The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-04-13


 ting, and it angered him. He eau
 ously crept closer. The elevation shuf If his view. Then he remembered the .-reat willow tree shading the well and branching across the window at the vest end of the cabin. From child hood Elnora had stepped from the sill 70 limb and slid down the slanting aoiselessly swung himself up. Three steps out On the big limb the man shuddered. He was within few feet of the girl.
 Elnora closed the book and laid it aside. She picked up towel and, turning the gathered ends of her hair, rubbed them across it and, dropping the towel on her lap, tossed the hair again. Then she sat in deep thought. By and by words began to come softly. Near as he was the man could not hear at first He bent closer and listened intently.
 lever could be so happy" murmur- ed the soft voice. "The dress is so pret- ty, such shoes, the coat and everything. won't have to be ashamed again. not ever again, for the Limberlost is full of precious moths, and I can always collect them. The Bird Woman will buy more tomorrow, and the next day, and the next When they are all gone I can spend every minute gathering cocoons and hunting other things can sell. Oh. thank God for my precious. precious money! Why, didn't pray in vain after all! thought when asked the Lord to hide me, there in that big hall, that he wasn't doing it because l wasn't covered from sight that in- stant. But I'm hidden now; I feel that" Elnora lifted her eyes to the beams above her. 'T don't know much about praying properly" she muttered, "but do thank you, Lord, for hiding me in your own time and way"
 Her face was so bright that it shone with white radiance. Two big tears welled from her eyes and rolled down her smiling cheeks. "Oh, I do feel that you have hidden me-" she breath ed. Then she blew out the lights, and the little wooden bed creaked un- der her weight.
 Pete Corson dropped from the limb and found his way to the road. He stood still long time, then started back to the Limberlost. A tiny point of light flashed in the region of the case. He stopped with an oath.
 Another hound trying to steal from a girl" he exclaimed. "But it's likely he thinks if he gets anything it will be from a woman who can afford it, as I did"
 He went on, but beside the fences and very cautiously.
 Swamp seems to be alive tonight g he muttered. That's three of us out. $
 He entered deep place at the north west corner, sat on the ground, and taking pencil from his pocket, he tore a leaf from little notebook and laboriously wrote a few lines by the light he carried. Then he went back to the region of the case and waited. Before his eyes swept the vision of the slender white creature with tossing hair. He smiled and worshiped it until a distant rooster faintly announced dawn.
 Then he unlocked the case again and replaced the money, laid the note upou 1t and went back to concealment where he remained until Elnora came down the trail in the morning, looking very lovely in her new dress and hat.
 She had had great struggle with hor hair ayssn nd shone, and she could not avoid seeing the becoming frame it made around her face. But in deference to her mothers feelings the girl set her teeth and bound her hair close to her head with shoestring. ''Not to be changed at the case" she told herself.
 That her mother was watching she was unaware. Just as she picked up the beautiful brown ribbon Mrs. Com stock spoke.
 "You had better let me tie that. You can't reach behind yourself and do it right"
 Elnora gave little gasp. Her moth CT never before had proposed to do anything for the girl that by any pos sibility she could do herself. Her heart quaked at the thought of how her mother would arrange that bow, but Elnora dared not refuse. The offer was too precious. It might never be made again.
 "Oh, thank youv' said the girl, and. sitting down, she held out the ribbon.
 Her mother stood back and looked at her critically.
 You haven't got that like Mag Sin ton had it last night" she announced. "You little idiot! You've tried to plas- ter it down to suit me, and you missed it. I liked it away better as Mag fixed it after I saw 1t. You didn't look so