The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1912-12-14

.c-r. as usual When Chris arrives
mother and ! will come down ana give
the child something to eat. You must
keep up a rousing fire. Mr. Penfield."
depend on me for that" returned
Jack
There was much running to and fro
and great deal of merriment as the
stockings were hung In the wide old
chimneypiece. Then each one brought
gifts carefully wrapped and labeled.
and with many attempts at secrecy
they were heaped upon the library Ia
BILE. Finally. with warm exchanges
Of Christmas wishes, Mrs. Latimer and
her daughters withdrew. leaving the
two men alone before the fire.
When Dick Mason had finished his
cigar he. too. sought his room. and
then Penfeld kept his lonely vigil II
was IL o'clock. and the storm was
abating. The soft spat Of snow against
the window panes had ceased. and
there was an occasional tinkle of sleigh
bells from the highway which pro-
claimed that belated Christmas shop
pers were venturing out.
Penfield stared moodily at the pic
ture of the girl he loved. 1t stood on
the mantel5helf. framed in silver. II
portrayed a girl In riding dress with
one arm thrown over the neck Of a
horse. whose nose muzzled her other
hand She was wide eyed. soft fea-
tured girl. with dark hair parted In the
middle and topped by "a broad felt hat.
Her round chin was lifted above the
low collar of her white blouse, and
from the crown Of her hat to the tips
Of her riding boots she appeared the
embodiment of life. health and love.
Yet love she had withheld from Jack
Penfield. He was thinking of that now
as he sat there-thinking how strange
II was that he should have found her
picture In the home Of his cousins
fancee, among people whom he had
never before met. but who had greeted
him warmly as Dick Mason's cousin
and had taken him into their midst as
one of themselves. He had come out
Of the west a fortnight before-out Of
the west where he had made his home
for years-away from the open life Of
the plains. the free air of Montana.
where he was king on his own ranch.
to the overcivilized east, where TO
simple hearted Jack Penfeld God
seemed shut up In the stuffy brick
and stone churches, In the wild free
west God was everywhere. Tnat was
his fancy
He had come east because a CIR, had
implanted the germ of restlessness
within him-a restlessness that for
babe him peace Of mind until he could
persuade her to reconsider her de-
cision. The picture before him was an
enlargement of one he had taken him
self with pocket camera. Its dupli-
cate In miniature was folded In his
letter case next his heart. In the
spring Kitty Brown had come to the
west to visit his neighbors, the Clarks.
She was a writer. one who was tired
and whose body and soul needed relax
alton. She found 1t under the free
blue sky as she skinned over the
ranges side by side with Jack Pen
field, their fleet horses ever In harmon,
with the spirits Of the young riders
and IL is true she found something be
sides relaxation In the eyes Of Jack
Penfeld when the day came for her
to return to her enslaving pen.
"You do not understand" she had
told him. Il could not give up my
work. and l do not love you as much as
l love that. You can see," she had
added with that frank smile Of hers.
that my love Is a divided one. and
you cannot accept thatT'
NO" he had replied gravely. II can.
not accept divided love-" And so
they had turned their horses heads
homeward, and their parting had been
a warm hand clasp and-that was all.
That was all Jack Penfield had to
think and dream about. The great
eastern city swallowed her up. He
had not asked for her address, but as
the months went by and brilliant au-
tumn claimed the land. and the broad
plain and distant ranges changed color
under her hard. cold touch. he grew
restless, and finally In December he
arranged his affairs, and. leaving his
foreman In charge Of the Bar T out
at, he had come to New York to find
Kitty Brown. He had been too proud
and reserved to ask for information
from her friends, the Clarks, and his
quest for the girl he loved had been
quite hopeless. Then he had dropped
In upon his cousin Dick Mason, who
had picked him up and carried him of
for the holidays to the country home
of the Latimers. and here he was.
with the first clew to Kitty Brown
staring him In the face. He felt no
elation now. for with the nearness of
her discovery came the thought that
she would send him away again. New
ertheless he determined that he would
unbosom himself to sweet, motherly
Mrs. Latimer I'm the morning.
There was a tinkle Of sleighbells
drawing nearer the faint sound of an