The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-12-18
CHAPTER xII-continued.

Dawn turned away and went stalk
ing along the woodland path without
backward glance, and AIilt followed at
her heels, with Juanita. much amused.
bringing up the rear. The easterner
thought that these two young folks
made splendid pair, specimens of the
best of the mountains. as yet unbroken
by heavy harness. Then. as the
younger girl passed under a swinging
rope of wild grapevine, STOPPING low,
a tendril caught in her hair.
Without word Young Milt bent for
ward and was freeing it, tingling
through his pulses as his fingers
touched the heavy black mass. but as
soon as she was loose the girl sprang
away and wheeled. her eyes blazing.
How dast We tech me?" she de-
manded. painting with wrath. How
dast ye?"
The boy laughed easily. 81 dast do
anything l wants." he told her.
For a moment they stood looking at
each other, then the girl dropped her
eyes, but the anger had died out of
them, and Juanita saw that. despite
her condescending air. she was not
displeased.
Juanita, of course, knew nothing Of
jobs suspicious tha/had led him into
the laurel. but even without that in
formation, when Young Milt met them
more often than could be attributed
to chance on their walks and fell into
the habit of strolling back with them.
strong forebodings began to trouble
her
And one morning these forebodings
were verified in crisis for, while the
youthful McBriar lounged near the
porch of Juanita's cabin talking with
Dawn, another shadow fell across the
sunlight: the shadow of Jeb McNash.
He had come silently. and it was only
as Young Milt, whose back had been
turned, shifted his position, that the
two boys recognized each other.
Juanita saw the start with which
jobs figure stiffened and grew taut-
She saw his hands clench themselves
and his face turn white as chalk; saw
his chest rise and fall under heavy
breathing that Kissed through clenched
teeth. and her own heart pounded with
wild anxiety.
But Milt McBriar's face showed
his ldIuSI uldSh1IhS
ness Of feature had come down to him
and as he read the meaning of the
other boys attitude he merely nodded
and said casually: "Howdy. Jeb.'
Jeb did not answer He could not
answer. He was training and punish
ing every fiber cruelty simply in
standing where he was and keeping
his hands at his sides. For time
he remained stiff and white, breathing
spasmodically; then. without a word
he turned and stalked away.
That moon a horseman brought g
note across the ridge, and as Juanits
Holland read it she felt that all hei
dreams were crumbling-that the sou
of them was paralyzed.
1t was a brief note, written in s
copybook hand, and it ran:
I'll have to ask you to send the McNasl
children over to my house. Jeb doesn
want them to be consorting with the Nc
Briars. and can't blame him. He Is tn,
head of his family.
Respectfully.
ANsE HAvEY.
stronger thing to Juanita HOLLAND
than the personal disappointment
WHICH, udO QIlNSA nCI " InlS MOTh wal
now her eager. fiery interest in thu
undertaking itself. In these months
she had disabused herself Of many
prejudices. There remained that lin
sering one against the man with whom
she had not made friends.
The thing she had set out to dc. wa,
q hundredfold more vital now than i
had been when it stood for carrying
out a dead grandfather's wish. Sh,
had been with these people in child
birth and death. in sickness and want
she had seen summer go from it's ten
der beginning to a vagabond end witt
its tattered banners of ripened corn
autumn had biazed and hared int
high carnival
As young Jeb had turned on his hee