The Green Forest tribune., 1915-02-26


 then shook her head again.
 Issue your orders," he insisted. Il am waiting to obey"
 She hesitated again, then said, slowly:
 Have your hair cut. It's the one uncivilized thing about you"
 For an instant Samson's face hard ened.
 "No," he said; q don't care to do that"
 "Oh, very well!" she laughed lightly. "In that event, of course, you shouldn't do it.'' But her smile faded, and after moment he explained:
 You see, it wouldn't do."
 What do you mean?"
 q mean that I've got to keep some thing as it was to remind me of a prior, claim on my life"
 For an instant the girls face cloud ed and grew deeply troubled.
 You don't mean," she asked, with an outburst of interest more vehement than she had meant to show, or real ized she was showing don't mean that you still adhere to ideas of the vendetta?" Then she broke off with laugh, rather nervous laugh. of course not" she answered her self. That would be too absurd!"
 Would it?" asked Samson, simply. He glanced at his watch. Two min utes up" he announced "The model will please resume the pose. By the way, may I drive with you tomorrow afternoon?"
 The next afternoon Samson ran up the street steps of the Lescott house and rang the bell, and few moments later Adrienne appeared. The car was waiting outside. and, as the girl came down the stairs in motor coat and veil, she paused and her fingers on the banister frightened in surprise as she looked at the man who stood below holding his hat in his hand, with his face upturned. The well-shaped head was no longer marred by the mane which it had formerly worn, but was close cropped, and under the trans forming influence of the change the forehead seemed bolder and higher, and to her thinking the strength of the purposeful features was enhanced, and yet, had she known it, the man felt that he had for the first time sur rendered point which meant an aban- donment of something akin to prin- ciple.
 She said nothing, but as she took his hand in greeting her fingers pressed his own in handclasp more lingering than usual.
 Late that evening, when Samson re- turned to the studio, he found a mis- sive in his letter box, and, as he took it out. his eyes fell on the postmark. It was dated from Hixon, Kentucky, and, as the man slowly climbed the stairs, he turLed the envelope over in his hand with a strange sense of mis- giving and premonition.
 The letter was written in the cramped hand of Brother Spencer. 1 Through it's faulty dietion ran a plain ly discernible undernote of disapproval for Samson, though there was no word of reproof or criticism It was plain that it was sent as a matter of cour- tesy to one who having proved all apostate, scarcely merited such consid- eration. It informed him that old Spicer South had been mighty pore ly," but was now better, barring the breaking of age. Everyone was "tol- erable." Then came the announce ment which the letter had been writ ten to convey.
 The term of the South Holman truce had ended, and it had been renewed for an indefinite period
 Some of your folks thought they ought to let you know because they promised to give you a say" wrote the informant. But they decided that it couldn't hardly make no difference to you, since you have left the noun tains, and if you cared anything about it, you knew the time, and could of been here. Hoping this finds you we'll"
 Samson's face cIouded. He threw the soiled and scribbled missive down on the table and sat with unseeing eyes fixed on the studio wall. So, they had cast him out of their councils! They already thought of him as one who had been.
 In that passionate rush of feeling everything that had happened since he had left Misery seemed artificial and dreamlike He longed for the realities that were forfeited. He want ed to press himself close to the great, gray shoulders of rock that broke through the greenery like giants tear ing off soft raiment. Those were his people back there. He should be run ningkwith the wolf pack, not coursing with beagles.
 He had been telling himself that he was loyal and now he realized that he was drifting like the lotus eaters.
 He rose and paced the floor, with teeth and hands clenched and the sweat standing out on his forehead His advisers had of late been urging him to go to Paris. He had refused