Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-07-18
THE MIDLANDERS
By CHARLES TENNEY JACKSON
Author of Che Doy Of Souls. My Brothers Keeper Etc.
Copyright 1872 The Bobbs- Merrill Company

OD&~O
you are!" he cried. "And you car
go away, too, and show 'em!"
Her white face stirred bit. Then
with the direct simplicity of her down.
river years, she muttered: "Mr. Cur
ran, I could Just love you. never
would have been beautiful girl II il
hadn't been for you!"
Mr.. Curran sat down and rubbed the
bald spot on his head He was a man
who had walked. alone and known the
sorrow or evil. He put a kindly hand
to her shoulder. He was trying to be-
lieve he had a great fatheriy pity for
her.
Now, little girl" he said, Tets
walk the trail home. It's beautiful
we can see the river in a moment
there! The Mississippi! Way off
there you came from, didn't you?
lived there once, Aurelie. + left bit
of my heart there among your people
You're something of savage, and
you'll never get rid of what the will
derness put in you-never, never-God
bless you! People will never under
stand, but dol"
She sighed. 81 wish you'd take me
away, Mr.. Curran-and let me do
something. Just like Uncle Mich said:
To occupy the land!'"
"You shall!" he cried riotously
why, what a chance you've got, Au-
relic! You're the little rebel done
come up the river to occupy the land!
You must come to the Office tomor-
row. for two men are coming from
Chicago to see you. The Sunday edi-
tor 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-Aurelie, you'll be rich
and famous one of these days, just see
If you're not!"
She rubbed the bloody little bandage
II just will! And just love you, Mr..
Currani You're all the friend got!"
Mr.. Curran gasped again. Il sure
will help you, Aurelie. This old towns
got no use for either Of us. We're the
insurgents!" And he took her hand
gaily on the path and danced her
along until, to her set pale lips, a
smile had to come. And after it sob;
and then the smile again!
When Mr.. Curran left her at Lind
strom's fence he went back in dream
to his old print shop. He lighted the
gas and took his pipe, filed it, sat
down and drew aimlessly on 1t half an
hour before he discovered it was not
burning.
Wasting my life," he muttered.
wasting my life! BY jove, that lit
tie girls got me going! I'm going to
wake up and 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 a photograph
out of his desk a dozen times to study
it. Some careless miracle Of an OBJ
scure country studio had caught an
arch stateliness, breathing grace, a
spiritual purity that made the town
gasp when it saw the thing-gasp, and
then declare 1t could not possibly be
the bootlegger's girl. Mr.. Curran
groped for the enhancement; yes, it
was she-he had seen her face so in
the moonlight.
1.-The dear kid" he murmured, and
kissed the picture and laid it away.
Aurelie went about the next morn
ing in dream. She helped Mrs. Lind
strom with the breakfast dishes and
then carried the baby out on the sun
shine Of the porch to play with him.
Neighbor women came and went. AL
ready they were discussing her, she
knew. The household hal been in a
hubbub, she the calmest OF them all
Old Michigan's astounded questions,
Johns suspicious fanaticism, the wife's
silly comments, the boys puzzled awe.
Aurelie a-going to have her picture
in the paper!
Well, it was like Aurelie. To Knute
and Peter she was ever the princess
off on amazing adventures, a fairy
who played with them and yet was
not of them. From the porch she
watched them milking a lean-hipped
heifer which they had aroused, stand
ing with their barefeet in the steam
Of her bed to avoid the frosty grass.
Knute shivered in his cotton shirt;
above the singsong of the milking his
chattering voice retorted TO Peter:
Jaw, Aurelie, she ain't a-goin' to
get stuck up! She'll come out and go
rabbit huntin' with us fellers even II
she does get her picture In the paper!"
Later she went past them in the
yardS dressed in her best gown, a
cheap fantastic circlet of brass in her
hair which Uncle Michigan had given
her years ago. She rarely wore hat
for she had none to her pride. The
boys yelled their friendly derision at
her finery From the porch Mrs. Lind
strom whined her fright. She was
clean upset" by Aurelie's fortune
But maybe it meant g. job. LORD
knows we need it. John laid up with
his arm and Albert not workin
steady. Maybe Aurelie would get jot
in the News office, but Lord knows
what would happen to a girl who got
her name in the paper" She sniffieo
on to the neighbor woman, and Aure-
lie marched on with vast pride. MOI
all the beauty of the October sun leve
from the hills against the filigree OF
red and gold hung against the cliff
face could stir this beaten labor wo-
man of the cities. Lord knows Au-
reliell get us all in the papers. Ain't
my man had enough hard luck without
this?"
Aurelie went on, slender scarlet