The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1915-04-16

ana soft that Il seemed the voice o. a
whispering whippoorwill.
Then, with a sudden glad little CRY,
she came running with her old feet
grace down to the road.
Samson had vaulted the stIIe and
stood In the full moonlight. As he
saw her coming he stretched out bis
arms and his voice BROKE from his
throat in a half-hoarse. passionate cry;
Sally"
Il was the only word he could have
spoken just then, but II was all that
was necessary. II told her everything.
For a time there wal no speech, but
TO each Of them II seemed that their
tumultuOus he0rtbeating must sound
above the night music, and the teleg-
raphy OF heartbeats. telle enough.
But they had much to say 10 each
other, and. finally. Samson broke the
silence:
did We think I wasn't a-coming
back, Sally7" he questioned, softly. At
that moment he had no realization
that his tongue had ever fashioned
smoother phrases. And she, too. who
had been making wal on crude idioms.
forgot, as she answered:
"Ye done said ye was comm" Then
she added a happy lie: 81 knowed
plumb shore ye'd do hit"
After a while she drew away and
said. slowly;
Samson, I've done kept the old
rihe-gun ready fer ye. We said ye'd
need 1t bad when we come back, an
I've took care OF It."
She stood there holding il, and her
voice dropped almost to a whisper as
she added:
TITS been a lot OF comfort to me
sometimes. because II was your'n. |
knew II ye stopped keerin' fer me ye
wouldn't let me keep tan az long
as had It =" She broke on, and
the fingers OF one hand touched the
weapon c~aressingly.
After a long while they found time
for the less wonderful things.
II got your letter" he said, seriously,
"and / came at once As he began
to speak Of concrete facts he dropped
again into ordinary English and did
not know that he had changed his
manner Of speech.
For an instant Sally looked up into
his face, then with a sudden laugh,
she informed him:
~ a say isn't instead Of halnt,'
too. How did you like my writiEg?"
He held her OFF at arms length. and
looked at her pridefully, but under his
gaze her eyes fell and her face flushed
with a sudden dinldence and q now
shyness Of realization. She wore a
calico dress, but at her throat was
a soft little bow OF ribbon. She was
no longer the totally unself-consclous
wood nymph, though as natural end in
%stlnctive as In other days. Suddenly
she drew away from MIN a 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 II. She had
spent lonely nights struggling for rudi-
ments; she had sought and fought to
refashion herself. so that, Il he came.
he need not be ashamed Of her. And
now he had come and, with a terrible
clarity and distinctness. she realized
how pltifully little she had been able
to accomplish. Would she pass mus.
ter? She stood there before him,
frightened, self-oonscious and palpi-
tAtlng. then her voice came In a WINS.
per;
Samson, dear. I'm not holdin' you
10 any promise. Those things we said
were a long time back. Maybe we'd
better forget EN- DOW and begin all
yer again"
But again he crushed her In hls
arms and bis voice rose triumphantly:
Sally. | have no promises to taxi
back. and you have made none that
I'm ever going to let you take back
not while life lRstsl"
Her laugh Was the delicious music
OF happiness.
4 don't want "a take them back"
she said. Then, suddenly. she added.
importantly; 4 wear shoes and stock.
ings nov. and I've been to school a ne.
tie. I'm awfully-awfully ignorant,
Samson, but I've started. and ! reckon
you can teach me-"
His voice chOked. Then. her hands
strayed up. and clhsped themselves
about his head.
oh. Samson" she cried. as though
someone had struck her, you've cut
yore ha'r."
1T viii grOw again." he laughed.
But he wished that he had not had to
FAKE that xeuBe Then. being hon
est. he told her all about Adrienne Les.
cott-even about how. after he be.
heved that he had been outcast by his
uncle and herself. he had had his mo-
ments Of doubt. Nov that II was all 80
clear, now that there could never be
doubt, he wanted the Woman who had
been so true a friend TO know the girl
whom he loved. He loved them both.
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