Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1915-11-27
CHAPTER v.

In the lowlands morning announces
itself with the rosy glow of dawn anu
upflung shafts of light. but here In the
hills of Appalachia even the sun comes
stealing with surreptitious caution and
yelled face. as if fearful of ambuscade-
When Juanita opened her eyes, to
find the tumbled beds empty save TOT
herself, she told herself with dismal
heart that day of rain and soooen
skies lay ahead of her.
The dim room reeked with wet
mists. and an inquisitive young roos-
ter stalked jauntily over the puncheon
floor, where his footballs sounded in
tiny clicks. 1t was a few minutes
after five o'clock. and Juanita shivered
a little with the clammy chill as she
went over to the door and looked out
Bending over a gushing spring at
one corner of the yard in the uncon-
scious grace of perfect naturalness.
her sleeves rolled back and her dark
hair tumbling. knelt the girl Dawn.
Juanita crossed the yard, and as she
came near the younger girl raised a
face still glistening with the cold wa
ter into which it had been plunged and
glowing with shyness.
The older woman nodded with
smile that had captivated less simple
subjects than Dawn and said: Good
| morning. 1 think you and l are going
| to be great friends. 1 know we are il
you will try to like me as much az
do you
Then the girl from Philadelphia
plunged her face, too, into the cold.
living water, and raised it again, sYnil-f
ing through wet lashes.
! What makes We like me?" Dawn
| al n Id hoIf o1,, Ilev,
ing voice.
Juanita.
The mountain girl held her eyes still
in the unwavering steadiness of her
race, then she said in a voice that car
| ried an undertone of defiance:
"Ye hain't nuver seen me afore,
] an" she broke off, then doggedly,
| AN besides, l don't know nuthin'."
q mean to see you often after this"
| announced the woman from down be-
| low, land the things you don't know
can be learned
A sudden eagernesS came to the
younger face and a sudden torrent of
| questioning seemed to hover on her
| lips, but it did not find utterance. She
| only turned and led the way silently
| back toward the house. When they
were almost at the door Dawn hest
| tated, and Juanita halted with an en-
| couraging smile. 1t was clear that
the mountain girl found whatever she
| meant to say difficult. for she stood
| indecisive and her cheeks were holly
| suffused with color, SO that at last
| Juanita smilingly prompted: What
| is it, dear?"
| Eye said" began Dawn hastily and
awkwardly. "ye said suthin' bout me
| a tryin' ter like We. IL don't halter
| try does hit" Then. having made
a confession as difficult to her shy tact
turnity as callow boys first declara-
| ton of love, she fed abruptly around
| the corner of the house.
Juanita stood looking after her with
| a puzzled brow. This hard mountain
reserve which is so strong that friends
rarely shake hands, that fathers sell
| dom embrace their children, and that
was new to her.
At breakfast she did not see Dawn
the dryad had vanished!
| During the meal no allusion was
made to the happenings of last night.
but the girl noticed that inside the
door leaned the householder's rifle
gun" and under young jobs armpit
| bulged the masked shape of pistol
| butt.
| Young jobs face yesterday had
been that of a boy, this morning it was
| the sullen face of a man confronting
| grim realities. Had Juanita been
more familiar with the contemporary
| affairs of the community, she might
have known that on many faces along
Tribulation that morning brooded the
same scowl from the same cause. The
MeBriar yell had been raised last
night in the heart of the Havey coun-
| try, and this morning brought the
| shame of a land invaded and dishon-
ored.
/ Dawn did not reappear until Juanita
had mounted and turned her mules
head forward. Then, as she was pass
ing the dilapidated barn. the slim, cal
ico-clad figure slipped from it's door
and intercepted her in the road, hold
ing up a handful of queer-shaped
roots.
It lowed We mought need these
hyar." said the girl difidentfy.
Juanita smiled as she bent In her
saddle to take the gift.
THANK you. dear; what are they %
Hits ginseng" Dawn assured her.
Hit grows back thar in Their woods
an hits got a powerful heap Of vir-
tue Hit frisks Their speret an drives
away torment Eff yer starts teS