The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1915-04-22

IN the SHADOW OF a poplar and re-
peated the call.
Then the cabin door opened. It's
jamb framed patch of yellow candle
light, and, at the center, a slender
silhouetted figure, in fiuttering, eager
attitude of uncertainty. The figure
turned slightly to one side, and, as it
did so, the man saw clasped in her
right hand the rifle, which had been
his mission, bequeathed to her in trust.
She hesitated, and the man, invisible
in the shadow, once more initiated the
bird note, but this time it was so low
and soft that it seemed the voice Of a
whispering whippoorwill.
Then, with a sudden glad little cry,
she came running with her old fleet
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 broke from his
throat in half-hoarse, passionate cry:
SALLY"
It was the only word he could have
spoken just then, but it was all that
was necessary. 1t told her everything.
It was an outburst from a heart too
full of emotion to grope after speech,
the cry of a man for the One Woman
who alone can call forth an infection
more eloquent than phrases and po-
etry. And, as she came into his out
stretched arms as straight and direct
as homing pigeon, they closed about
her in convulsive grip that held her
straining to him, almost crushing her
in the tempest of his emotion.
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
Later they would talk, but now, with
a gloriously wild sense of being to-
gether, with a mutual intoxication Of
10Y because all that they had dreamed
was true, and all that they had feared
was untrue, they stood there under
the skies clasping each other-with
the rifle between their breasts. Then
as he held her close, he wondered
that a shadow of doubt could ever
have existed. He wondered if, except
in some nightmare of hallucination, it
had ever existed.
The fiutter of her heart was like
| ~, iFI hn Mo "
of her breath on his face like the
fragrance of the elder blossoms.
These were their stars twinkling
overhead. These were their hills, and
their moon was smiling on their tryst.
He had gone and seen the world
that lured him; he had met it's diff
| culties and faced its puzzles. He had
even felt his feet wandering at the
last from the path that led back TO
her, and now, with her 1.-THE figure
close held in his embrace, and heI
red-brown hair brushing his temples
he marveled how such an instant OF
doubt could have existed. He knew
only that the silver of the moon ano
the kiss of the breeze and the clasl
of her soft arms about his neck were
all parts of one great miracle. Ano
she, who had waited and almost oe
SPARED, not taking count of what she
had suffered felt her knees grow
weak. and her head grow dizzy WIFI
sheer happiness, and wondered II i
were not too marvellous to be true
And, looking very steadfastly into MI
eyes, she saw there the CLEAN tina
once had frightened her; the CLEAN
that spoke of something stronger ant
more compelling than his love. 1t M
longer frightened her, but made ne
soul sing, though it was more 1ntens'
than it had ever been before, for nov
she knew that it was she herself Wn'
brought it to his pupils-and tina
nothing would ever be stronger.
But they had much to say to eacl
other, and. finally, Samson broke thu
silence:
did we think wasn't a-comint
back, Sally?" he questioned, softly. A
that moment he had no realization
that his tongue had ever fashioned
smoother phrases. And she, too, WHIT
had been making war on crude idioms
forgot. as she answered:
"Ye done said ye was comm" Thel
she added a happy lie: Il knoWe'
plumb shore ye'd do hit"
After while she drew away ant
said, slowly:
Samson, I've done kept the oil
riae-gun ready fer We. Ye said ye''
need it bad when We come back, an
I've took care of it."
She stood there holding it, and he
voice dropped almost to a whisper a
she added:
TITS been a lot Of comfort to m
sometimes, because it was your'n.
knew If We stopped keerin' fer me y
wouldn't let me keep tan as lon
} as / had it L" She broke off, an
the fingers of one hand touched tn
weapon caressingly.
The man knew many things nov
that he had not known when he sal
good-by. He recognized in the YER
gesture with which she stroked tn
old walnut stock the pathetic hear
, hunger of nature which had bee
| denied the fulfillment of it's strength
and which had been bestowing on a
| nf