Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-07-08

L
went along the leafy road to the woods
homeward again, proud and alone, her
red gown a splash Of color against the
staid Midland hills. ..
STILL to track, rabbits through the
SHOWS, to skate with the boys on lone
ly treacherous slosghs: when spring
came, to tap the sugar trees on the
bluffs for stringy syrup and gather
nuts in the fall-when one is young
and pretty and has dreams and pas
sions, all this does not atone; when
one has a love Of admiration and
feeling that one is lovable and should
| be finding happiness in the goods days
of youth, It is hard to walk the bleak
way home knowing that other, girls
are going out to the Geek" parties and
to the dances at Odd Fellows Hall.
Those gay nights she studied algebra
in the stuffy little kitchen where Lind
strom's dusty quarry shirt and shoes
lay before the red-hot stove, and his
snorings, and the whine OF the baby,
and the mothers fretting in the next
room, came above the ,rasp Of the fro
zen trees on the caves She laid down
books to stare out on the Icy hills, the
last arc on the road to town lighting
the way to all that warmth, all that
brightness, all that laughter from
which she was shut off. She was glad
when summer came and she could
climb the mighty balustrades of the
bluff and look eastward to where the
great river ran. Out Of the south she
had come; and surely beyond the walls
of this laborers hut, Its smell OF
sweaty clothes. and over the encircling
hills one could find life. one could find
ones heart beating faster. Yet she did
not complain; her proud gaiety was
her shield. ;, ..,..,f, e.. "a,
After a while, as the sodden meal
went on, the Tennessee woman spoke
what they all knew had to be broken
to the last conner Yer pop, Lindstrom
he says there'll be no more school, Au-
relic. He's been God-fearin' man
and hard-workin', and no child O this
house'll go face the disgrace O. the
town, he says. Knute and Peter and
you'll not go, ne says"
Aurelie laid down her fork and look
ed at John. II the hope Of Heaven had
been dashed from her she would moi
have been more blank with fear. why
II graduate next year!" ~ 80,
You'll go no more" John. gloweret
at her breathlessness. Damn all the
town. Their laws and schools, they're
not for poor folk! I say, damn the
law; and I'm a man O. God!"
But 1? I must get through! Ant
Knute, and Peter here"
I She looked at them and then a
| Michigan, growing more frightened
| The old soldier shook his head will
some hopeless warning. Then, watch
| ing Lindstrom a moment, she sprant
up quivering. I'll go-rll go!" she
cried.
"You'n not" he muttered doggedly
| You'll die first" -
She stared at him again, and ther
turned flying to her tiny room. They
| heard the crash of her body on hel
white little bed, painted and gilded BY
her own hands. The others went OF
docilely with their eating.
Knute, out in the dark, feeding tho
| cats later, felt Aurelie seize him fierce
ly. She dragged him to the rail fence
and shook him again. ..,...
"Knute, amt you going any more?".
That's what paw said" The boy
blubbered, and her hot arm went abou
him, her sleeve brushed his tears. g
gotta stay home and help clear land
All winter, paw says. And
was a-goin' to get elected to the Liter
ary Society and now paw"-his voice
broke-'I gotta stay home and cu
brush" .r
mol" she cried out. ''No-no!"
Eyes. Paw says the Judge, he done
it. He says the law made us all bad
'Tain't for poor folks. It's for rich
Paw says damn everybody" .H1.a.
Don't you mind" The girl bea
the rail with her fists. We'll rur
away, Knute! I'm going to do some
thing, and you can run off and mayb'
work on the railroad-a train agen
or something! Or we'll run off ant
build a boat and drift down-river."
Whenever Aurelie rebelled it wa
always "down-river" with her.
mo, paw, he said God was will
him, and damn everybody"
She stared into his stained
face. "Knute, just got to go t
school. I got to be a lady! Ant
have heaps of money! And do lot
of things for you and Peter! Oh
Knute, I know howl"
He watched her dark and tragi
face. "Know how? What you goinl
to do, Aurelie?" He faltered hi
horror. Whatever 1t was, Aureli
would do it. .n
"I"-she breathed tensely-"an
a-going to get married."
Knute looked fearfully at the jade
Married." 49,.
"Yes sir! To a rich man. some
time And have everything! Blu
first I got to go to school ard be
LADY," s..
"Oh, Aurelie-" Knute gazed wild
ly away at the town lights. Who?
i Then without a word she pushed
him aside and fled out into the dark
He saw a trail Of dust in the QUAR-!
road, but she was over the fence ant
among the laurel and grape-vines
She ran, as the deer run, from boulde
to boulder Of the cliff face, and whel
she came out on the verge, still ran
her arm against her beating heart
but her eyes fixed on the dusk below
her.
i The tree-enshrouded town lay there
few lights twinkling drowsily, tn
clock in the court house an opaqu
blue, and a single church spire Wis
ible in the shadowy masses. !
farmers wagon ratified up a cut o
hill road homeward, dog barke'