Mexico Missouri message., 1915-02-18


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 stile and
stood In the full moonlight AS he
saw her coming he stretched out his
arms and his voice b7oke from his
throat in half-hoarse, passionate cry:
"Sallyl"
It was the only word he could have
spoken just then, but IL was all that
was necessary. 1t told her everything.
For time there was no speech, but
to each of them it seemed that their
tumultuous heartbeating must sound
above the night music, and the teleg-
raphy of heartbeats tells enough.
But they had much to say to each
other, and, finally, Samson broke the
silence:
did We think wasn't a-coming
back, Sally?" 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 war on crude idioms,
forgot. as she answered:
aye done said ye was comm" Then
she added q happy lie: Il knowed
plumb shore ye'd do hit"
After while she drew away and
said, slowly:
Samson, I've done kept the old
rife-gun ready fer ye. Ye said ye'd
need it bad when ye come back, an
I've took care of It,"
She stood there holding it, and her
voice dropped almost to a whisper as
she added:
Its been a lot of comfort to me
sometimes, because it was your'n. l
knew If We stopped keerin' fer me We
wouldn't let me keep tan as long
as l had it l." She broke off, and
the fingers of one hand touched the
weapon caressingly.
After long while they found time
for the less wonderful things.
81 got your letter." he said, seriously,
"and l 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:
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 and her face flushed
with a sudden diffidence and a new
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-conscious
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
great crisis, but, in the first flush OF
10y she had forgotten it. She had
spent lonely nights struggling for rudi
ments; she had sought and fought to
refashion herself, so that, If 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 wills
; per:
Samson, dear, I'm not holdin' YOU
! to any promise. Those things we sait
were long time back. Maybe wei
, better forget 'em now and begin al
' over again"
But again he crushed her in hi
i. arms and his voice rose triumphantly
! sally, have no promises to TAX
back, and you have made none tina
4 I'm ever going to let you take back
not while life lasts!"
. Her laugh was the delicious must
4 of happiness.
h 81 don't want to take them back,
. she said. Then, suddenly, she added
importantly: 81 wear shoes and stool
ings now, and I've been to school Ii
. tie. I'm awfully-awfully ignorant
: Samson, but I've started, and l recko
a you can teach me-"
! His voice choked Then, her hand
strayed up, and clasped themselVe
about his head.
"oh, Samson" she cried, as thong
! someone had struck her, you've Gu
q yore ha'r."
!. ut will grow again." he laughe'
!. But he wished that he had not had
!. rake that excuse. Then, being hol
4 est, he told her all about Adrienne LIE
a cott--even about how, after he b
= lieved that he had been outcast by n
. uncle and herself, he had had his m
. ments of doubt. Now that 1t was all
! clear, now that there could never
. doubt, he wanted the woman who ha
been so true a friend TO know the 81
q whom he loved, He loved them bot
but was in love with only one. T
- wanted to present to Sally the frieI
- who had made him, and to the frieI
q who had made him the Sally Of who
- he was proud. He wanted to Z