Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1915-09-01
HIS aH0UHT. ...,1 GIRL
BY RoNALD ROSS.

MdIFlH NGS i'll MS later InlrCleS
College bred, ne had gone West after
making failure Of his life. He had
no ties. Nobody in the world cared
for him. He wanted only to bury
himself in the heart of the forest and
to forget.
Ono dav as Marvin rode thrnueh
the woods, he came upon a slip of a
mountain girl bending over a brook
Her bare feet were as brown as ber.
RES, kcr arms nut brown, her face
flushed with confusion as she raised
it to his.
They fell into an easy conversation
Her father was small sheep rancher
living in the valley. She had no 9th
er rels tive or friend except-Jim.
Jim was her lover, Marvin gathered
He rode on, vaguely Disconnected. The
thought of the girl required to him
again and again.
He met her once more, twice-thea
the day came when he rode down to
the valley to buy his supplies. And
he saw the girl at the door of the
ranch building.
"Joe Cooper's GAL" the storekeeper
told him. shes sort of queer. Old
Jim Bates is crazy to marry her, but
he's in his fifties and the gal don't
care for an old man. Guess her father
will make her though. He's eager to
get rid of her-shiftless lot, them
Coopers."
Marvin, returning, saw a group Of
three at the door of the house. The
two men were arguing. angrily with
the girl. Marvin thought he saw
tears on her cheeks. He pulled in his
horse; then slowly rode away. It
was no business Of his; he could not
interfere.
But the days hung drearily on his
hands, and he felt vague longing to
see the forest girl again. About
week later his wish was gratifled. :
She was coming along the trail,
sobbing, and when she saw him she
stopped dead and hid her face in her
hands. Marvin was at her side in a
minute.
"You are in trouble" he said. what
can / do to help you?" Then in sud-
den realization, you were coming
to me?"
She nodded dumbly. "I can't stand
for it in the valley" she said. II
won't marry Jim Bates. I won't. l
hate him. All my life 1 have wanted
to live in the mountains, away from
folks"
The stammered, foolish words were
almost inarticulate. Marvin under
stood the passion behind them, the
soul longing for freedom, cropping for
refuge from the petty tyranny of life.
He placed his arm around her. She
looked up at him. and their lips met.
81, too, love the mountains he said.
would you come and live with me
I mean, If We were to be married?"
She nodded. They strolled together
along the trail. and at last both had
found happiness. Before she left it
was arranged that she was to meet
him and they would ride to the near
est town and find minister.
That night he dreamed that he was
pursuing Laura through vast, smoky
land, wilderness with no other liv-
ing being in sight; yet she was run.
ming from him toward some unknown
danger and he pursued, eager to save
her
He gasped and sat up. Through
the window of his cabin he saw a
lurid light that seemed to fill the sky.
The room was filed with smoke.
He hurried into his clothes and ran
to the stable The horse was whinny-
ing, fearful of the fire that seemed to
be creeping nearer Marvin saddled
him and rode at a gallop into the
woods. At the edge of the crest he
saw that the whole valley was ablaze.
He tethered his horse securely and
ran down the valley. He saw smol-
dering homesteads, fallen trees,
blackened rooftops of deserted houses.
Then he was at the Cooper ranch.
The house was still blazing.
He ran through the little irrigated
patch and hammered furiously at the
door. 1t fell crashing beneath his
blows. The interior was empty.
Thank God for that!
The girl must have joined the fugi-
tives in the mountains at the other
end of the valley. There was no more
to be done. Marvin turned slowly
away-and then he was aware of the
girl crouching beside the little trickle
of water, as she had crouched by the
brook that day. She was crouching,
weeping, and in a moment he had her
in his arms.
"You are not hurt?" he cried.
Where is your father? Your"
"I don't know" she sobbed. when
/ awoke the house was beginning to
burn. l dressed and hurried out here.
I think-I think they have gone with