The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1914-07-16
ARBmaRR Of Extraordinary Distinction
IfIE MARSHAL
BINARY Raymond Shipnan.Andrews
Ag51A% The Perfect HzDUze. etc

the mountain hung over, shadowy;
banks OF fern held the rampant brook
In chains OF green. Alike and Fran
co.'s, riding slowly In the GOODNESS OF
1t all, familiar. beautiful. full OF old
associations.
zone misses Pietro." Francois said
He always wanted to ride past the
'trou du gouverneur.'
"A Roman legend had given this name
TO the deep pool Of the brook by tbs
road; 1t was said that the cruel old
governor had used IL, 1000 years back
for drowning refractory peasants
Alike gazed steadily at the dark muir
muring water.
Yes, one misses him. Is life like
that. do you suppose. Francois7 One
grows UP with people, and they get to
as the air, or ones hands-a and
then. suddenly, one Is told that
they are going away. And that ends
It. One must do without air, without
hands, What world, Francois!"
I'VE are not meant to like 1t toe
much, believe, Alike" said Francois
sunnily. 1T is just en- PEASANT. this
world, when you stop to consider. The
real business will come, suppose
when we are moved on q step farther
Friendships and separations viii not
seem so badly arranged then, probably
This Is school this life, gather. My
mother says q Is not every important
II one has good seat In the school
room or a bad; II one sits near ones
playmates or Is sent to another corner,
so long as one Is q good child and
works heartily at ones lessons, 1t Is
only for q day-and then we go home,
where all that Is made right. Not q
bad idea Of my mothers is It, Alixe?"
Your mother Is a wonderful wom-
an" Alike answered thoughtfully.
"She lives like that. She never LET
things trouble her, not even when your
father lost everything. Did she, Fran
cois7"
mo" said Francois. "She is one OF
the few people who know what the real
things are and live In them. 1t Is hard
to do that can not. 1 care so bit
terly for what want. It is"-Francois
hesitated-''it Is very hard for me to
over the words; his voice shook SO that
Alike shifted in the saddle and looked
at him inquiringly. .
"Francoisi Is anything wrong? Must
you give up something"
Francois laughed then and patted
the brown arching neck Of Capitaine,
give up things; and remuneration Is the
measure Of strength" he said with 20
| year-old generalization. yet with q
| light In his face which might have been
| the smiling of an aged saint. You
were talking about Pietro," he went on
rapidly about our separation from
him, our good old Petrol do miss
him. Yet that was inevitable from the
beginning. That was life. Pietro Il
Italian; he has his place over there
land he nodded to where far-off Italy
might lie. He is man, Pietro, every
inch, already. He has gone to fill his
place, as quietly, as unhesitatingly as
he viii do everything that comes to
him" .s .. ."a-
'fEverything that comes to him--yes."
Alike spoke a little scornfully. But
--FraLcois-he does not go very fast
| to meet the things that come to him. "
Francois eyes flashed at her. You
have never been fair to Pietro, Alike. y
mot fair7" Alike interrupted. and
| laughed.
mo, not fair" repeated the boy.
you do not seem to see what he is--a
heart Of gold, a wall OF rock. 1t is not
his way to talk much, but he has great
qualities" ,..-.G
"What?'' asked Alike.
What" Francois repeated. you
to ask that! You know as we'll as ]
that Pietro Is a Bayard-without fear
and without reproach. He is unchang-
| ing as the ocean-.he Is to be believed
in his slightest word. You know that
1t would be commonplace for Pietro
to be killed rather than play false to
the smallest trust He'is fanatic OF
reliability" ..". 49,. 81.
you make him out a slow worthy
person" said Alike, and drew up the
horses bride. You can respect a man
with all those sterling qualities, but
| he isn't very-dRshing to be like that
Is he? i like a man to have initiative
some gift Of leadership"
Francois looked at her sternly
"Dashing! Initiatives! Do you remem.
Der, Alike, what It Is that Pietro has
done? Do you realize that Italy Is IN
the stress of desperate struggle for
liberty2 That a forlorn fight against
| tho power OF the Austrians Is on heI
hands, and that Pietro went back at IL
| to tako his part with the patriots
Do you realize what danger that
means? Danger not only OF death, but
some dungeon. Noblemen Of higher
rank than Pietro are living in chains
there now. 1t Is our playmate Pietrc
who Is facing this-Pietro, who has
breathed the free air and ridden with
| us through this valley for so many
years. He realizes It. He went with
his eyes open. His family are marked;
he will be a leader against the Aus
! TRANS; he will be one OF the first to be
punished If the Austrians conquer
and they are very strong. He went
back to Italy to a lonely life, to a life
OF intense effort and activity and dan
ger, as quietly as II he were going back
to school And you, you whom"-Fran-
co.'s stopped--and went on ''you whom
he loves better than any one in the
world-wrong him"
BY now Alike was half sobbing
How horrid you are, Francois! You
jump at conclusions. You are not the
only person who cares for Pietro.
do not wrong him-not in my thoughts
I abused him to you on purpose.
wanted to see what you would say for
him. One does that. II one-really
cares--for a person, one has the right
1t is not disloyalty; I could abuse my
father-I could say any horried
thing chose, and not q word
not q shadow Of q thought would
be disloyal, because I love him SO
that II would all be nothing compared
ito that. know Ptetro is brave; ]
know he has gone into danger--is II
so very bad, Francois? Butt am irri-
tated often with Ptetro-because you
are always the hero It Is always you
who do the brave thing, and IT Is easy
for every one toto adore you, Fran
co.'s. You seem only to smile at per-
SON and they-they care for you. And
Pietro Is Just--quiet and reliable. II
Il AnNv 10, A..