The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1914-01-08
cHAPTER vIII-lContinued).

II told her to go on. seize all the beg
in 1t. She Is a grand little girl, some
way. You know I've ived south
know her temperamentI know al
strom's. Know n sympathize witt
Il don't suppose another person in al
the town could know or care!"
Il don't imagine" Janet knew Wiley
Curran. Somehow, if there was q
homeless old soldier. or a destitute
family In he county. they always
came to Wiley's attention-he was even
knowing and caring, helplessly in his
| penniless struggle with News.
for her?'
II don't know. Only befriend her
All the towns laughing over her win
ming a beauty prize. No one ever
noticed her. except Sc was considered
pretty and eccentric. The big fat
heads!" he cried breathlessly. Does
any one suppose they'd see hat mar
Vicious purity in her face-her grace,
and all that odd quality of her mind
'Wiley?" Miss Vance sat back. her
lips frightened.
ooh, know! scold me-say I CAM
afford it! That it's aroused a lot OF
heartburnings and ~jealousies and silly
rot In town, and / shouldn't be in 1t!
But h came to me-said she 1 was
- AhSA OAAhJ III oAAA Az
with all this notoriety-Aurelie, Devil
dered, dumbstruck-needs protection
a-friend!"
"You consider yourself a
chaperon?"
Don't laugh. 1 tell you she woke
me up!"
What possibly could she have to do
with your awakening?"
We had a long talk. A splendid
talk, Janet. l saw the hopelessness of
her life if she stayed here. There's
nothing for her here. And now, who
can tell? Why, I'll bet she gets pro-
posals of marriage by the dozen
artists will want to paint her, mana
gers will want her to go on the stage
everything is possible with her! And
slle left 1t to me, Janet-and l told her
go-seize all the good in life. anyhow.
anyway-live, live!"
"Ah, well! That little giri-suffer-
ing so. And only / know how she is
suffering! l told you it fired me. She
grew so W1de-eyed and big with it, II
determined to be somebody! And 1
though of myself-the years I'd wasted,
Janet, n | said to myself: God bless
you, child! If you can, l cant I don't
know how it was. but 1 felt my old fire
again-my old ambition! That's why
! promised you, Janet, to make this
fight"
Yes" n answered slowly. "Ill
help you Wiley
He could lot see her face. She was
watching her brother bring the rig
across the street. But the splendor
seemed to have died for her. IN it's
stead was the old shrewd patience of
n successful Woman. touched now
with pathos of some haunting defeat.
Yes. III help you. Wiley" she added
n arose to go.
Wiley watched them drive away. At
the end of the street the gray of the
autumn country began: the lonely
land of hill and bottom. but over it
the home fires We're burning. Sc they
thought something of him out there?
Curran Of the News-the heart in
exile. the man without place and
honor? They believed in him. the
brown-armed quiet men; they had
watched him fight. heard his incessant
cutlery against every wrong. every
privilege of class whether in the OBJ
scure countryside. or out in the great
world? He could not tell. 1t had
seemed as If he spoke alone. champion
ing valiant but hollow theories against
their complacent incredulity. He had
envied, at times. the prosperous town
tradesmen. professional men. the best
people--they had not spent their hearts
IN crying out for new things-and the
had enriched them.
But now out of his long and hidden
despair of himself a great vision came;
the farm home lights were beacon fires
lighted for an eternal struggle. await
the coming leaders. And his heart
cried that he would be n to
he understood at last what
Arne meant He heard the traps Of the
young men UP the hill.