Evening star., 1914-04-19


going to happen, | stammered, hardly
knowing what | was saying. l turned my
eyes away.
Premonition.' exclaimed Mrs ODonc-
gal sharply. And if it amt more than that,
Mr. Ryford, then I'm fool and don't know
nothing at all, Sir. Why, you're as white as
ghost Now you just tell me all about it,
won't you2 And I'll promise you that if it
is secret I'll keep it for you, Sir. If it 5
connected with that baby there, Mr.. Ryford,
I've got good right to know-because the
little darling is terribly dear to me now. SO
YOU tell me of your troubles, MIR. Ryford.
Remember that there's times when a woman
can see ways out when a man just can't to
save him.
Something in her good face in her ten
der Irish-blue eyes, held out hope to me. |
grasped at it eagerly hungrly. | told her
everything. At first she appeared to be
rather puzzled.
"Well, its sure bad fix for you to be in,
Mr.. Ryford she muttered, shaking her head
goomily For moment she carcssed her
brow softly, as though it would assist her to
think, and then her face lighted. I've got
it, Sir! she cried joyously, and put her hands
on my arms.
"She told me of her plan breathlessly, car
ried away almost by her great enthusiasm.
1t seemed to me to be thing of virtue. You
see, | knew that she too was woman-a
woman like, and yet unlike, that wildly
beautiful creature of the Almighty's hills
and | believed she understood her own sex
better than man may.
THE following day l didn't pull an engine
through the Unakas, the gantet | had
been running fort seemed ages and ages
to me. Instead | set out early, in a light
vehicle drawn by pair Of very fast horses
for the mountains-I had to get there before
the train had been pulling arrived, you ur-
dcrstand | drove hard, and was in time by
good margin. | alighted half mile from
my objective point, tied the reins of the
horses to a saping, and hastened out the
mountainside to the dead oak; and as | APP
preached it didn't fear being shot at, for a
reason that will appear soon.
All was still when | stopped and began
to look here and there for Sally Boland But
had not more than a minute to wait for
her. She stepped from thicket ef laurels
nearby, her long rifle in her right hand, and
how haggard she was! She walked straight
toward me, and halted only when there was
barely yard between us.
Il had brought a peace offering. | set it
down at her poor, bare feet Then knet
and bowed my head, as a man before the
holy shrine of the Lord of Hosts. And | had
Ialln-l De1eNeu tflat II Slle WOulQ not dC-
cept my gift, she would at least understand.
For a long moment there was the great,
golden silence of the mountains, s,-not even
a bird twittered, not a leaf moved and then
spoke feverishly and with little ring of
desperation in my voice.
"'Take hcr!' said to that wild, sweet, mag
nificent woman. She's all I've got, all on
Gods earth that is dear to me- 1t hurts to
part with her; but | want to pay my debts
| want to be square
Il looked up into her thin, pale face. 1t
seemed that she couldn't believe it. She
stood there staring down at me without
moving an eyelash for what was to me long
time. Then her eyes sought the kiddie, and
the spirit of the mother everlasting in them
softened. Her rifle dropped to the leaves.
She went to her knees, with the little one
between us as though upon an altar of sacri-
flee. She put her fine, sunburne1 arms about
the child, pressed it to her breast, and sobbed
almost inaudibly:
a. CANT take her. I'd like to have her
but CANT take her from you. l couldn't
understand till now. And so she's all
you've got! You was like me,-lonesome,
lonesome, lonesome! Forgive me for a i
shootin' at you'll She took my hand.
"And when | looked at her again l saw
that the spirit of the mother everlasting in
her beautiful brown eyes was shining for me