The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-11-25


black. The younger mans face ap-
peared so dark that ! suspected he wore
a beard, and his figure was erect and
vigorous. in the prime Of life. virile and
full OF power.
He certainly dominated the older
man. watched them attentively. as
they paced back and forth. and the de-
pendence of the one upon the other
was very manifest. Both heads We're
bent as though in earnest talk and, for
perhaps half an hour, they walked slow
ly up and down. Then, at a sign OF
fatigue from the older figure. the other
led him to a garden bench. where both
sat down.
The elder man. 1 told myself. was no
doubt Worthington Vaughan. Small
wonder he was considered queer II he
dressed habitually in white robe and
worshiped the stars at midnight There
was something monkish about the hab-
its which he and his companion wore,
and the thought flashed into my mind
that perhaps they were members OF
some religious order. or some Oriental
cult or priesthood. And both of them.
added to myself. must be a little
mad!
AS watched. the discussion gradu-
ally grew more animated, and the
younger man, springing to his feet,
paced excitedly UP and down, touching
his forehead with his fingers from time
to time. and raising his hands to heav-
en-. as though calling 1t as a witness to
his words, At last the other made a
sign Of assent, got to his feet, bent his
head reverently as to a spiritual supe-
rior and walked slowly away toward
the house. The younger man stood gaz-
ing after him until he passed from
sight. then resumed his rapid pacing
up and yH-~ evidently deeply moved.
At Lit. - I'm the direction OF the
house. car q TIE flutter OF white robe,
For a r4oml' thought 1t was the old
man return Lg: then. as it emerged full
ly from tire trees, / saw that 1t was q
woman--a young woman, / guessed,
from her sIimness. and from the mass
Of dark hair which framed her face.
And then I remembered that Godfrey
had told me that Worthington Vaughan
had daughter.
The man was at her side in an In
slant. held out his hand. and said
something. which caused her to shrink
away. She half turned, as though to
flee. but the other laid his hand upon
her arm. speaking earnestly. and. after
q moment. she permitted him to lead
her to a seat. He remained standing
before her. sometimes raising his hands
to heaven. sometimes pointing toward
the house.. sometimes bending close
above her. and from time TO time. maxi
ing that peculiar gesture OF touching
his fingers to his forehead, whose
meaning could not guess. But could
guess at the torrent of passionate words
which poured from his lips, and at the
eager light which was in his eyes!
The woman sat quite still. with
bowed head, listening, but making no
sign either of consent or refusal. Grad
ually. the man grew more confident.
and at last stopped to take her hand,
but she drew 1t quickly away. and. rails
ing her head. said something slowly
and with emphasis. He shook his head
savagely, then. after a rapid turn UP
and down. seemed to agree, bowed low
to her. and went rapidly away toward
the house. The woman sat for some
time where he had left her. her face
in. her hands: then. with a gesture of
WEAKNESS and discouragement, crossed
the lawn and disappeared among the
trees.
For a long time sat there motion
less, my eyes on the spot where she
had disappeared, trying TO understand.
What was the meaning OF the scene
What was It the younger man had
urged so passionately upon her, but
at which she had rebelled? What was
It for which he had pied so earnestly
The obvious answer was that he pied
for her love. that he had urged her TO
become his wife: but the answer did
not satisfy me. His attitude had been
passionate enough, but IL had scarcely
been lover like. It had more OF adj
monition, of warning, even OF threat,
than OF entreaty in 1t. 1t was not the
attitude OF a lover to his mistress,
but Of master to his pupil.
And what had been the answer,
wrung from her finally by his insist
ance--the answer to which he had at
first violently dissented, and then re-
lllctautiy agreed? st
No doubt, IL these people had been
CARRIED in the clothes OF every day,
I should have felt at the outset that
all this was none OF my business, and
have crept down the ladder and gone
away. But their strange dress
once unreal and theatrical, and not for
an instant had / felt myself an intru-
der. 1t was as though were looking at
the rehearsal Of q drama designed for
the public gaze and enacted upon a
stage; or, more properly, a pantomime,
dim and flgurative, but most impress
sive. Might It not, indeed, be a re-
hearsal of some sort--private theatre
cals--make believe? But that scene at
midnight-that could not be make be-
lieve! No, nor was this scene in the
garden. 1t was In earnest-in dead
Hest earnest; there was about 1t some
thing sinister and threatening; and 1t
ization that there was something here
not right, something demanding scru-
tiay-which kept me chained to my
uncomfortable perch, minute after
minute. ~ ... A.
But nothing further happened, and
realized. at last, that IL / was to escape
an agonizing cramp in the leg, must
get down. put my feet on the ladder,
and then paused for a last look about
the grounds. My eye was caught by
a flutter OF white among the trees.
Someone was walking along one OF the
paths; in a moment, straining for
ward, saw IL was the woman, and
that she was approaching the wall.
And then, as she came nearer, saw
that she was not a woman at all, but a
girl--a girl OF is or 20. to whom the
flowing robes gave, at a distance, the
effect OF age. caught only glimpse
OF her face before IL was hidden by a
cIump OF sIlrubbery. but that glimpse
told me that II was q face to set the
pulses leaping / strained still farther
forward, waiting until she should come
into sight again. ...
Along the path she came, with the
sunlight about her! kissing her hair,
her lips, her cheeks--and the next i'm
slant her eyes we're staring upwards
into mine.
i could noe move. could only share
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