Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-02-22

"Yes-you denied pore old Pap, and me
and Ab-and Jack-denied us for them
thar Wards! You did, Luke And may
yore soul suffer-what ourn has suffered
to know that-you could do it,.'
Jack rose, walked to Luke, and added his
share to Lukes cup of gall and NORWOOD.
"Git outen this here house! Git on back to
that thar catfish Angie Ward"
@Hush!' interrupted Luke, and it required
all the breath in his body to say the word as
he said it. He stood white faced and pant
ing for moment; then he gave his sick
father a parting look, turned, and went.
And his footsteps dragged as though each
step would be his last; and there was the
suffering of death in his breast.
MIDWAY between the old home cabin
w and the clearing of the Wards he came
suddenly upon small, stopped figure on the
ground. 1t was Old Granny. In one hand
she held handled table knife more
than half worn out, which she was plying
about the stalk of an herb known as black
snake root.
@La, Sonny!' she cackled, but somewhat
guardedly, when she saw Luke Overton.
"I'm a diggin' o my YARDS while it's the dark
O the moon! Now, Sonny she went on,
frowning, @you'r not strong enough to walk
out this way. You jest git right back to the
house, and tell Angie, the pig that she is, to
give you half teacupful O that thar medi
cine in that thar black bottle settin' on
yam end O the mantel; and then you lay
down, Sonny, and rest
She went back to the blacksnake root.
Luke dragged himself on among the thick,
deep-green laurels.
He had not gone a hundred yards when
he met Angie, who was clad, as usual, in
Co. IL 49, %oI IIa,- foD
lighted up when she saw him; then it be-
came downcast, for she was quick to note
the misery in Lukes white face. She walked
UP to him; seeming detected because of his
detection, seeming to suffer because she
knew he was suffering. She took one of his
hands, looked straight into his eyes, blushed
slightly, smiled family, lowered her gaze,
and caught her breath. And Luke Overton
felt her two little, sunburned hands tremble
as though in pain.
He believed that she reciprocated his af
lection, then. 1t was wonderful ointment
to his sore heart, beacon light to him in his
despair. But when she knew the truth, that
he was an Overton! He dared not even
think of that now. He put one arm, his
good arm, about her shoulders, and drew her
to him without saying a single word. She
put both her arms about his neck, and
kissed one of his pallid cheeks. Silently they
turned toward the cabin, going very slowly.
And Old Granny, who had seen it all,
stood with the bone-handled knife in one
hand and the blacksnake root in the other,
and watched the laurels swallow them up
| with very, very queer expression on her
parchment-like face For Old Granny knew
FOR all the wonder and sweetness of the
great new thing that had come into his
life, Luke was as restless as the sea. He
couldn't lie still, and he couldn't sit still,
and yet he felt too weak to move. But in the
afternoon the restlessness became so keen
that he stole out of the cabin of the Wards,
and went out the mountainside quarter
of mile. He sat himself down on rotting,
moss-covered log, in dell where the shade of
the hemlocks was deep, where ferns and
rattleweed grew pale green and rank, leaned
his head forward, and began the old, har-
rowing routine of thought once more.
He had been there an hour, notionless as
the trees about him, when there was the
sound of bare foot in the leaves behind
him. He turned slowly, uncaringly, and
saw that it was Angie. She smiled and
sat down beside him. His sound arm went
about her waist, and she caught his hand
and held it.
The barrier came sharply between them,
and Luke bent his head again. 1t was
great barrier to Luke, and it seemed insur-
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