Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1912-08-08
rubpTEa xv-(contfnued)


CHAPTER xV-(Contfnued)
he did not know that. Women
have learned through centuries OF
weakness that fine art Of cOncealment
which man has never mastered. She
never let him see what she thought Of
him. Yet he was not without sus-
pici0n; 81 that suspicion grew to Ger
tainty. would he control himself then?
At first he had sought to keep out
Of her way, but she had compelled
him to come In. The room that was
kitchen and bed room and store room
for him was Cheerless and somewhat
cold. Save at night or when he was
busy with other tasks outside they
lived togethed in the great room. 1t
was always warm, it was always
bright. it was always cheerful there.
The little piles Of manuscript she
had noted were books that he had
written. He made no effort to con-
ceaI such things from her. He talked
frankly enough about his life in the
hills, indeed there was no POSSIBLE
ity Of avoiding the discussion of such
topics On but two subjects was he
inexorably silent One was the pres
ent state of his affections and the
other was the why and wherefore OF
his lonely life. She knew beyond per
adventure that he loved her. but she
had no faint suspicion even as to the
reason why he had become a recluse!
He had never given her the slightest
clew to his past save that admission
that lie had known Kirkby which was
in itself nothing defnitive and which
she never onnected with that pack
age of letters which she still kept
with her.
The mans mind was too active and
fertile to be satisfied with manual
labor alone, the books that he had
written were scientific treatises in the
main. One was a learned discussion
of the fauna and fora of the noun
tains. Another was an exhaustive ac-
count of the mineral resources and
geological formations OF the range.
He had only to allow a whisper, a
suspicion of his discovery of gold and
silver in the mountains to escape him,
and the cauOns and crests alike would
be filed with eager prOspectors. Still
a third work was q scientific analysis
of the water powers in the canons.
He had willingly allowed her to
read them all. Much of them she
found technical and, aside from the
fact that he had written them. unin-
teresting. But there was one book
remaining in which he simply dis
cussed the mountains in the various
seasons of the year; when the SHOWS
covered them, when the grass and the
moss came again, when the flowers
blo0med, when autumn touched the
trees There was the soul Of the
man. poetry expressed in prose, man
like but none the less poetry for that.
This book pored over, she questioned
him about it: they discussed it as they
discussed Keats and the other poets.
Those were happy evenings. She
on one side of the fire sewing. her
finger wound with cloth to hold his
giant thimble, fashioning for herself
some winter garments out of a CAV
colored. red, white and black ancient
aud exIuisitely woven Navajo blank
ct. soft and pIable almost as an old
fashioned piece of satin-priceless If
she had but known (which he nut
at her disposal. While on the other
side of the same homeIy blaze he
made for her out of the skins of some
Of the animals that he had killed. a
shapeless foot covering, half mocco-
sin and wholly Ieggin. which s.
could wear over her shoes in her
short excursions around the plateau
and which would keep her feet warm
and comfortable.
By her permission he smoked as he
worked, enjoying the hour, putting
aside the past and the future aud for
few moments blissfully content.
Sometimes he laid aside his pipe and
whatever work he was engaged upon
and read to her from some immor-
tai noble number. Sometimes the en-
tertainment fell TO her and she sang
to him in her glorious contraIto voice
music that made him sad. Once he
could stand it no longer. At the end
Of burst of song which filed the lit.
tie room-he had risen 10 his feet
while she sang, compelled to the erect
position by the magnificent melody
as the last notes died away and she
smiled at him triumphant and expec-
tant OF mis- praise and his approval, he
hurled himself out Of the room and
into the night. wrestling for hours
with the storm which after all was