The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1914-12-25
CHAPTER VIII.
On Tory Hill.
T had been a heavenly picnic, the
little trio all agreed as to that.
and when Ivory saw the Baxter

iCCle CrlO all agreed as to that.
and when Ivory saw the Baxter
girls coming up the shady path
that led along the river from the In
dian cellar to the bridge it was a mer-
ry group and a TRANSPORTED Rodman
that caught his eye. The boy, trailing
on behind with the baskets and laden
with tin dippers and wild flowers.
seemed another creature from the big
eyed, quiet little lad he saw every day.
He had chartered like a maybe, eaten
like a bear, torn his jacket getting
wild cOlumbines for Patty, been nicely
darned by WaitStill and was in a state
Of hilarity that rendered him quite un-
recognizable.
We've had a lovely picnic!" called
Patty: II wish you had been with us!''
You didn't ask me-" smiled Ivory.
picking up Waitstill's mending basket
from the nook in the trees where she
had hidden it for safe keeping.
We've played games. Ivory" cried
the boy. Patty made them up her
self. First we had the Landing Of
the Pilgrims and Waitstill made be-
lieve she was the fgurehead of the
Mayfower. She stood on a great bowl
der and sang:
The breaking waves dashed high
On a stern and rockbound coast
and, oh, she was splendid! Then Pat
ty was Pocahontas. and l was Cap'n
John Smith, and look. we are all dress
ed up for the Indian wedding!"
II shall have to run into fathers
store to put myself tidy" Waitstill
said. 80 goodby. Rodman. We'll have
another picnic some day. Patty. you
must do the chores this afternoon. you
know. so that | can 20 to choir re,
h~earsal."
Rodman and Patty started up the
hill gayly with their burdens, and
Ivory walked by Waitstill's side as she
pulled Off 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 III!
see you at the meeting house," she
said as she neared the store. "Ill 60
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."
II can't. Ivory: thank you. Fathers
orders are against my driving out with
any one. you know.
Every we'll. The road is free, at ~
rate. I'll hitch ~ hsses Down here in
~ weeds somewhere. and when you
start to walk | 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 Ut II 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. Waitstill kept the beat
en- path on one side and Ivory that on
the other. 50 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-silence> that come
only to a man and whose un-
! derstanding 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 flowers were exhaling Il love
secret with their f%ragrances. the birds
were singing it 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
RoyntOn was made Of stuff 50 strong
that he would not speak a syllable of
love to q oma unless he could say
all. He was only five and twenty. but
he had been reared in a rigorous school
and had learned in its poverty, loneli-
! ness and anxiety lessons Of self de-
NAL and self control that bore daily
fruit now. He knew that Deacon Bax.
ter would never allow any engagement