The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1914-05-07

" 9S S~S@~~~ >-S<~
MY position here is false one,
Sara. I prefer to CO."
This morning 1 should have held
sword over your head"
"It is very difficult for me to realize
all that has happened"
"You are free to depart You are
free in every sense Of the word. Your
future rests with yourself, my dear"
ut hurts me- more than l can tell
to feel that you have been hating me
all these months"
"It hurts me-now."
Hetty walked to the window and
looked out.
"What are your plans?" Sara in
quired, after an interval.
"I shall seek employment-and walt
for you to act"
"I? You mean?"
"I shall not run away, Sara Nor do
intend to reveal myself to the au-
thorities. I am not morally guilty OF
crime. A year ago I feared the con-
sequences Of my deed, but have
learned much since then. l was
stranger in new world. In England
we have been led to believe that you
lynch women here as readily as you
lynch men. I now know better than
that. From you alone learned my
greatest lesson. You revealed to me
the true meaning Of human kindness.
You shielded me who should not
Even now l believe that your lrst
impulse was a tender one. I shall
not forget it, Sara. You will live to
regret the baseT thought that came
later on. 1 have loved you-yes, al
most as q good dog loves his master.
It is not for me to tell the story Of
that night and all these months to
the world. l would not be betraying
myself, but you. You would be called
upon to explain, not I. And you would
be the one to suffer. When you met
me on the road that night / was on
my way back to the inn to give my
self into custody. You have made It
impossible for me to do so now. My
lips are sealed. 1t rests with you,
Sara"
Sara joined her In the broad win
dow. There was strangely exalted
look in her face. A gilded birdcage
hung suspended in the easement. With
out a word, she threw open the win
dow screen. The gay little canary in
the gilded cage cooked his head and
watched her with alert eyes. Then
she reached up and gently removed
the cage from its fastenings. Putting
it down upon the window sill, she
opened the tiny door. The bird hoped
about his prison in state Of great
excitement.
Hetty looked on, fascinated.
At last a yellow streak shot out
through the open door and an instant
later resolved itself into the bobbing,
huttering dicky-bird that had lived
in cage all its life without an hour
Of freedom. For few seconds it
circled over the tree tops and then
alighted on one Of the branches. One
might well have imagined that he
could hear its tiny heart beating with
terror. It's wings were half-raised and
futtering, its head jerking from side
to side in wild perturbation. Taking
courage, Master Dicky hoped timo-
rously to nearby twig, and then ven-
tured a fight to a tree top nearer the
window easement Perched in its top
most branches h~ cheeped shrilly, as
If there was fear in his little breast
In silence the two women in the
window watched the agitated move
ments of the bird. The same thought
was in the mind Of each, the same
question, the same intense wish.
A brown thruah sped through the
air, close by the timid canary. Like
fash it dropped to the twigs lower
down, its wings r,alpitating in violent
alarm.
"Dicky!" called Sara Wrandall, and
then cheeped between her teeth.
A moment later Dicky was futtering
about the caves; his circles grew
smaller, his wing ing less rhythmical,
till at last with nervous little dutter
he perched on til 9 top OF the window
shutter, 80 near hat they might have
reached to him With their hands. He
sat there with hi, head cooked to one
side.
"Dicky!" caIlel Sara again. This
time she held out her finger. For some
time he regarded it with Indifference,
not to say disfavsr. Then he took one
more fight, but uch shorter than the
first, bringing up again at the shutter
top. A second liter he hoped down
and his little IA Ions gripped Sara's
finger with an tarnestness that left
no room for doult.
She lowered b II hand until it was
even with the op n door Of the gilded
cage. He shot in.ide With whir that
suggested a scran BILE. With his wings
folded, he sat oi his little trapeze
and cheeped. Sid closed and fastened
the door. and thea turned to Hetty.
my SYMBOL" size said softly.
There were tear, in Hetty's eyes.
(To BE CT INFINITELY