The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-12-11
cHAPTER YI-6continuedl.

He took her arm and she rebelled,
pulling it away until she writhed with
pain. But he made her sit, and tore
his handkerchief to bind the cut, after
examining II.
TITS not broken, Aureliel Only
gashed-maybe sprained."
II wish Il was broken-eyerythtng!"
He could hear her heart beat as he
bent to bind the wrist. You little
savage-running off wild ! k this.
And the prize winner. Aurenel Inc
most beautiful girl l all the west
they say!'
She stared dumbIy at him. Perhaps
ne, too, was mocking her, playing on
her full heart, her needless generosity,
her hungry soul, her love. There was
none OF her small poses and airs about
her now, but the Celt's stirred
when he had bound her arm she
quivered, and he had q sense she was
about to leap from him like a creature
Of the woods at the chance OF free
dom. Then she turned to him.
"she fooled me; nj I'm going
FOOLED your" r,l
"His mother. And I said I'd give him
mp TO her, but now ! see h only fooled
me. I hate them now--and him, too!
"Aureliel" Mr.. Curran was bewild-
cred. IT never knew OF this affair
you and Harlan. It's astounding"--he
rubbed his OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES"
you think So. too2" she biurted.
.All right. I'm q fool, I guess. But
him. "Oh, Mr.. Curran, I want to go
away! I told 'em I'd give up this
prize thing, IL he wanted me to. But
now It's different Mr.. Curran, ] want
20 be somebody" r.
She was staring at him In the moon
light. Mr.. Curran could not stand
that; his own yagabond heart throbbed
nightly. He, too, was h exile, the
outlander. To be somebody! Right
b and there, Mr.. Curran knew he
would lead any forlorn hope for her,
for any n who wanted to be some
body. ~. -.h,
You are." he cried. "And you can
70 away too. and show emf"
Her white face stirred a bit. Then,
with the direct simplicity Of her down
river years, she muttered: mr.. Cur
ran. I could just love you. I never
would have been a beautiful girl II Il
hadn't been for you'll"
Mr.. Curran sat down and rubbed the
bald spot on his head. He was O mar
who had walked alone and known the
sorrow Of evil. He put a kindly hand
20 her shoulder. He was trying to be-
iteye he had q great fatherly pity for
her. aEM. 8T -
NOW, little girl" he said. Tets walk
the trail home. It's beautiful-we can
see the river linz moment-there! The
Mississippi! Way off there you came
rom. didn't your I lived there once,
Aurelie. I left a bit Of my heart there
among your people. You're something
OF o savage. and you'll never get rid or
what the wilderness put In ~you-never,
never-God bless you! People Will
never understand, but I dot" "
She sighed ct wish you'd take me
away, Mr.. Curran-and let me do some
thing. Just X Uncle Mich said: "To
occupy the land!'
You shalt" he cried ~riotously.
why, what a chance you've got, Azure
hei You're the little rebel done come
mp the river to occupy the land! You
must come to the office tomorrow, for
two men are coming from Chicago to
see you. The Sunday editor of the
Chronicle, and an artist to draw you.
And the Chronicle will give you a prize.
One hundred dollars. It's not much.
It's all an advertising scheme with the
Chronicle. of course, but for you-Aure-
he. yon'n be rich and famous one of
these days. just see If you're mott"
She rubbed the bloody little bandage
on her wrist and stared over the town.
Il Just will! And I Just love you. Mr.
Curran! You're all the friend I got!'
MI: Curran gasped again. at sure
VIII help you, Aurelie. This old towns
got no use for either of us. Were the
insurgent!" And he took her hand
gaily on the path and danced her along
until, to her set pale lips, a smile had
20 come. And after It q sob; and then
the smile again!. ~ -
When Mr.. curran left her at Lind
storms fence he went back In a dream
20 his old print shop. He lighted the
gas took his pipe. filled 1t, sat
down and drew aimlessly on Ii half an
hour before he discovered 1t was not
burning. e rs -
Wasting my life," he muttered
wasting my life! BY jove, that little
girls got me going! I'm going to wake
UP n do something, tool"
He did. He fumbled around until he
found a match.
The most beautiful girl perhaps In all
America! Could the sentimental Mr..
.Curran sleep after that? HIS hair was
thin and he had swung the circle and
come back to the prosy old town. but
no matter! He took q ~photoRraph ont
OF his desk a dozen times TO study II.
Some careless miracle OF an obscure
country studio had caught an arch
stateliness. a breathing grace. a spirit
ual purity that made the town gasp
when II saw the thing-gasp, and then
declare 1t could not possibly be the
b~ootlegger's girl. Mr.. Curran Rroped
for thee ENHANCEMENT; yet, II was she
he had seen her face SO In the moon
hight. ~
The dear kid" he murmured, and
kissed the picture and laid II away "
Aurelie went about the next morning
In a dream. She helped Mrs. Lindstrom
with h breakfast dishes and then car
rfed the baby out on the sunshine of
the porch to play with him. Neighbor
women came n went: Already they
were discussing her. she knew. The
household had been In a hubbub, she
h calznest Of them all-Old Michi-
gan's astounded questions, Johns sus-
picious fanatfcism, the wife's silly COM
mentS; the boys puzzled awe.
Aurelie a-going to have her picture
In the paper! Z. a" 49, q
Well. 1t was like Aurelie. To Knute
and Peter h vas eve the princess
on on amazing adventures q fairy who
played with them and yet was not of
them. From the porch she watched
them milking q lean hipped heifer
which they had aroused. standing with
their bare feet in the steam of her bed
70 avoid b frosty grass. Knute shiv-
= In his cotton shirt; above the
singsong OF the milking his chatter
Ing voice retorted to Peter h' ,
"Aw, Aurelie3 she amt 'a-goin' to get
stuck up! She'll come out and go rab-
bit huntin' with us fellers even II she
does get her picture In the paper" q"