Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-10-30
Ehe CALL o(thcC InBER, ANDS'
IApL[S NEVILLE BUCK

Christmas was only two days OF and
her gun-rack was empty. When she
had come home there had not been
6 single weapon there.
There would be no Christmas tree
now! The beribboned packages lay in
. useless pile. Had school been in ses'
sion, she knew that the desks would
have been as empty as the gun-rack
The whole turtlelike life had drawn in
its head and the countryside lay a.
though besieged.
On Anse Havey's book-shelves were
new volumes, for Juanita was feeding
his scant supply, and softer type Of
poetry was being added to his frugal
and stern repertoire. A number OF
men left the mountains and went into
exile elsewhere. These were the wit.
nesses who must testify against Luke
Thixton and whose lives would not
have been worth . nickel had they
stayed at home.
Then came Christmas day itself,
bleak and soggy with the thaw that
had set in and the moody dreariness
Of the sky. The sun seemed to have
despaired and. made its course spirit
lessly from dawn to twilight. crawling
dimly across its daily arc.
Brother Anss Talbot came ever to
the school and found both women sit
ting alphabetically by an untrimmed fir
tree amid litter Of forgotten pack
ages. The children of Tribulation
were having the sort of Christmas
they had always had-a day Of terror
and empty cheerlessness.
Hit seems like a right smart pity
fer them children ter be plumb, tee
totally disappointed" unused the old
preacher. "S'pose now We put names
on them gewgaws an let me jest
sorter ride round an scatter EN-"
you dear old saint" cried Juanita,
suddenly reused out of her apathy.
But you'll freeze to death an get
drowned in some ford"
"Thets all right" the preacher an
swered briefly. II reckon I kin 20
Their route"
It took Good Anse Talbot three
days of battle with quicksand and
mire to finish that mission. At each
house he told them that Juanita Hol-
land had sent him, and the girl was
cancnized afresh in hearts old and
young, back in roadless coves and on
bleak hillsides.
- .
Every evening found Anse Havey
hat 1,,o~ 20
ing the flicker Of the freight on her
face. Every detail Of her expression
became to him as something he had
always known and worshiped.
Some day Malcolm would come back
and marry her-and then-at that
point Bad Anse Havey refused to fol-
low his trend of thought further. He
only ground his teeth.
Eye damn fool" he told himself.
THAT amt no reason why ye shouldn't
make the most Of today. She's right
here now, an she's sun an moon an
star shine and music an sweetness .
She did not know, and he gave ner
no hint, that in these times, with plcts
and counterplots Matching on both
sides Of the ridge, ne never made that
Journey in the night without inviting
death. He was walking miles through
black woodland trails each evening to
relieve FOR an hour or two her ionelt
ness and to worship with sealed lips
and rebellious heart.
On the night before he was to go to
Peril to attend the trial of Luke Th!x-
ton he came with q very full and
heavy heart. He knew that it might
be farewell. Tomorrow he must put
to the test al his hold on his people
and all his audacity Of resolution. He
stood at the verge Of IN Austerlitz or
. Waterloo, and he had undertaken
the thing for no reason except that it
had pleased her to command it.
He knew that among his own fol-
lowers there were smiles for the
power which . turin" woman had
come to WELD over him, and If one
failure marred his plans those smiles
would become derisive. It was weak
ness to 60 on as he was going. gazing
dumbly at her with boundless adora-
ton he dared not voice. Tonight he
would bluntly tell her that he was do
ing these things because he loved her;
that, while he was glad to do them,