The Washington herald., 1911-02-26

skirt and leggings OF the old Piedmont days. There
warmth and glow in her own face as she an
swered his gaze and glanced past him to the horses
Then she saw Nab But her gaze leaped back to the
man.
"Oh Eamw she breathed.
1t was almost prayer, but a prayer that included
thousand meanings Daylight stroye to feign sheep
ishness, but his heart singing too wild a song for
mere playfulness All things had been in the naming
Of his namereproach, refined away by gratitude, and
all compounded of JOY and love.
She stepped on and caressed the mare and again
turned and looked at the man and breathed:-
"Oh, Eam"
And all that Was In her voice in her eyes, and in
them Daylight gmpsed profundity deeper and wider
than any speech or thought-the whole vast inartcu
late mystery and wonder of sex and love.
Again he stroye for playfulness of speech, but II
was too great moment for even love facetiousness
to enter in. Neither spoke. She gathered the rens.
and bending Daylight received her foot in his hand
She sprang he lifted, and gained the saddle. The
next moment he was mounted and beside her, and.
with Wolf sliding along ahead in his typical wolf
trot they went up the hill that led out of towntwo
lovers two chestnut sorrel steeds, riding out and
away to honeymoon through the warm summer day.
Daylight felt himself drunken as with wine. He
at the topmost pinnacle of life Higher than
this no could climb nor had ever climbed 1t
was his day of days his love time and his mating
time and all crowned by this virginia. possession OF
a mate who said, "Oh Elamw as she had said it.
and looked at him out Of her soul she had looked
They cleared the crest Of the hill and he watched
the joy mount in her face she gazed the sweet
fresh land. He pointed out the group Of heavily
wooded knols across the rolling stretches Of ripe
grain.
They're ours" he said. "And they're only
sample of the ranch Wait till you see the big
canyon. There are 'coons down there and back here
on the Sonoma there mink. And deer! Why,
that mountains thick with them and reckon
we can scare up a mountain lion If want to real
hard. And say, there's little meadow-well,
amt going to tell you another word. You wait and
for yourself"
They turned In at the gate where the road to the
clay pit crossed the fields and both shifted with de-
light the of the ripe hay rose In their
nostrs As his first visit, the larks were uttering
their rich notes and futterng up before the horses
until the woods and the flower scattered glades were
reached, when the larks gave way to bluejays and
woodpeckers.
Were on our land now" he said as they left the
bayfield, behind. "It runs right across country
the toughest parts Just you wait and see."
As on the first day he turned aside from the clay
the first spring and jumping the horses over the
ruined remnants OF the stakeand-rfder fence. From
here on Dede was In unending ecstasy By the
spring that gurgled among the redwoods grew
prodgious outburst of white bells. This time
he did not dismount, but led the way to the deep
canyon where the stream had cut a passage among
the knols. He had been at work here and steep and
rode up beyond through the sombre redwood twi
light and further on through tangled wood OF oak
and madroho. They came to a small clearing Of
eral acres, where the grain stood waist high
"0urs" Daylight said
She bent in her saddle, plucked stalk Of the ripe
grain and nibbled 1t between her teeth.
Sweet mountain hayw she cried. "The kind tina
Nab likes"
And throughout the ride she continued to utter crie
and CALCULATIONS or surprise and delight
"And you never told all this" she reproached
him. as they looked the little clearing and over
the descending slopes Of woods to the great curvng
sweep Of sonoma Valley.
@come." he said; and they turned and went back