The Cairo bulletin., 1914-03-14

4
or HeauY hal seemed natural hom-
age TO that sw.tt aud unfinching act
CT hers Which had saved his life.
There was IN her mind more OBJ.
Y.cus explanation Of Shirley's altered
dfmeanor- PERHAPS it's Chilly ask
sEe had said 10 herself. Have they
lad foolish quarrel. / wonder. Al.
c!l, IL her own time she viii tell
me"
|
There was somr relief TO Shirley's
overclsssed feelings Ii the very dis.
.ceinfofs OF the crenched weather: the
sucking pull of The wet clay on her
boots and the fill ct the drr,s en- her
cheeks and hair She Trust her dog.
skin gloves into her rocker ami held
her arms aeistretcaad T. .et he wi,.a
blow through aer a;gers. The iasls.
nre clune ia GsNp Nreataa Il her
hair ana rolled il g.,.t dg5gs down
her coat as SIZE we4t.
The widest p,st secluded walks
| had always draNa her m5st ana she
instiactivag chose ne OF these lay.
1t was The rSa5 W&erean sCuatted Mad
Anthory's wAitewashel catin. 'Dah's
er man swiEe loJk in ten. eyes. honey,
on gvine make EN- cry en- cry" Sic
had forgotten the incident cf shat day.
wheR he had read her fortune. but
now The quayering prophecy came
back to her with shivering sense CT
reality. 70 dahs nah en- she ain
afeah'd. Ell dal's watah en- she air
afeah'd. Et's de thing whut eat de
haat outen de breas'-dat whut she
afeah'd Of" If il were only fire ana
water that threatened her!
She struck her hands together with
an inartieulate cry She remembered
The laugh in Valiant's eyes as they had
planted the roses. the characteristic
gesture with which he tossed lhc way
ing hair from his forehead hcw sLe
had named the ducks and TIE rea.
cock ana chosen The spots for his
flowers; and she smiled for such mem.
ories. even in the stabbing knowledge
that these dear trivial things could
mean nothing to her in the future
She tried to realize that he was gone
from her life. that he was the one
man on earth whom 10 marry would
be to strike to the heart her love
and loyalty to her mother, and sha
said this over and over to herself in
varying phrases:
You can't! No matter how much
you love him, you cant. His father
deliberately ruined your mcther's life
your own mother! It's bad enough
TO love hin--you can't help tEat. But
YOU can help marrying him. You
would hate yourself You can never
kiss him again, or feel his arms around
you. You cant touch his hand. You
mustn't even see him. Not if it breaks
your heart-as your mothers heart
was broken!"
She had turned into an unbeaten
way that alnh!eI from the read
through Il track of tail oaks and pines
scarce more than a briGie-path, Wind
iag aimlegsly through bracken-strewn
depths 50 dense that even the wild
roses had not found them. In hCr
childish hurts she had always fed ia
tile comEaniOnship or tho trees She
lad EnoWG them every one the Black
gum and pale do2Wood and gnarea
hickory, the prickly.balled Luton.
wood, the loWly mulberry and the
majestic red oak and walnut They
had seemed friendly and pityihE coul-
Gelors. standing aboat her with arms
ntertwined. Now, with the ruin weep
ing In soughin9 gusts through them,
they offered her 10 comfort She sud
denly threw herself face down on the
soaked moss
oh, God" SHE cried. Il love him
SC! And had only that one evening
1t doesn't seem just It | could only
have him. ana suffer scme other way!
He's suffering, 100, and it isn't our
lAuit! We neither Of us harmed any
one! He isn't responsible for what
his father did--why, he hardly knew
him! Oh, God why must it lie so
hard for US? Millions OF other people
love each other and nothing separates
them like this!"
Shirley's warm breath made little
| fog against the etar-eyed moss. She
was scarcely conscious of her wet and
| clinging clothing and the soaked
strands Of her hair. She was SO
wrapped in her desolation that she no
longer heard the sound of the perse-
verhg rain and the wet swishing Of
the buahes-parting now to a hurried
| step that fell almost without sound on
the spongy forest soil. She started
UP suddenly to see Valiant before her.
He was in a somewhat battered
walking suit of brown khaki, with a
! leather belt and felt hat whose brim.
stiff with the wet, was curved down
yisor.wise over his brow. In an in
stant he had drawn her upright, and
they stood, looking at each other,
drenched and trembling.
How can your he said with a
roughness that sounded akin to anger.
Here in this atrocious weather-like
this!" he laid hand on her arm,
You're wet through"
Il don't mind the RAIN" she an
swered, drawing away, yet feeling
with guilty thrill the masterfulness
Of his tone, as well as its real concern
I'm often wet"
| His gaze searched her face. feature