Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1914-03-12

Of outline that belied alike her temper
and her humor.
1T just seems" she murmured. "aa
If | was to find o here"
He remembered now that she said
h was coming to the hills. But I
never hough OF It. Aurelie. And yet"
He stopped n she sat forward to
Sc his face. Yet you came. Oh. the
moonlight made me come. Harlan! I
was restless acknowledgements l re-
membered such beautiful nights here.
On. very wonderful! September-like
TINS. n moved over with a little
But he stood with lbs hand on the
lichened rock above her.
Sne did not seem to notice his re-
straint. When 1 was a little ragged
kiddie. used to climb UP here. Al
ways I loved it. Harlan"
But l tell you" he answered quietly,
you came tonight because you remem-
bered something else. Aurelie."
Yes" she answered simply. "Our
nights. L couldn't quite forget the last
one. The night you took me to your
mothers. Harlan" She laughed brief
~. And she tricked me-and I ran
UP that night, Harlan"
She didn't trick you, Aurelie. Moth
err couldn't"
"Oh. Welt" she smiled wisely. "If
You could realize how I've changed!
N night L was breathless before ner.
let you go--to help you, Harlan. I
thought 1T was fine that night-but I
tell you. paid! L did love you. Har-
lam"
He watched her face in the moon
light. Mother did something. 1 knew.
I JX-n U n .yy~n h,,@ A~A -.
hurt, Aurelie. 1t was afterward-your
going on the stage-in that way. Every
thing-hurt."
She made a blithe protest at a grim
ace of mockery. "Oh. well-boy! It's
all different with you and me. / was
a weak and silly girl to hang on you
and love YOU. n confuse into think
ing that you owed me! And that night
saw all the girls of your set and the
dancing and the music,-it all rushed
over me-the difference" She smiled
with a lender mystery she could not
deny-he was amazed to find how i'm
measurably older she could be in her
made YOU She smiled bravely. "And
I'm glad. We both ought to be glad.
My!"-she was laughing now. I'VE
were both kids. weren't we? Now 1
know the world a bit-Tm a heap diff
1erent. Done growed up. Uncle Mich
SOY % LII AS SIdIGu ABOUT II! I'M
going to be a real leading lady some
time. n come back and play in the
tin opera hoIse-play in a piece that
hasn't so much shooting in it-and you
Will be fat and prosperous and married
and bring your Riddles to see me. And
pe mighty, glad. Harlan, you new
er married that Cajun girl from down
river"
But he would not smile. In the moon
light on the hillside she had the same
defy1ng gypsy charm as of old; wiIful.
mock1ng. humble, buoyant, when she
wished it. All the inevitable vulgarian
stamp OF her u~pbringing was vanished;
was dear and simple in her he
Gould find and save and make his own.
The rest would not matter. He could
not fathom how the invincible heritage
of his family was now shamed before
her gay, proud honesty. the sense of
Woodland freedom from all the
lions of his sort He wanted to be
as honest as she. as fearless as she,
but ne did not know the way.
"Aurelie," he muttered. "be still. You
know l o you"
She was very still. The shadow of
the rock was not,more mute. Only her
face was turned. evadine him. a pre-
tense of u%nhearing.
Il tell you SO again. Aurelie. 1t costs
a lot. l bucked through school and
forgot you-almost. l came back here
n set my teeth together and worked.
And all the things they said about you
this town never will get over
talking about you-all this mis-
cradle notoriety-it hurt. I said
nothing. But I knew I loved you.
for all the talk hurt-hurt! I didn't
want you to go On in this miserable,
cheap show business. There was so
much to do.to make of ~ourselves-be-.
fore We-before it would be right for
us to marry"
1t was badly put to such as Aurelie.
"Oh, a girl doesn't want a lover who
thinks of what there Is to do. or make
OF her before Ne marries her. That's
what o mean. Of course!" She blurt-
ed on. checking her hot tears. "I don't
care! I came back here Yesterday
perfectly happy! And the way this
awful town treated mel"
"Aurelie!" he said sternly, white with
a battle to be master: forever this de-
sire to shelter her and teach her. min
gled with his passion. You do SO
many things! Racing around the square
yesterday in that machine. And you
g not to have kissed Wiley Cur
rant"
"why not?'; She looked up inno-
Gently. Il felt happy-and he was so
glad to see me-"
He sighed with Encouragement. "And
then there's that story-Aurelie, did
Hen McF'etridge give you any dia-
monds?"
Yes. A tiny one" She held ont
her han with naive pride. and he
said he'd have given me lots more IL
led sold more oil stock"
(Contjpped pex+ n,o., r