Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-06
III, well, in her own time she will tell

An, wen, In ner own tlme sne Will teli
me-"
There was some relief to Shirley q
lovercharged feelings in the very dis.
comfort of the drenched weather; the
sucking pull of the wet clay on her
boots and the flirt of the drops on her
cheeks and hair. She thrust her dog
skin gloves into her pocket and held
her arms outstretched to let the wind
blow through her fingers. The mois-
ture chung in damp wreaths to her
hair and rolled in great drops down
her coat as she went.
The widest, most secluded walks
had always drawn her most and she in
|stinctively chose one Of these today.
It was the road wherein squatted Mad
Anthony's whitewashed cabin "Dah' 8
er man gwine look in dem eyes, honey,
len gwine make 'em cry en- cry" She
had forgotten the incident of that day,
when he had read her fortune, but now
the quavering prophecy came back to
her with shivering sense Of reality.
eco dah's fab en- she ain afeah'd, an
dah's watah en- she ain afeah'd. Els
de thing whut eat de ha'at outen de
breas'--dat whut she afeah'd Of" IF
1t were only fire and water that threat
ened her!
She struck her hands together with
an inarticulate cry. She remembered
the laugh in Valiant's eyes as they had
planted the roses, the characteristic
gesture with which he tossed the
waving hair from his forehead-how
she had named the ducks and the
peacock and chosen the spots for his
flowers; and she smiled for such
memories, even In the stabbing knowl-
edge 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 to marry
would be to strike to the heart her
love and loyalty to her mother, and she
said this over and over to herself in
varying phrases: '
"You can't! No matter how much
you love him, you can't! His father
deliberately ruined your mothers life
your own mother! It's bad enough
to love him-you can't help that But
you can help marrying him. You
would hate yourself. You can never
kiss him again, or feel his arms
around you You can't touch his hand.
You mustn't even see him. Not |. it
breaks your heart-as your mothers
heart was broken!"
She had turned into an unbeaten
way that ambled from the road
through a track of tall oaks and pines,
scarce more than bridle.path, wind.
ing aimlessly through bracken-strewn
depths so dense that even the wild
roses had not found them. In her
childish hurts she had always fed to
the companionship of the trees. She
had known them every one--the
black-gum and pale dogwood and
gnarled hickory. the prickly-balled
"button-wood," the lowly mulberry
and the majestic red oak and walnut.
They had seemed friendly and pity
ing counselors, standing about her
with arms intertwined. Now, with the
rain sweeping in soughing gusts
through them, they offered her no
comfort. She suddenly threw herself
face down on the soaked moss.
""Oh. Cod" she cried. ~ love him
|so! And | had only that one evening.
It doesn't seem just. If I could only
have him, and suffer some other way!
He's suffering, too, and it isn't our
fault! 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 be so hard
leach other and nothing separates them
like this!"
Shirley's warm breath made a little
fog against the star-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 per.
|severing rain and the wet swishing OF
the bushes-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 somewhat battered
walking suit of brown khaki, with q
leather belt and felt hat whose brtm,
stiff with the wet, was curved down
visor-wise over his brow. In an in.
slant he had drawn her upright, and
they stood, looking at each other,
drenched and trembling,
HOW can you he Sdlu Will d
|roughness that sounded akin to anger
Here in this atrocious weather-like
this!' he laid hand on her arm
you're wet through" -~...--
"I-don't mind the rain" she an
swered, drawing away, yet feeling with
guilty thrill the masterfullness Of his
tone, as well as its real concern
I'm often wet"
His gaze searched her face. feature
by feature noting her pallor, the blue
black shadows beneath her eyes. the
caught breath. uneven like childs
from crying. He still held her hands
in his.
Shirley" he said, 81 know what
you intended to tell me by those flow
ers-I went to st. Andrews that night
in the dark, after read your letter
Who told you? Your-mother?'
NO MOI" she cried. "She would
never have told mel"
His face lighted. With an irresisti
BILE movement he caught her to him
Shirley" he cried. at shan't be!
1t shan't, tell you! You can't break
our lives in two like this. It's I'M
TIT Iyohlo