FASTENED to lay my ear
against the crack In the broken shutter
the window was without Rlass-and
through It heard every word as plainly as
II sat at the table.
oh yes my dear" she was saying ITS
all right Her voice was pleasant though
she spoke with the accent Of the swedes
who first settled that part OF the state
ITS all right why not? Nobody can
ever find out and 10 nobody ever finds out
it's all right eN7"
The girl frowned az the fire. Il don't
Ike It. Mary" she answered. 1T doesn't
semi mean, he doesn't seem, OF course
well. he wasn't at all the sort Of maA I'd
expected 10 see"
"Oh, he wasn't like what you'd ex-
pected?" said the woman-her words al
though not her tone. had a touch Of inso.
lence what did you expectH People
like him don't talk rough-thev don't
at you and strike you-not the first time
they see YOU eh?"
no. and his sort doesn't drink too
much either. as another sort does re-
turned the girl. She tapped her boot i'm
patiently with her WHIP. te-the otheT
one-frightens me, sometimes"
The older woman hobbed toward the
fireplace until she could see the Girls face,
She studied her intently for an instant,
"Oh. have you and my handsome boy
been havin' a QUARREL" she demanded
"FriEhtens your No no, he never meant
to do that--thats only his playful ways.
Drink he does--too much-but that'N all
stop when you're mistress Of the big house
with him-eh7 Hen settle down as quiet
as a lamb, my dear" Tho girl shook her
head. and the old woman, with a tinklins
laugh lmped back to her household du-
ties.
Although had followed the conversation
with the closest attention, yet for me IL
might as well have been carried on by
pair Of General Jacksons Cherokees-lt
was lust IS much glbbersh.
l stared at the dark pines, set close
about this hollow In the Rarrens
thought OF my riding Jacket, torn by the
bramblcs through which I had forced nv
way and OF my boots stained by the
sloughs had skrted I recalled the late
ness Of the hour. and how l had so
strangely caught sight Of My Lady Of the
spur No, this was not the time nor the
place for a meaningless conversation. Tho
most inveterate gossip in the county would
not seek such surroundings to listen to the
mouthings Of a Swedish crone.
Again I clapped my ear to the crack.
MARY" the girl was saying, I'm not
acting hororably, I know that, knew
that before-before I saw him II makes
me tremble to think what might happen"
There there. my dear" said the
woman We've talked It all over hum
dred times! Didn't you make up your mind
about that long ago? It's no use TO worry
now"
But perhaps it isn't too late TO change
our plans. There may be some other way.
He's a very resolute man-his pistol was
in his hand like lightning that night! The
whole plan frightens mel don't know my
self when I think Of 1t. Here? I've ridden
out here through the widest part of the
Barrens Suppose I had met some of
those frightful looking friends OF mine
alone!-or a real highwayman You know
Mr.. Hancock was robbed on the Clayville
Road the night was at Pole Tavern Sup
pose some of the wild charcoal burners
should come in herel This is a dreadfully
lonely house, Mary
''why. my dear" said the old woman.
laughing in her svery fashion, ''nobody's
here but me-only your own old Mary. She
amt going to let anybody hurt you. You
don't think of that, do you. my dear?'
mo, but"
"And the boys OF the Barrens-I amt
saying but what som OF 'em are wild
lot, but know every one of EN- They
wouldn't hurt old Mary, nor anybody that's
a friend OF mine either Why. II IL wasn't
for them, where'd all our plans be now2
1t takes high spirited folks to take up
with what we've got on hand"
/ substituted eye for car, and again
peered into the room-by cautiously WIDEN
ing the aperture in the decaying shutter.
was able both to hear and see. The girl
had risen, and was walking restlessly back
and forth. Her brows were still frowning.
but her short upper lip and rounded chin
gave her mouth a pathetic look. Clearly
she was troubled and unhappy felt
sudden longing to be OF comfort TO her.
"Confound ~" I thought. What's all
this about? The girl is certainly lady,
but what's she doing here? I wish Bran
were with me-he understands these peo-
pie. I dare wager he'd see through my
little mystery at once"
recollected that / had left Bramfield
Movan, my cousin" Bram--I laughed at
the thought-sttng as usual aver a bottle
Of Madeira. Bluff and good-natured as he
, was, had already perceived that his
No man could play the pot knight all his
life without being the worst for It.
A sharp scream, quickly suppressed,
sounded within the cabin. The girl had
stopped her nervous pacing, and was star
, Ing at a corner Of the room. What she saw
was enough to strike terror TO a holder
heart
From a sort of cupboard a huge snake
was gliding slowly into view Its white
and-brown striped body, as thick as a
mans arm, its length Of near eight feet.
and It's lazy motions told me at once that
It was the great pine snake of the Bar
rens-a reptile usually harmless enough,
, but none the less frlghtful to behold.
While the girl stared in terror and dis
gust. the old woman broke into her silvery
. laugh.
It's only wriggles,' my dear" she
said. "Us tallSn so has walked him up
. from his nap"
The girl recovered herself She an
swered a little fiercely though her lip
/ stlll quvered. Mary, I've told you I
e.,