The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-04-08

eryone. No one thought OF CrltlclSlnS
her for being a petted. INDUCED "only
child" 1t really wasn't because she was
the daughter OF a very distinguished
gentleman. the Honorable Oswald
Bright, Of Upper Corinth and the com
monwealth at large. Not at all. A
great many people did not K Judge
Bright, wen though they respected
aim. He had made a multitude of enc
mics by administering justice as 1t Is
meant to be administered. You should
not be asked to like a judge who has
ruled against you. But you would have
liked Joan. You would have adored
her. Everyone else did, and you could
not possibly have been an exception.
Judge Bright-sometimes called His
Honor Bright"--was no longer involved
in the adjudication Of local disputes.
He had gone beyond that some years
ago. Today he was of the Justices
In the supreme court Of the state, and
there vas some talk-in Corinth, at
least-of a seat on the United States
supreme bench when he had become
too old for active service in his pres
ent capacity. But that is neither here
nor there. His home vas in Corinth.
They called the hill part of the town
Upper Corinth In these days, for social
as we'll as geological reasons. II you
lived above Twelfth street you were of
Upper Corinth. Your business would
have to be below Twelfth street. No
one but landscape gardeners and archi-
tects did business above. ct was be-
fore the day Of chauffeurs and vacuum
cleaners.)
Joan, whose mother died when the
girl was 6. was the particular and de-
voted friend of Mary Midthorne, al
though nearly two years her senior.
Two more lovely, lovable girls could
not well be- imagined, much less Gre
ated. Both were fair to look upon slim.
proud, aristocratic. yet simple. hearted
and unspoiled. They were dark eyed
but why describe them now? They are
half grown children, mere prophecies
of womanhood. We q only say that
they were adorably pretty, and pray
that they may not outgrow their
charms. al 80 many do. II they are
as lovely when they grow up-as they
will long before this tale is ended-it
may be worth while for me to describe
them and for your to contemplate them
without reference to the old saying
which condemns a fair child to unat-
tractiye maturity.
Joan vas shy. Few pretty girls are
shy. They may be bashful but not
shy. There Ia quite a distinction. Joan
was not bashful, which Is the same
thing rs saying she was not clumsy
OF awkward. She was perfectly sure
OF herself, possessed q certain amount
Of poise. and had an air. You may
ask, then, why she Is depicted as shy.
Why is the pet deer that feeds COM
placently from your hand shy2 Not
because 1t is afraid of you. You would
not speak of a COW as o shy creature.
The deer Is shy because It Is high
strung, delicate, sensitive. Well, Joan
was like the deer.
She was the apple OF her fathers eye.
She held his heart strings in those
slender fingers Of hers, and she drew
them so gently hat he never suspect
ed he was being led whittier sho willed.
He quite approved of her friendship for
the Midthorne children, although he
was in full possession Of their lament
able history. AS a matter OF fact, Hor-
ace Blagden's appointment as guar
dian of the children had been made
in Judge Bright's court before his
ascendency to the supreme bench. He
not only knew the history OF the chill
dren but he sympathized with them.
He had been very fond OF Mary Blag-
den, and he had liked Phil Midthorne.
But, what may be moro to the point, he
was aware of the handsome bequest
which Horace controlled as guardian.
1t has already been limited that Eric
was interested in h judges daughter.
He had known Joan Bright since the
first days of his residence in Corinth,
and for Just that length Of time he had
been her devoted. but diffident adorer.
II began at the age OF 9, when he
performed for her especial benefit such
deeds Of valor as standing on hts head
or hands-(chiefly on the back OF his
neck or his earl. turning somersaults
walking fence rails.-we've all gone to
such lengths to produce an effect on
the first LADY Of our heart. As time
wore on. he became more enamored
but less valiant. When he was 16, he
was positively timorous. He was not
in the least backward SO a as other
girls were concerned: no one was more
at ease. more cocksure OF himself. more
debonair. But with Joan-ah. welll 1t
is an ancient affliction. No man Is
complete in himself unless he has had
this disease and the measles-and re-
covered from both. a B.. n
II must be admitted that she. with
all the perversity of her sex, denied
him the most because she liked him the
best. Even young girls are capable
OF this. It's what makes women of
farthest to please and to whom we are
always grateful ;c the road Is tortuous.
Joan treated him most cavalierly at
times. There was a good and sufficient
reason. one affected by all girls Of
spirit; the tender suspicion, slyly en-
couraged, that h was In love with
him.
OF course. she explained to herself.
1t was n o at all true, and she went to
a great deal Of pains to convince her
self Of the fact.-to such pains, / may
say, that he also was convinced. She
was so confidently heartless In the
matter that she rather enjoyed the
sensation of being a dear friend to his
sister. 1t is a great comfort to be de-
voted to the sister Of the man you
despise. .. /.
Eric despaired. ManfuIly. Of course,
and in secret. His pride stood In the
way of open attention to her. He
never danced with her more than once
in an evening; he seldom skated with
her. But his heart was sore. and he
was Jealous.
He was grateful to her for the frank
affection she bestowed on Mary. II
proved Mary's position. and he cared
more for that than for anything else
In the world. She could hold up her
head in Corinth when she walked with
Joan Bright. As for himself. he
dumbly realized hat Joan Bright could
never be more to him than the friend
of his sister; he could ask for nothing
more, being the son Of a slayer Of men.
Was she not the daughter Of a Judge
Of men?
To be sure. Mary was cautioned by
her aunt not to put evil ideas into the