Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-20


a lied out o this. Gil credit for that, Pap. The
way-the way got that thar money was by tellin
a officer whar Bax Norton hidin at The officer
he said il Bax innocent he'd be turned loose-and
l knowed, everybody knows around here, that Bax
Norton innocent.
The queerest smile she had the face of
a mortal twisted and misshaped the bearded lips Of
Napoleon Litteford He looked down upon her with
terrible in his eyes. He had drawn himself up
until he seemed much taller than he had seemed
before.
@You wanted silk dress didn't you?' he said quietly
and bitterly.
Eyes" said Bess tearfully
@And so you sold out G yore people, third
cousin yore mother and tharfore flesh and blood and
bone o you for the sake of silk dress'
"But II thought that Bax, bein innocent, would
sforely-"
Napoleon Litteford raised his voice for the first time
during the conversation. @Hushis he roared. "Hush
| want to say this YOU, BeSS The Lord my witness,
if had a knowed when you our first baby come to
that day you'd do sech thing you We jest done,
I'd took you HUNDRED miles off from here and left
you at somebody's door! Bess, if l could undo what
you've jest done by sufferin every form o torture
that could be thought of, and death in the end by
ben burnt, I'd go to it without word! Lord how
I've tried to raise you riglt-and to teach you-to
hold UP yore head and be good anybody ese-rne
and yore pore old nlother-its crime to be pore
not to have hardly change coes to yore back! No.
it hain't crime to be pore. But Bess, what you've
done is blood-red crme-thar nothn else, nothn
else earth, as bad as what you've done
He turned away, choking in his throat, pitiful and
yet somehow superb in his uncouth righteousness. His
daughter watched him with eyes that seemed to be
looking far beyond him. Finally he turned back to her,
smiled again that twisted, msshapen smile of loathng,
and tossed the handkerchief and its burden to the floor
at her knees. And these the hardest of all his hard
words:
take that and go and buy you silk drcss!" very
quietly.
He went slowly and with the steps of old and heart
broken into the house.
Bess had been accustomed obedience all her life.
She gathered the money up in her hands and tied the
Of the handkerchief about it to hide its dull,
white glcw. She went to her feet, and Lutte Rayner
held out his to her. There world Of under
standing and real sympathy in his countenancc
"Bess, Honey, I"
simultaneously a vivid flash eaped across the black
heavens, and keen peal of thunder came.
Mot now, Lute-not now' said Bess Llttleford.
The storm broke then. Bess out through the
drenchlng rain and lost IN the heart OF the
widest, maddest that had visited the Blackfern
Mountain for many, many years. Lutte Rayner plunged
after her. calling but he lost in the whrl
of mist and the binding sheets of wnd-driven rain
Napoleon Littleord saw them go. He did not move,
utter word But he smiled once that twisted
smile
V7HEN the skies had cleared again Baxter Norton's
wife started to the spring for a bucket of water.
She found lying against her gate soaking wet and her
clothing in tatters, young woman whose figure seemed
familiar to her eyes. She stopped brushed aside the
Of loose and tangled black hair, and that
it the daughter Of her third COUSIN Sarah Littleo
Lord fa mussy now!' she cried excitedly. ~And if
it hain't Bessl'
All the mother awake and throbbng within her.
She took the limp form up in her strong arms, and bore
it into her cabin.
Bess being and physically comfort
able Baxter Nortons wife left her in the
care of her three small children, and hur-
ried up to tell Napoleon and Sarah Little
uxs ford