The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1916-11-23

~ icoo VI bSCS "
course. being the first and greatest
she had feared that George would let
them see through his veneer of man
ners, and leave them troubled. but he
had made u better appearance thar
she had hoped.
Ten years had made a great change in
him than she had expected. He really
had not been so bad as her conjured
image OF him.
Then n sudden desire to look at him
against seized her, to know once for all
just how he really did seem. She would
not want to notice him awake any
more han she could help. nor dare.
lest he presume upon her sudden In
tcrest, to act as II he had never Of
tended. but If she should look at him
now as he lay asleep she might study
his face and see what she really had to
expect.
She fought the desire to peer at him
again, but finally 1t gained complete
possession of her. and she drew back
the curtain once more.
He was lying Just as quietly as be-
fore, His heavy hair, Il little disor-
dered on the pillow. gave him a noble,
interesting appearance. He did not
seem at all a fellow OF whom to be
afraid, 1t was incredible that he could
have written those letters.
She tried to trace in his features a
LIKENESS to the youth Of 10 years ago,
whom she had known when she was
but a little girl, who had tied her
braIds to her chair, and put raw
oysters and c~aterpillars down her back,
or stretched Invisible cords to trip her
feet in dark places; who made her
visits to a beloved uncle-whom he,
also had the right to call uncle.
thou%h he was no cousin OF hers-a
long list Of catastrophes resulting In
tears who had never failed to mortify
her on all occasions possible, and once
=. but the memories were too hor-
tlple as they crowded one upon an
other! Let them be forgotten!
She watched the face before her
keehIy, critically, yet she could see no
trace OF any such character as she had
imagined the boy George must have
developed as a man; of which his let
ters had given her ample proof. This
mans race was finely cut and sensi-
llSe; mere was nothing coarse or
seltish In its lines. The long, dark
eyelashes lay above dark circles of
WEAKNESS, and gave that look of boy
lshness that always touches the ma
ternal chord in a woman's heart.
used to nave a puffy. self in
dulsent look under his eyes even when
ne was a boy. She had Imagined from
his last photograph that he would be
inuch stouter. much more bombastic:
out, then, IN his sleep, perhap those
fell from a man,
ohe trled TO turn away indifferently.
but something in his face held her. She
studied 1t. If he had Deer n other
man any stranger, she would have
from looking at him critically that
kindness and generosity( self resnect
ana respect for women, were written
all over the face before her. There
was fine, firm modelling about he Inns
ana the clean shaven chin; and about
the forehead the look almost Of a
scholar; yet she thought she knew the
Things. How deceptive were looksl
She would probably b. envied rather
pltled by all who saw her. Well,
that was better. She could
easier keep her trouble to herself.
but stay, what was there about this
nan. that seemed different? The
smooth face? Yes. She had the dim
hat last night he wora .
She must have been mis-
taken, OF course. She had only looked
him when absolutely necessary and
aer brain was in such a whtrl: but still
mere seemed to be something different
about him.
Her eyes wandered to the hand hat
-ay across his breast. It was the fine
white hand of the professional man
klnd Of hand that somehow az
tracts the eye with a sense of clearness
ana strength. There was nothine
happy about 1t. George as a bow used
nave big, stunpy fingers and nails
down to the quick. She could
them Then she was a little girl ana
somehow could not keep her ewes
away. She saw with relief that fbs
nahs on this hand were well shaped
ind well cared for.
he looked very handsome and at
Lractlve as he lay there. The sun shot
.ne or its early daring bolts Of Igh+
across his hair as the train t,,rned ~
us course and lurched northward
round a curve 1t glinted there For .
moment, III a miniature
lraVellng over the head, showing I'M
Every wave and curve. He had the
a anu oI mar which makes a woman's
Celia wondered at the c,r,o,,u
thoughts that crowded thro,eh ban
mind, knowing that all the whiia tbara
was tne consciousness that when this
a should wake she would thinl ~
nothing but his hateful as
sae a known 1t through the years.
n she was his wife! How stranas
How terrible! How impossih,a ~ -
with the thought through nterminah1e
weary years! Oh. that she might die
at once pefore her strength failed and
her mother found out her sorrow, "No
Sne lay pack again on her pillows
very SUN and tried to think. but some
low a pleasant image Of him, her hrs-
p ban nd fingered in her memory. Could
It pc possible that she would ever saa
pleasant In him.? Eyar
lure the days Of his companionsbin9
Ever come to the point where she
overlook his outrageous cone
duct toward her, forgive him an5
ne sven tolerant of him? SHARP
memories men rowded upon her, and the
NO, no. 1000 times. mol, She had
PAID ms price and gained redemptian
done? Never!. hao
me long strain Of WEAKNESS, and me
,nohoIony OF the o~nrushing train, lulled
her half into unconsciousnesa aaain
He came to himself suddenly. with al,
MS senses on the alert, as the th,,nnina
and motion Of the train ceased.
nc a sudden silence of open country
succeeded. broken now and again hy,
distant oncoming and receding voices.