Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-03
THE EVENING STORY
The Dark Road.

had to carry, a glimpse of the face which
to see meant both joy and heartache.
Always at the end of the dark road she
saw his face. together with her mother
and Lucie's. 1t seemed to belong there
somehow. And 1t called to her louder
than either of the others. She knew why
it called so. because her heart was ever
so ready to answer.
Foolish heart" she thought, signing.
well, l must go on. My dark road Is
getting darker all the time"
Amity took her hand from the friendly
gate post and plunged ahead. There was
a wind that rocked the trees, tore at ner
garments. and went chasing like a mad
thing across the narrow valley, only TO
return with more noise and violence than
before. She tried to sing as she pioddeo
along, but soon she gave it up. for she
needed all her breath in her task never
had the road seemed SO dark and long
There was one place which she always
dreaded particularly-the bend. 1t was
called where the bank. bristling with
small trees. rose sharply above her on one
hand. aud below her on the other ran a
thread of troublOuS water. moaning IKE
a thing in misery. Once around the bend
she could see the lights of the little sta
tiOn where she usually arrived just III
time to take her train.
Tonight she approached the bend re-
hctantly. IF there was one star, Amty
thought in desperation. 'fll run. L II
run hard That will soon take me tC
where l can see the station lights
1t was more difficult to run than it had
been to walk She slipped again and
again. Her heart pounded in her ears.
Suddenly she heard a sound different
from stream or wind or her own heart
beats-the regular fall of a horses hoofs.
Somebody was coming. but whether
ahead or behind she could not tell She
only knew that those flying hoofs We're
oct t,ar
narrow, yet she must get out of the way
She turned tow ard the bank. meaning to
climb 1t. but the horse was then at her
shoulder. He struck her hard. snorted
and swerved and Went tearing on uncon-
trcllabiy.
Amity had fallen She did not exactly
lose consciousness. but she lay a full
moment before she could move. Then
she sat up and drew gasping breath.
I'm not hurt she thought.
She could move her limbs. but she felt
Jared and bruised and very faint. As
she sat on the frozen earth she wished
there was snow so she could get little
to rub upon her face
THAT would bring me out quicker.
she thought. II must be going on soon
or l will miss my train =
Yet she felt no inclination to move
great WEAKNESS seemed to have set
tied upon her She wondered vaguely
whose horse had struck her. wondered il
he had hurt himself running away like
that. From that point her mind went
on to her home. What would her mother
and Lucie say if they knew what had
befallen her! What would he think
She smiled. He'd hitch up that fast
mare of his and come after me pell-mell
He is just SO kind she thought.
She recalled that time in school years
before, when one of the bigger boys had
hit her with a snowfall. Dan had
promptly gone after the big boy and
whipped him in splendid style. Then he
had comforted her. From that moment
he had been her friend. her hero. But
he never knew how much he meant to
her. Life had thrust them apart as they
grew UP. He had succeeded, while she
did the work that came first to her hand,
simply because she must earn. Their
ways crossed occasionally. and he was
always kind and courteous to her. She
knew, of course. that he could never be
anything closer than he was Quite a
different kind of girl must be his wife.
though he seemed in no hurry to choose.
They said business absorbed him.
1t was odd that she should think these
things here ands nOw-sitting forlornly at
the darkest point of her dark road. She
was getting cold and stiff, and the wind