The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-11-20

And 10 dig nuts and eat tnem d mon
come antO town, proud-oh, 90 very
proud-with 20 flower In ones hair.
marching into the recitation room at
high school without deigning 60 speak
time he was q senior, and Aurelie had
been--a glpsy girl with short dresses
and long legs-he wondered what an
amazing change had come to her In
the four years. He had forgotten her
until this lazy summer when. fishing
her gravely watching his threshing OF
a pool for bass, AND she had mockingiy
derided him. she met him again hunt
ing and showed him an offers den In
a wild morass Of the bottoms. when
none would have believed there was
an otter In the state. After that--well.
he met her day by day and then by
night--a unique creature. he said at
first. laughably untained. And he
amused himself by tanning her and
ended by loving her; 70 be French .
corner OF the south, foreign and UNI
known--to know the outdoors as the
wild alone know it--this was the sum
mer madness that seduced him.
Hungry? Why the first winter here.
when M~ichigan's h~ouseboat stranded In
the pocket, and the old Indian woman
who raised me, died or pneumonia, we
were always hungry--we trapped any
sort OF animal to live. And when the
Lindstroms came a lived with IN.
1T wasn't much better-somc times
+ couldn't read or write when I was
IL. Amt I done well, Harlan"
1Adorably. But" he sighed.
Il know. You want me to go on and
graduate-and be a regular Lady. Just
to show everybody. oh. and I WILL
for you'll Everything,s just for your,
He was Laughing again with that
curious hurt In his heart. And az he,
held her. murrnuring his fondnesR, he
WINGED at the remembrance OF h
days to come. His mothers stateliness,
the Van Hart tradition-Harvard, his
law career--vague and OF the well Or
dered future, but he knaw that on him
was the obligation OF his parents de-
votion. AureIie-what was all this I o
her, and what could h be 70 itf
and now you'n go east" she went
on. And IL can't 20 to school l
Ian, ufe's 80 snarly-one can laugh
and be proud, but It hurts. And to
have Papa John In jail-he's rough
with me, but that hurts, too"
He was still, and at length some-
thing like a sigh came. I wish you
could know my father, Aurelie. Why,
\ L0 u D0 LiAG' LlInSA AAdh " AAOAR -
IL he could-and Uncle Michigan and
Knute and Peter anc all OF you. He's
the gentlest, most tender hearted man
I know. But you gee John damned the
court-that damned everything father
stands 'for-and his father before him
and behind that hundreds Of years
of-of'--he paused. wondering II she
could realize what he meant-"weIl. Of
our family" '
we don't want charity" she cried,
1--WE wanted justice" And then at the
hurt in his eyes she went on with quiet
passion: AL this summer I'd been so
happy. Just waiting here, unknown
and alone for you. oh, 1t was wonder
full to have you com to love mel"
She held out her hands trtumphantly.
"Of all the girls you knew-High street
girls-you came UP here to me-
alone" J
"Aurelie." he muttered. that's n
thing I'm sorry for" ,s. ,
She looked up quickly, and he went
on slowly. Mother wouldn't like it,,
She tried dimly to grasp this rever-
ence. What IL meant of u~pbringing
was beyond her In her meager and un-
advised idea OF honor. She had q
Of some strength back Of him that had
made his character, that q made the
great land. Vaguely h felt II meant
q home, q large house with wide lawns
about 1t, like the Van Harts': good hv-
ing, a surrey or motor at the door; n
the easy and welcome fitting Of fair
| girls In cool white such az h a
seen-a beautiful way Of life linking all
clean and clever people together every
where but never extending to a quarry
mans shack. It was this blind CROP
ing to understand his world that made
her humble with him, and so proud
| without him. to brave the ignorance
| she knew was hers. The conscience or
her lover was quite beyond her. Fol
with him, though youth might be high,
and blood hot--and there was adyen-
ture in the September nights-yet al
ways he would think back to the OBJ
LEGATION OF his birth and breeding.
And she7 Well such q little thing
Il take to make or defeat one--such q
little thing! The sort OF girl one meets
unknown to all In the moonlight.
Aurelie was shot through with her
old Jealousy OF this mother, this college
In the east, and all the brilliant world
that claimed him. your mother would
not like tt7 Or mel 7 hate"-then she
hit her lip-"Oh, I'll not spoil 1t, Har-t
lan-our last night togetherl And it's
only another yea as you say. You'll
be free and can work" She stopped
again, suddenly fearing. What would
that freedom mean? He had never
asked her to marry him. They had
lived an idyl of the hills, the moon
shimmering over the purple valley, the
river winding to the sea-; all the glory
OF the summer nights they had felt,
but never had. they taken thought be-
yond It =&#. "
-