The Press., 1917-02-15
CHAPTER XIV. The Camp Heaven.
Author of The Melting
 of Molly"

A ND was very glad indeed that A he did not go with me for that toilet to my hands, for 1t
 might have happened that a noise would have deprived me of a very beautiful thing that I discovered, through a window under vine of roses that opened upon that back porch.
 very pretty young girl, with hair the color of the maize in the fields, lay tpnn white bed beneath a quilt of many cOlors. The eyes of the mother ', erl. closed. and her arm held a babe loosely as if in deep dreaming. l softly poured the water into the basin, made clean my hands and quietly withdrew into the kitchen, with much care that | did not awaken her. On my cheeks I could feel deep glow of color. and something within my heart pounded with force against my own breast under its gay red coat of hunting man. l could not raise my eyes to those of my Gouverneur Faulk- her, and | ate not as much of that good breakfast as Robert Carruthers could have consumed if the woman in his heart had not been so stirred.
 And all of that long day in the soft early spring which was bursting into a budding and n towering under the feet of our horses and above our heads in the trees. it was the woman Roberta that rode at the side of my Gouver- neur Faulkner. with her heart at ache under her coat of a man. It was with difficulty that l forced my eyes to meet and make answer to the merri- ment anal joy of the woods in his deep ones, and was of great gladness when the descending of the sun brought a moon silvered twilight down upon us from the young green branches of the large trees of the forest through which we rode.
 'sTime to make camp. We've got to old Jutting rock. You are halfway up between heaven and earth, youngster," !" said my Gouverneur Faulkner as he drew to halt his horse in front of me and pointed down into the dim valley that lay at our feet.
 ''I am glad that we have made this Camp Heaven" l answered to him as
 
 and drew from his back the heavy sad dle he had worn for the day, as had been taught by my father to do after a days hunting if Eu groom came imme- diateIy. ''Is 1t that you have hunger, my Gouverneur Faulkner?"
 "Only about ten pounds of food cray ing" he made answer to me with a large laugh that was the first I had ever heard him to give forth. "rll rus tie the fire and water if you'll open the food wallet and feed the horses"
 Immediately l will do all of that" made an answer to him, and because of the happiness of that laugh he had given forth a gladness rose in my heart that made me again that merry boy Robert.
 And it was with a great industry for a short hour that we prepared the Camp Heaven for a sojourn of night. Upon a very nice hot fire I put good bacon to cook, and my gouverneur set also the pot of coffee upon the eoals. Then, while made crisp with the heat the brown corn pones with which that Granny Bell had provided us, he brought a large armsul of very fra grant kind of tree and threw it not far into the shadow of the great tree which was the roof to our Camp Heaven.
 Bed he said as be came and stood beside the fire in large towering over me. l dropped beyond rescue a frag- ment of that corn bread into the ex- treme heat of the coals, but said, with great cOmposure and a brief ness like unto his words:
 Supper"
 Why Is it that a man thinks be wants more of lLss's goods than fla tigue. supper and bed. do you suppose, boyl" question my Gouverneur Faulk- ner to me as at last in repletion he leaned back against our giant rooftree, between two of whose hOspitable large roots we had made our repast. and lighted a pipe of great fragrance. which he had taken from his pocket.
 ''I would not possess happiness even though had this nice supper fl I was alone in this great forest, your excel lency. would have fear" answered him, with q small laugh as took my corduroy knees into my embrace and looked of into that distant valley be low us which was beginning to glow with stars of home lights.
 Didn't tell you once that you don count. that you are just myself, young ster? You Ou. ht net to know I am here. don't know you exist except as a form of pleasure of which 1 do not - - ------------@-~-