The Washington herald., 1913-11-08
AFTER ELECTION.
by ANNIE HINHICHsEN.

j Virginia Byrnes standing on the high.
i est rock at the point Of the cliff waved
a. white sweater In wide circles above
her head She held IL by the sleeves
and waved It slowly Occasionally she
dropped her arms to relieve the strain
on them and then resumed the waving.
The sun had just risen above the hills.
She dropped her arms, put on the
sweater, and Jumped down from the high
rock TO the path beneath Il.
what were you doIngr' A young
man stood at the base Of the rock.
For a moment Virgins looked at him
In amazement. 'T do not explain my
actions to strangers" she said coldly.
ST was impertinent. beg your par
don. But your signals interested me-"
They are no concern OF yours"
"Of course not" he agreed hastily.
But how could help being interested?
This is a desolate country; nothing but
scenery and a few widely separated
houses. came last night to spend a
few days in these hills The first per-
son I saw, except my landlord, was a
young woman waving signals from a
, high rock"
He stood bareheaded in the cold No
vember breeze. Around his white fore
head his hair crisped in tightly cropped
red curls. When he smiled the lines of
laughter crinkled about his keen blue
eyes.
what are you doing here?' Virginia
asked. "Are you one of the water-power
people7'
Water power?' he repeated. 'T do
not know what you are talking about. "
You are not one of those pirates who
wish TO take away from us our rights
to this riyer?'
'T certainly am not"
''You speak sincerely. But we are sus-
picious Of all prosperous-looking. we'll
dressed strangers. This river runs be-
side my fathers property. 1t is neces-
sary to the success OF his farm Through
a small plant OF our own We secure
power from the river for our grain eleva-
tor and electric lights for our buildings.
But certain envious and meddlesome ma
rauders have set up preposterous claim
that my father has no right to power
plant here, and that the State should
remove IT and grant them, by act of
Legislature. the right to establish power
plant and a factory. 1 feared you were
one of those evil spectators who want
to take our plant"
II am not a marauder nor a specula-
tor"
Gordon Prentice and Virginia sat be-
fore q blazing log fire In the Byrnes L.
5rary. Every day since the morning he
had found her signaling from the high
rock Prentice had seen Virginia either
at her fathers house or in the hills,
"You know Dick Calvin well, do you
notr' Prentice asked. you have heard,
Of course, the stories that he and a
crowd OF other young fellows have a
still at their club, Deer Lodge, where
they make moonshine whisky. They are
not ignorant mountaineers. They are
wild, harum-scarum young sinners. Vir-
ginia, are you willing to tell me any
thing you know about this stili?''
II know nothing"
rs Calvin a friend Of yours?'
He is a member OF the Legislature
from this county. The bill to take away
our rights In Spring River will come be-
fore the assembly in a few weeks. Dick
Calvin is the man We depend on to de-
feat it"
Il am also a member OF the Legisla-
ture. Do you not expect me to help de-
feat this bill? You know there -is MOTH
ing in the world that / would not do for
you Virginia. answer this question.
What is Dick Calvin to your
Nothing"
Then why did you signal to this moon
sinner that a stranger was in the hillse
Why did you go at sunrise to the highest
point of the hills and wave a banner
where it could be seen from Deer Lodge?
II Calvin is nothing to you, why did you
do this for him?'
did do this for him?" She had risen
from her chair and stood facing him. Her
eyes were blazing. did I signal danger
to a moonshiner? I will not answer your
question. / will never speak to you
again. / hope may never see you again."
The bill to remove the power plant OF
James Byrnes from Spring River and
to grant power rights to a wealthy cor