The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-05-05
- -. ...-
The Story Of
Wal.it..ssi.till
Baxter
By KATE D0uGLAs WIeGIN
IsL,. y &c peaaI.. WiaeI 3,
no be I c,ofintlnulle'd.)

tne hoy, Ratty made them up her
self. First we had, the Landing OF
the Pilgrims and waitstilI made be-
lieye she was the 6gurehead OF the
Mayhower. She stood on a great bowl.
der and sang:
THE breaking waves dashed high
On a stern and rockbotnd coast
and, oh, she was splendid Then Pat.
ty was Pocahontas, and I was Cap'n
John Smith. and look, we are all dress.
ed up for the Indian weddingg'
= shall have to ruin into fathers
store to put myself tidy." waitstill
said. so goodby, Rodman, wen have
another picnic some day, Patty, yo j
must do the chores this afternoon, you
know, 50 that | can 60 70 choir re.
hearsal." = 7 = '1.' +
Rodman and Patty started up the
hill gayly with their burdens, and
Ivory walked by waitstills side! as she
pulled OF her birch bark crown and
twisted her braid around her head with
a heightened color at being watched.
"I'll say goodby now, Ivory. but I'll
see yon. at the, meeting house, she
said as she neared the store. 'iI'll 20
in here and brush the pine needles of.
wash my hands and rest a little be-
fore rehearsal, That's. a puzzling an
them we have for tomorrow
Il have my. horse here. Let me
drive you up to the church, ~ ~
81 can't, Ivory; thank you. Fathers
orders are against my driving out with
any one, you know
Very well. The road is free, at any
rate. I'll hitch my horse down here in
the woods somewhere, and when you
start to walk I shall follow and catch
up with you. There's luckily only one
way to reach the church from here,
and your father can't blame US il we
both take It"
And so It fell out that Ivory and
Waitstill walked together. in the cool
of the afternoon to the meeting house
on Tory hill. WaitstilI kept the beat
en- path. on one side and Ivory. that on
the other, so that the width Of the
country road, deep In dust was be-
tween them, yet their nearness seemed
so tangible, a thing that each could feel
the heart beating In the others side.
Their talk was only that Of tried
friends, a talk interrupted by long.
| beautiful silences- silences that come
only to a man and woman whose IN
Outstanding OF each other is beyond
question and answer. Not a sound
broke the stiffness, yet the very air, it
seemed to them, was shedding mean.
ings the lowers were exhalinga love
secret with their fragrances, the birds
were singing 1t boldly from the tree
tops, yet no word passed the mans
lips or the girls. Patty would have
hung out all sorts Of signals, and lures
to draw the truth from Ivory and
break through the walls Of his self
control. but Waitstill, never, and Ivory
Boynton was made of stun so strong
that he would not speak. syllable Of
love to woman unless he could shy
oil. he was only Eve and twenty, but
he had been reared in rigorous school
and had learned in its poverty, lopeli-
ness and anxiety lessons of self de.
nial and self control that bore daily
fruit now. He. knew that Deacon Bax-
ter. would never allow any engagement
10 exist between waitstill and him.
self. He also knew that Waitstin
would never defy and disobay her ia
Their if it meant leaving her younger
sister to fight alone a dreary battle for
which she was not fitted. IL there was
little hope on her side there. seemed
even less on his.
His mothers mental illness. made her
peculiarly dependent upon him and at
che same time held him in such strict
bondage that it was almost impossible
FOR him TO get on IN the world or even
20 give her the comforts she needed.
IN villages like Rlverboro in those early
days there was no putting away even
Of men or women so demented as to be
something Of a menace to the peace OF
the household. But Lois Boynton was
SO gentle, so fragile, so exquisite a
spirit thar she seemed in her sad aloof-
ness simply thing to be sheltered and
shielded somehow in her difficult life
journey. Ivory often thought how
,sorcly she needed daughter in her
afilction. II the baby sister had only
lived the home. might have been differ-
ent; but, alas, there was only soma
son who tried to be tender and sympa.
thetic, but after all was nothing but
big, clumsy, uncomprehending man
creature, who ought to be telling trees,
blowing, sowing, reaping or at least
studying law, making his own fortune
ana that Of some future wife. Old
Mrs. Mason, garrulous, good hearted
grandame, was their only near neigh
Dor, and her visits always left his
mother worse rather than better. How
such a girl as Waitstill would pour
comfort and beauty and Joy into lone
" house like his IL only he were veal
enough to can upon her strength and
put it to SO cruel test! God help
him! he would never do that, espe-
cially as he could not earn enough to
keep large family, bound down as he
was by memorable responsibilities
Waitstill thus far In life had suffered
many sorrows and enjoyed few pleas
ures. Marriage ought to bring her