The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-12-27
CHAPTER II-contlnued.

Then the chores aren't done. sup
nose" Billy Louise went over anC
took n lantern down from Its nail
turning up the wick so that she couio
light II with the candle. GO up tC
the Ore and thaw out" she invited tn'
man. We'll have supper In a re"
minutes"
Instead lie reached out and took tnc
lantern from her as soon as she nae
lighted It. You so to the nre your
self" he said. III do what's neces
sary outside"
"Why.y"- Billy Louise, her nngers
still clinging to the lantern, looked W
at him. lie was staring down NJ ne.
with TINT intent look she had oDJec'eu
n on the trail. but she saw his mouth
and the little smile that hid just back
of his lIps She smiled back without
knowing it. I'll have to go along,
anyway. There are cows to MILK anu
YOU couldn't very well hnd the Gu"
stable alone
Think not7"
Together they went out again into
tbe storm they had lett SO eaSeFi1'
Billy Louise showed him where WAS
tha nitchfork and the hay ana then
did the milking while he piled full tue
monpers. After that they went 10
rotber and turned the shivering work
horses into the stable from the corra'
A~ n
whera they huddled, rumps 10 Tue
storn, and the man lifted great torK'
fuls OF hay and carried 1t into thelr
STALLS. while Billy Louise held the IAN
tern high over her head like western
Liberty. They did not talk much' eA-
rent when there was need Tor speech
mt they we're beginning to feel lit
tle glow of companionship by the time
thew were ready to fight their way
against the blizzard to the house, BILLY
Louise going before with the lantern
while the man followed close behind.
carving the two pals of milk that
was already freezing in little crystals
to the tin.
IL didn't quite catch your name, mis-
ter" Mrs Macdonald said after they
had begun the meal. But take an-
other biscuit, anyway
Warren is my name" returned the
man, with that hidden smile because
she had never before given him any
opportunity to tell it-"W0rd Warren.
I'VE got a claim over on Mill creek"
Billy Louise gave little gasp and
distractedly poured two spoonfulS OF
sugar in her tea, although she hated 1t
sweetened.
I've got to tell you why even at the
price of depression. Long ago, when
Billy Louise was twelve or so and
lived largely in n dream world OF her
own, she had one day Glanced upon
paragraph in paper that had come
from town wrapped around package
Of matches. 1t was all about Ward
Warren. The name caught her fancy.
and the text of the paragraph seized
upOn her Imagination. Until school
filed her mind with other things she
had built adventures without end in
which Ward Warren was the central
figure. Sometimes. when she rode in
the hills. Ward Warren abducted her
and led her into strange places. where
she tried to Shlver in honest dread.
Cften and often. however, Ward War
rem was a fugitive who came to her
for help. Then she would take him to
a cave and hide him, perhaps. or she
would mount her horse and lead him
by devious ways TO safety, and upon
some hilltop from which she could
point out the route he must follow she
would bid him a touching adieu and
Deseech him in the impossible Ian
guaCe Of some old romancer to so AMI
lead a blameless life.
"Jase has got all gone feelings now.
mOnmic," Billy Louise remarked irrel-
evantly during n brief pause and re-
lapsed into silence again. She knew
that was good for at least five minutes
Of straight mOnOlogue with her mother
in that talking mood She finished her
supper while Warren listened abstract
edly to a complete biography of the
NJ likes and earned all about Marthy's
energy and 'Tase'S shiftlesSnesS.
Ward Warren Billy Louise was
saying to herself. Ward Warren!
There couldn't possibly be two Ward
Warrens; it's such an odd name.
Welt"
Then she went mentally over that
paragraph. She wished she did not
remember every single word OF 1t, but
she did. And she was afraid to look
1t him after that, and she wanted to
1readfully. She felt as though he be-
Onged to her. Why, he was her old
playmate! And she had saved his life
hundreds of times at immense risk to
aers, and he had always been her de-
voted slave afterward and never failed
to appear Mt the precise moment when
the was beset by Indians or robbers
or something and in dire need. The
blood he had shed in her behalf! At
hat point Billy Louise startled her
self and the others by suddenly laugh
ng out loud at the memory Of one
ime when Ward Warren had killed
enough Indians to ill u deep washout
10 that he might carry her across to
ne other side!
rs there anything funny about Jase
1eilEe dying Billy LOuisei" her moth
II ass her in perfectly shocked
GR9 "a