The Washington herald., 1913-09-14
CHAPTER XVII.
The Backward Trail.

Harlan did not know what haunt
| ing of loneliness took him the next
! evening to the hills. 1t was the first
day of September, and already a veil
of haze lay in the wooded little val
leyS. and the far slopes had the first
! bronze of the ripening corn. Yet it
| was summer, with a harvest moon
drawing up across the river, round and
| full and golden.
He wandered down old trails from
Eagle Point Northward along the
bluff were glimpses of the distant Mis-
| siSSippi over the sycamores and will
! low sloughs. He crossed the last glade
to the ridge over which was Tanner S
quarry. Already through the laurel
and NAPLES and young eims a patch Of
! the white sheer rock arose. And on
| this point he stopped to loal down in
the valley. From the quarry bed the
road ran on winding past the fringy
corn patches of the Pocket squatters.
But all the unloveliness of their meager
! homes was hidden in the shadow, and
all the beauty of the hill beyond lay
revealed by the moon. Harlan had
not been on the back trail for more
| than a year. When he came to the
old familiar rock jutting over the cliff
he started to climb the last step and
then paused. Some one was before
him, sitting where he had intended to
sit, looking as he had wished to look
out over the valley and the town.
And before he came out of the
shadow he knew it was Aurelie Au-
relic, who could not leave without
one visit to the home trail She had
not been to Lindstrom's house, but to-
night she had ridden over from Earl
Vile, tied the livery mount at the
Sinsinawa Creek bridge. and clam5ered
up to where she could look either way;
to the village or to her foster-father's
place below the quarry. Harlan
watcherd her long She was mute.
dry-eyed, very still; but when, at
length, he came out and stood before
her. curiously she did not start.
She moved slowly and looked up
at him. Her face had all that grave
purity of outline that belied alike her
temper and her humor.
1T Just seems" she murmured, "as
if I was to find you here
He remembered now that she said
she was coming TO the hills. But
never thought of it, Aurelie. And
yet
He stopped and she sat forward tc
see his face. yet you came. Oh. the
moonlight made me come. Harlanl !
was restless and-unhappy-and / re
membered such beautiful nights hert
Oh, very wonderful! September-likt
this" She moved over with 4 little
friendly gesture. "Sit down"
But he stood with his hand out tc
, the lichened rock above her.
She did not seem to notice his con
stralnt. When l was a little ragged
kiddie, | used to climb up here. Al
ways | loved it, Harlan"
But l tell you," he answered quiet
Iy. you came tonight because you r.
membered something else, Aurel;e."
Yes" she answered simply. "Oui
nights. couldn't forget the last one
The night you took me to your moth
ers, Harlan She laughed briefly
And she tricked me-and | ran away.
saw SO clearly. Just woke up ina.
night. Harlan
She didn't trick you, AureIie.
Mother couldn't.
"Oh, wellI' she smiled wisely. "It
you could realize how I've CHANGED !
That night / was bTeathless before
her. She appealed 10 me-she wanted
me to let you go-to help YOU. Har-
Ian. | thought it was fine that nigh,
| was breathless before her. She ap-
pealed to me--she wanted me to let
you Go-to help you. Harlan.