Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-05-13
Evening Story.
NELL OF THE MOUNTAINS.
BY Louise Merrlfeld.
Copyright, 1912, by the Associated
Literary Press.)

(COpyTlSnC, 1917, Dy the ASSOCIATED
Literary Press.)
Where's Nell?" Burt Sims refined
up shortly at the wide mill opening.
Old Farley waited till the saw had cut
through the heart Of the great cedar
before he came forward
Been up ter the house?"
"She amt there. You seen her go
by. Tinkum?" .
Tinkum lay fiat down in the saw
dust, making roadways. "Mebbe
she's after laurel" he vouchsafed.
"She goes down to the gap after
some every night after supper"
Burt pressed his knees against the
sorrel mares sides and she sprang
forward over the rough wooden
bridge and down the road to the gap.
On the rock embankment above the
railroad he found her, SVEN and
dainty as the mountain laurel that
grew in great shrubs of pink bloom
in the gray rock crags and crannies.
And he told her why he had come.
point blank, roughly. without hest.
fancy or doubt as to the outcome,
while Nell dropped her head and
smiled. Lately she had become some
what Of connoisseur In love-
making. -....
80 | thought I'd better tell you"
finished up Bart. 1--WE got this call
down to Rocking Stone, and won't
be back soon, and your father thinks
we'd better marry before I 60"
well, reckon I won't marry you,
Burt, not yet awhile" Nell laughed.
Before he could ask why, there had
come the long call of the engine
whistle down the Gap. and she lifted
her head as II to meet 1t.
Burt watched her, saw her color
rise, and her eyes shine. as the ex-
press Numbered into view, and he
also saw the engineer lean out of the
cab window, and toss something at
her feet.
1t was a small box, we'll wrapped
and weighted with lump Of coal.
"You might as we'll open 1t up,
Nell,' he said rough. You're found
out"
IT don't care, flashed back Nell.
81 amt bit afraid of you" She
broke the cord and opened up the box.
Inside lay dark leather case, and
under its cover-Nell gave gasp OF
almost frightened delight when she
saw the ring imbedded in the white
velvet. 1t was not a diamond, but
three pearls, large as early peas they
seemed to Nell, and beautiful as the
dawn that she loved to watch melt
the mist wreaths up and down the
long valley.
How'd you get to know him,
Nell?"
Nelrs chin went up deflantly. II
carried medicine for mother down to
old Mis- Haynes. An it was late.
An took the railroad bridge way
coming home. An the train came
along, an I'd been killed II he
hadn't seen me, and slowed up IN
! time"
Then what!''
Then, then always watched fol
him."
Watched for him, an you don't
even know his name"
Il do 50, Burt Sims. It's Ned
Rowan. He's Nashville fellow"
'How do you know SO much?"
"He told me - mean wrote 1t to
me-"
II always told your pa it'd bring
mischief letting you go down the val
ley to school. Give me the letters
II. won't. You and all the men up
here are just the same. A woman
hound, not as much as your horse.
Amt seen my mother slave and
grow old without a decent word from
month end to month end? Amt
seen her licked sometimes, too, be-
fore I was old enough to fight dad ?
Suppose I'm going to stay here In
these mountains and be the wife OF
one Of your" Her young laugh rang
out triumphantly. She slipped the
ring on her third finger, and held 1t
to her lips. I'm goin' to marry Ned
Rowan, and mighty soon, too"
The tall lean young mountaineer
watched her with half closed eyelids,
and closed lips.
Are you? You'll have to be quick
about it, Nell" He turned the mares
head. cause he amt going to run
that train over the Gap again, not
alive!" ..,
Burt, watt
He did not turn his head al her
CALL She watched him ride away to.
ward home. 1t was just sunset. The
whole range Of mountains seemed
built Of magical precious stones and
ramparts Of gold In the strange, vivid
radiance
The girl stood gazing out at it all i:
not the dark line Of the mountains,
but the sky and its glory. She loved
the sunset hour that had brought her
for weeks the only romance and JOY
that had ever come into her life.
She had been born and bred in the
old lumber mill, child Of wearied,
taciturn mountain folks. Only little
Tinkum had cheered her. Perhaps
her mother had caught a CLEAN of
some different world in the glory of
the sunsets and had bequeathed q
hidden heart longing to her daughter.
Nell never knew. Her mother still
worked on at the mill house, q
slender, stoop-shouldered, close-lipped
woman, with only her eyes to betray
her; great, lustrous, hungry eyes like
Nell's; dark hazel, like the mountain
brooks in shadow.