The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1911-03-10

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askeds bantsringiy. fs
Thsre was no answering humor to
this IN Neil's eyes.
z wish No might" he said quietly.
we cant" exclaimed Nathaniel.
NY shtD-s b
n - iHyssslbls. l,an s9ea11nB q
Winnsome. Arbor Croche's house 10
In the heart Of the town and guarded
BY dogs. I doubt II she would 30.
anyway. She has always been like .
little sister to Marion and me and she
has come to Observation-Disclosures
we do. hate to leave her"
obadiah told me about her
mother" ventured Nathaniel. sHe
said that some day Winnsome will be
q queen"
II knew her mother" replied Neil.
as though he had not heard Ma
thaniel's last words. He looked frank.
ly into the Others race. x worshipped
herr"
"Oh.h-h!"
From q distance" he FASTENED.
"She was az pure as Winnsome is
now. Little VIM looks like her.
Some day she will be as beautiful"
"She Is beautiful now"
But she IL q mere child. Why, It
seems only year ago that I was to-
ting her about on my shoulders! And
by George. taat was year before
her mother died! She is sixteen
now"
Nathaniel laughed softly.
Tomorrow she will be making love,
Neil, and before you know it she will
be married and have a family Of her
own. tell you she is a woman-and
II you are not 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 cross this point to reach your
boat" He stretched out his long arm
and In the silence the two shook
hands. IF you should happen to
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 turned into the woods.
He looked at his watch and saw that
it was only 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 felt like singing out
his rejoicing. He 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
wife. and that it 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
fuencs Of the Mormon king and that
for days and nights after that she
would be on the same 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 over and over again as he
sat for q few moments in the cool of
the forest and there was no trouble
in his face now. It 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 came. It had
brought many memories back to him
with shocking clearness. The old folk
were still in the little home under the
hill: they received his letters; they
received the money he sent them each
month-but they wanted him. The
girl wrote with merciless candor. He
had been away four years and 1t was
time for him to return. She told him
why. She wrote what they, in their
loving fear of INJECTING pain, would
never have dared to say. At the end.
in postscript. she had asked for his
congratulations on her approaching
marriage.
To Nathaniel this letter had been
torment. He saw the truth rs he
had never seen it 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 as belonging to
another. But now matters had
changed. The letter was q hope and
inspiration to him and he smoothed
1t out with tender care. What q refuge
that little home among tho Vermont
hills would make for Marion! He
trembled at the thought and his heart
sang with the promise Of It % he went
his way again through the thick
growth Of the woods.
It was half . hour before he came
out upon the beach. Eagerly he
scanned the Sea. The Typhoon was