The Ozark spectator., 1917-01-03
CHAPTER Ill.
Vows.

l began to intrench the main body of ner army. The lilacs became delicious spreaders of fragrance, the japonica unfolded It's exquisite single flower. Violets hallowed the dead grasses of winter. Then the dogwood trees hung out their snow-white blossoms like huge white butterflies. Against the drifting cloud and up into the warm air famed the daring color of the red maple of the swamps.
 The seventeenth of the month
 TOinette O'Bannon met with a pug zling experience that afternoon. She was working in the garden behind her cabin, so that it might not lack for its wealth of bloom that spring. The tears gathered in her eyes as she bent over the task. She was thinking of the garden in New Orleans, whose first cool blooms had been gathered to be laid beside the still, white face that had grown cold at her birth. Now she herself was woman and had found, with her father, a new home in the northern wilds.
 She gathered some sprays of purple hyacinths that late frost had with cred on their stalks. These she twist ed into a dejected posy and tossed into the lane, mourning even for them. Then she stopped and began to dig idly about the roots of some love-in- the-mist. Suddenly she was reused from her day-dream by the sound of footsteps passing on the side street that passed the garden. And then she heard an ejaculation like the moan of a beast caught in trap, and a heav- fer voice speaking. Too startled to move, she listened behind the screen ing bushes.
 "What ails you, man?"
 "rhe mark The mark!"
 "What foolishness now? What mark?"
 "There! The purple posy! Oh, my Godw The speaker seemed to choke.
 The other laughed contemptuously. Nonsense, man, those be but flowers someone has dropped. They mean naught."
 "You cannot know" said the other convulsively. "If you but knew the oath"
 "A fiddlestick for the oath" the gruff voice blurted. "Throw the thing away, I tell you, and forget it. Hast 1t with youT
 There was pause, and then the commanding voice resumed:
 "Throw 1t away, man. It was naught but a mummery"
 The girl heard their steps pass on down the street. Rising quickly, she stared at their retreating backs. The one was tall youth, whom she rec ognized as young Doctor Elliott; the other broad-shOuldered, portly fig ure, stranger to her. AS she turned back her eye caught sight of a crumpled bit of paper lying on the path outside the garden and with girl ish excitement she hastily ran out and picked it up. Dirty and greasy it was, as if with long handling, and on 1t, written in q struggling hand and un- couth spelling, were the words:
 I, Edward Scull, of my own free will | and Acoard do declare and solemnly sware that I will never reveal to aney | person or Persons aney thing that may | lead to the discovery of the same Either | in or by word sign or action as may lead | to aney Discovery under the Penelty of | being sent out Of this World by the first | Brother that May Meet me after the per pie mark further more l do sware that l I xN-iI1 NtSh hyy Anath tor traters should there aney arise up amongst us will persue with unseaceing | vengeance, should he fly to the verge of Statute. I will be gust true sober and faithful In all my dealings with all my Brothers. So help God to keep this my Oath Invoilated Amen"
 | What had Doctor Elliott to do with Edward Scull?" She puzzled over the riddle and tried to dismiss 1t with a laugh. But as she returned to the smiling garden 1t seemed to her that a cloud, no bigger perhaps than a mans hand but still cloud, came over the place.
 When Elliott, having ridden in from Louisville on his mare, called on Toi- nette later in the afternoon, they strolled, at his suggestion, along the river path. She had not known him long; but on each of his weekly risity to Corydon he had disclosed in every look and word a growing passion for her.
 The girl, walking in reverie that drew veil of tenderness over the deep sapphire of her eyes, and the April day, fading out in dream of amethystine blue and a dazzling glory of gold, seemed part of each other. By her side walked the tall young doctor; and he, too, was part. surely, of the beautiful fellowship of the happy world.
 He speaks: "Toinette, here are vio- lets. Blue as your eyes, Toi- nette !"
 She does not answer; the words are