Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1911-01-20

Enthusiastically In allegiance. There
would DO no more dallying with temp
tatton, NO more rebellion, no more ir-
reverent standings in the dark valley
of doubtful questions. More especially
he would be vigilanr to guard against
those backslidings that came 80 swiftly
on the heels Of each spiritual quicken
ing. His heart was fixed, 30 irrevoca-
bly,, so surely, that he could almost
wish that Satan would try him there
and then. But the enemy of souls was
nowhere to be seen in the leafy arches
of the wood, and Tom bent again TO
take a second draft at the spouting
rock lip.
He was bending over the sunken bar
rel A shadow, lot his own, blurred the
water mirror. He looked up quickly
Mani" he cried.
She was standing on the opposite
side of the barrel basin, looking down
on him with good-natured mockery In
the dark eyes.
II lowed maybe you wouldn't have
such back load of religion after you'd
been off to the school SPELL" she said
pointedly. And then: Does it always
make you right dry an thirsty to say
your prayers, TommyJeffy."
Tom sat back on his heels and re-
| garded her houghtfully. His first I'M
pulse was out of the natural heart,
rageful, wounded vanity squirting it on.
1t was%like her heathenism imperti-
nence to look on at such time, and
then to taunt him about it afterward.
But slowly as he 1ooked a curious
change came over him. She was the
same Nan Bryerson, bareheaded, bare
legged, with the same tousled mat Of
dark hair, and the same childish in
difference to whole frock. And yet
she was not the same. The subtle diff
ference, whatever 1t was, made him get
up and offer to shake hands with her
and he thought it was the newly made
vows constraining him, and took cred
1t therefor.
You can revile me as much as you
like now, Man," he said, with prideful
humility. You can't make me mad
any more, like you used to. I'm older
now. and-and better, I hope. I shall
never forget that you have a precious
soul to save"
Her response to this was soothing
laugh, shrill and challenging. Yet he
could not help thinking that 1t made
her look prettier than before.
You can laugh as much as you want
to; but I mean it." he insisted And,
besides, Nan-of all the things that
I've been wanting to come back to,
you're the only one that isn't changed"
And again he thought 1t was righteous
guile that was making him kind to her.
Dye reckon you shorely mean that,
Tom Gordon?" she said; and the lips
which lent themselves SO easily to
scorn were tremulous. She was just
his age, and womanhood was only a
step across the threshold for her.
"Of course I do. Let me carry your
bucket for you"
She had hung the little wooden pig
gin under the drip of the spring and
1t was full and running over. But
when he had lifted it out for her, she
rinsed and emptied it.
ri just set 1t there to cool some," she
explained. I'm goin' up to Sunday
Rock afte' huckleberries. Come and
go long with me, Tom"
He assented with a willingness as
eager as 1t was unaccountable. If she
had asked him to do a much less rea
sonable thing, he was not sure that be
could have refused.
And as they went together through
the wood, spicy with the June fra
grances, questions like those of the
: boyhood time thronged on him, and hi
,, welcomed them as a return of at leas
one of the vanished thrills-and wa:
grateful to her.
When they were fairly under tn,
overhanging cliff face of Sunday Rock
she darted away, laughing at him Owe
her shoulder, and daring him to follow
her along a dizzy shelf halfway vi
! the crag; narrow ledge, perilous TO-
mountain goat
} This, as he remembered later, wal
the turning point in her mood. In i'm
agination he saw her try 1t and fail
saw her 1.-THE, shapely beauty lyin.
broken and mangled at the cliffs foot
, and in three bounds he had her fas
locked in his restraining arms. Sh
! strove with him at first like a wres
Ting boy, laughing and haunting hin
with being afraid for himself. Then
. Tom Gordon, clean hearted as YET
: did not know precisely what happened
Suddenly she stopped struggling an
lay painting in his arms, and quite O
| suddenly he released her.
> mani" he said. in swiftly sub
Q merging wave of tenderness, II didn'
go to hurt you'll" }h&
She sank down on a stone at nj
! feet and covered her face with he
3 hands. But she was up again an
turning from him with eyes downcas
before he could comfort her.
q Ito be continued)