Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1917-12-25
CHAPTER II-Continued.

p
"Tben the chores aren't done, / sup
pose" Billy Louise went over and
took a lantern down from its nail,
turning up the wick so that she could
light it with the candle. go up to
the fire and thaw out" she invited the
man. Wen have supper In a few
minutes"
Instead he reached out and took the
lantern from her as soon as she had
lighted it. You go to the fire your
self" he said. I'm do what's neces-
ssry outside"
"Why-y''- Billy Louise, her fingers
still clinging to the lantern, looked up
at him. He was staring down at her
with that intent look she had objected
to 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. IN have to go along,
anyway. There are cows to milk, and
you couldn't very well find the COW
stable alone"
"Think nOt2"
Together they went out again into
the storm they had left SO eagerly.
Billy Louise showed him where was
the pitchfOrk and the hay and then
did the milking while he piled full the
managers. After that they went to-
gether and turned the shivering work
horses into the stable from the corral
where they huddled, rumps to the
storm. and the man lifted great fork
fuls Of hay and carried it into their
stalls, while Billy Louise held the lam
tern high over her head like western
Liberty. They did not talk much, ex-
ceDt when there was need for speech,
but they were beginning to feel a lit
tie glow of companionship by the time
they 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,
carrying 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-"Ward Warren.
I've got a claim over on Mill creek"
Billy Louise gave a 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 a dream world of her
own, she had one day CHANGED upon
paragraph in a 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 SILVER in honest dread.
often 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
beseech him in the impossible Ian
guage OF some old romancer to go and
lead d blameless life.
"Jase has got all gone feelings now,
mOmmie," Billy Louise remarked irrel-
evantly during a 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
eddy to a complete biography of the
Mcilkes and earned all about Marthy's
energy and Eases shiftleSsnesS.
Ward WARREN Billy Louise was
There couldn't possibly be two Ward
Warrens; it's such an odd name.
Weir"
Then she went mentally over that
paragraph. She wished she did not
remember every single word of it, but
she did. And she was afraid to look
at him after that. and she wanted to
dreadfully. She felt as though he be-
longed to her. Why, he was her old
playmate! And she had saved his life
hundreds OF times at immense risk to
hers, and he had always been her de-
voted slave afterward and never failed
to appear at the precise moment when
she was beset by Indians or robbers
or something and in dire need. The
blood he had shed in her behalf! At
that point Billy Louise startled her
self and the others by suddenly laugh
ing out loud at the memory OF one
time when Ward Warren had killed
enough Indians 10 ill a deep washout
so that he might carry her across TO
the other sidei
lis there anything funny about Jase
Meilke dying. Billy Louise?' her moth
er asked her In a perfectly shocked
tone.
mo. l was thinking OF something
else" She glanced at the man eying
her so distrustfully from across the ia
BILE and gurgled again. 1t was terribly
silly, but she simply could not help
seeing Ward Warren calmly filling that
washout with dead Indians so that he
might carry her across it in his arms.
The more she tried TO forget that the
funnier il became. She ended by leav-
bag the table and retiring precipitately
TO her own tiny room in the lean-to
where she buried her face as deep as
it would so in a puffy pillow Of wild
duck feathers.
He, poor devil. could nor &c expected
to know just what had amused her