The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1913-12-05
ON The LONG ROAD.
He Was Rough, but Of Her Own
People, Not Ike the
Other Kind.
BY LOUISE MARRIFiELD.
did va aakHxaIora7s

patterns with the butt Of his OK goad.
Not directly, but she knows what
1 mean all right. Mr.. KInnecott."
What do ye mean. to put 1t
straight7
Old Steve Kinnecott shot shrewd
glance from the golden shadows of the
mill at the big overgrown youngster.
His hair was tawny yellow and needed
cutting. His face and neck looked
tanned almost brick red under his
wide brimmed Topping straw hat. Be-
hind him stood the yoke of oxen. with
patient lowered heads and switching
tails. He had come down after load
OF slabs froH9 the hill farm.
1t was : mighty good proposition.
that hill farm. Steve knew the value
of every acre on It. and it rich wood
lots. Evaiora could do . sight worse.
but would she think ao7 Since she
had had the school training down at
the county seat, she had different ideas.
Would the hill farm and her old
sweetheart appeal to her - loves full
flment7
II just mean | want her to marry
me. SIR" said Oliver. = bit throatily.
Then l tell you what. boy" OLD
Steve's gray eyes tuinkled. He shut
fed forward Into the vide arehea en-
trance to the mill. and blInksd 1t the
sunlikht Ike some mole. You lake
the long way home this trip. Amt
got q mite OF objections to you Il you
can get he~.-
The lozg way homei Oliver earied
his whip ozt to the oxen. aHd tsek
the steep I'LL road. He knew what her
father meant. She Wa up IT the big
hotel teaching some children II eas OF
the rich city families. He had seen
her only II church In the valley on
Sundays. emily caught few nerds with
her In the shadow sf the pIllsrsd perch
afterwards. Ana Il had bssz : whole
year since he had kissed her geodby
down unssr the pines. He wondered
II she remembered. Not that she had
promised anything: but sometimes he
had almost kept the memory Of her
kiss a. . promise.
1t was two miles and half mp to the
hotel. Lslsurely he walked II. with
the slov-going oxen and : load Of rust
colored cedar slabs. Several times he
he had to stop and turn to one side
at the sound Of = horn. Once he
thought he recognized Evaiora In one
of the roadsters
He went forward steadily. knowing
just what old Steve had meant when
he had told him to take the long road
II Evalora could stand II TO see him
drive up TO the big summer hotel with
and high boots. she would take the
long road for life With him that way.
There would be no pretense. no com.
promise. She would take him iuat a.
he was
When he reached the bend. the long
vine covered verandas came In view.
the tall white ehImneys. and many ga
bles A large space had been cleared
In the virgin forest Of the mountain
side to make q fitting site for the no.
tel Oliver had never seen thla since
its completion Nov he surveyed 1t
with calm. interested eyes. Its golf
course clear down 10 Peek.H brook. It's
Italian gardens tint cut up the fore
ground. the stables and tennis courts.
everything that made up Bvalora's
everyday life that summer. even
though she WAS merely : summer gov
erness.
And suddenly, n he turned up the
curvIng drive. he saw her. She was
on the veranda 1T = little table With
two children. That Yeranda looked
like a distant fiowerbed 10 him. with
all Its daintily clad women and young
girls. but he could pick our EvaIora.
And he heard the boy call out:
"Oh. look at the oxen.-
Everybody looked It the oxen.
and at their boyIah driver. lie stopped
at the turn of the drive and waited.
looking up at Evalora Would she take
the challenge. and come to him before
them ail7
Just then a car made the sharp turn
at the bend In the forest road and he
heard the cries Of warning. Now
Evalora had risen. and vas running
down the steps towards him. lie lifted
his hat to greet her Just as the car
struck the heavy wood wagon bfoad-
sides 1t swung about. tangled up with
the terrified, backing animals. and the
boy went down In the wreekage
-of course. It WAS my fault. I'll pay
for hin here at the hotel"
Evalnra locked up At the owner of
the car. she knew him. Every day
of her stay 1t the hotel he had done
his best to make her appreciate the
value of hi very existence. He was
young and from : good-aized town In
the middle Of the safe. He spent
money freely. He had been far too
generous In his offers Of motor drives,
she had thought. to the little country
goyerness of his sisters children. But
in his way. she knew he tried TO be,
as he would have said. on the level
He did admire her frankly. and took
the only way he knew Of letting her
know 1t.
Now he stood looking down at her,
the center Of the gathered crowd
around the OF driver On the ground.
He felt snubbed and bothered, seeing
that rough head On the girls dainty
white linen skirt. watching her stop
the flow OF blood On his head With her
silk scarf. t WAS al right to be hu-
name; but she needn't make herself
conspicuous. and his own anatomy felt
faIrly well pared from the accident,
quite enough To damanI aYmUaIhy.