The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-12-16
Id ridden these mountains to be with

had ridden these mountains to be with
him.
He and I had labored across those
twenty miles in a wagon by daylight.
I could guess what it meant at night
and in the saddle-and she had done
it!
She had come alone, except for such
chance escort as she could recruit at
the mining town; and now, as she
walked in the moon hath OF the clear.
ing, there was not a man Of them all
who carried himself with so free and
unwearied a stride.
She was dressed in a short riding
skirt and a heavy sweater. Her Shout
ders swung back as free as al In.
dams, and I knew at that moment,
and without doubt, that this was the
elusive lady Of Europe who had walk
ed out of Shepherds hotel the night
when I sat on the terrace.
She was no fragile ornament Of
drawing rooms; she was the woman
who strobe. like a goddess and for
whom timidities had no existence. She
was not then. after all, I exultantly
reflected, the dollhouse orchid-a mere
whisper and fragrance on waxy petals.
She was the splendid flower I had
conceived, At for Gods good, open
skies!
The thought sent a rich bugle-note
Of triumph ringing through the chaos
Of my misery.
OF a surety, it was no place for me.
In what was to be said behind that
door I had no part. She had come
splendidly, but she had not come to
me. These thoughts raced tumultu-
ously through my mind, ana when she
reached the steps of the porch, and
the light showed the mud and dust on
her corduroy skirt, and caught the
gold of her hair under an upturned
hat brim, I bi. savagely at my lips
and turned away.
With no object or destination, ]
plunged into the hills, where I wan
dered for an hour with the incense
quent aimlessness Of moonmadness.
Tomorrow I would turn her husband
over to her and 60 back. Finally, how
ever, I realized that for tonight the
Marcus house was my only available
abode, and that by this time the first
tenderness of greeting would be over.
I could safely return. Decency and
civility demanded that I shake her
hand and give an account of my rough
nursing. .
AS I drew near the house, the cracks
of the shutters still held threads of
light. At the threshold of the room
where I had left Weighborn I hesitant-
ly knocked.
"Come in," said a low voice-her
voice.
I opened the door and halted in as
constituent. e.
She was sitting before the fire in
the rough chair which was usually oc-
cupied by the old woman, and her eyes
were fixed on the flaring logs and
the white ashes below them. She
was leaning forward with her brows
slightly drawn in a troubled and pain
ed expression.
The blaze threw shifting dashes of
carmine on her cheeks and heighten-
ed the rose-madder of her lips. Her
slender fingers were intertwined
across her knees, and one foot, cased
in riding boots, was tapping the floor
in evident annoyance.
Her discarded sweater hung over
the chair back, and against it's white
background her graceful slenderness
was clear-drawn despite the loose
folds of a blue flannel shirt.
must have let myself in very quiet
~, for she did not urn her head. But
what held me in pause and anger was
the discovery that Weighborne lay
asleep and breathing heavily, as
though the last hour had brought no
exciting incident.
Could it be possible that he had
slept uninterruptedlv? At the thought
a wave of savage resentment swept
me. Had she come to me I should have
risen to meet her, though I had to
shake off the sleep of death itself!
I very quietly went over to her,
without speaking, and still she did
not raise her eyes. I looked down,
cursing myself that I had dared to sus-
pect she could burgeon only in the af-
fluence of satins.
Slowly her gaze came up, and or
seeing me she gave a little start. Then
she spoke in a low voice which was 4
trifle cool.
"Do you think your welcome is very
prompt"
I stiffened and flushed. Could she
be so blindly Indifferent as not to
know that I had taken myself off in
misery and loneliness only because l
was not cad enough to intrude on
that meeting? And now she permit
ted ehrself to grow piqued over the
only evidence of consideration it lay
in my power to show her!
"Do you think I could have done