The vidette. (Iuka, Tishomingo County, Miss.) 1912-1967, 1915-11-18

again INTO Ordinary Engll6n ana olu
not know that he had changed his
manner of speech.
For an instant Sally looked up into
his face, then with sudden laugh,
she informed him:
81 can say isn't instead Of 'hain't,'
too. How did you like my writing?"
He held her off at arms length, and
looked at her pridefully, but under his
gaze her eyes fell aud her face flushed
with q sudden diffidence and a new
shyness Of realization. She wore
calico dress, but at her throat was
a soft little bow OF ribbon. She was
wood nymph, though as natural and In
stinctive as In other days. Suddenly
she drew away from him little, and
her hands went slowly to her breast
and rested there. She was fronting
a great crisis, but, in the first flush of
Joy she had forgotten 1t. She had
spent lonely nights struggling for rudi-
ments; she had sought and fought to
refashion herself, SO that, II he came,
he need not be ashamed Of her. And
now he had come and, with terrible
clarity and distinctness, she realized
how pitifully little she had been able
to accomplish. Would she pass mus.
ter? She stood there before him,
frightened, self-conscious and palpi-
tating, then her voice came In a whls-
per-
Samson, dear, I'm not holdin' you
to any promise Those things we said
were a long time back. Maybe we'd
better forget EN- now and begin all
over again"
But again he crushed her in his
arms and his voice rose triumphantly:
Sally, have no promises to take
back, and you have made none that
I'm ever going to let you take back
not while life laste!"
Her laugh was the delicious music
Of happiness.
~ don't want to take them back.
she said. Then, suddenly, she added.
Importantly: Il wear shoes and stock
lngs now, and I've been to school a lit
tie. I'm awfully-awfully ignorant,
Samson, but I've started, and l reckon
you can teach me-"
His voice choked. Then, her hands
strayed up, and clasped themselves
about his head
"Oh, Samson" she cried, as though
someone had struck her, you've cut
yore ha'r."
1T will grow again." he laughed.
But he wished that he had not had to
make that excuse. Then, being hon.
est, he told her all about Adrienne Les
cott-even about how, after he be-
lieved that he had been outcast by his
uncle and herself, he had had his mo-
ments of doubt. Now that it was all SO
| clear, now that there could never be
doubt, he wanted the woman who had
| been so true friend to know the girl
whom he loved. He loved them both
! but was In love with only one. He
wanted to present to Sally the friend
who had made him the Sally of whom
he was proud He wanted to tell
Adrienne that now he could answer
her question-that each of them meant
to the other exactly the same thing
they were friends of the rarer sort
passion.
AS they talked, sitting on the stile
Sally held the rife across her knees
/ Except for their own voices and the
/ soft chorus of night sounds, the hills
were wrapped in silence-a silence al
soft as velvet. Suddenly, in a pause
there came to the girls ears the crack
ing of a twig in the woods. With the
old. instructive training of the noun
tains she leaped noiselessly down, ant
for an instant stood listening will
intent ears. Then, in a low, tense
whisper, as she thrust the gun int
the mans hands, she cautioned:
cit out of sight. Maybe They've
done found out we've come back
maybe they're trailin' vel"
With an instant shock she remem
/ bered what mission had brought hin
back, and what was his peril; and he
too, for whom the happiness of tbs
moment had swallowed up othel
things, came back to recognition o.
facts. Dropping into the old wood
craft, he melted out of sight into the
shadow, thrusting the girl behind him
and crouched against the fence. throw
ing the rifle forward, and peering into
/ the shadows. AS he stood there, bal