The daily commonwealth. (Greenwood, Leflore Co., Miss.) 1916-1919, 1917-03-27
WHAT COULD they DO?
BY SHIELDS

S "" c"S f"'S
Jungle Of dense green banked the 9TH
er. A tumbIed rail fence divided the
brook from the road. The still. sweet.
scented air was unbrOken by even the
song of a bird. But. mingled with the
gurgling melody If the brook. was the
sound Of a young girls sobs.
A gaily-colOred sweater and wooden
cap hung over the rail fence. A girl.
slender and pretty, leaned YEARLY
against the fence.
W!ping the tears away. with eyes
bright and little head high. she turned
toward the hill. Painting and breath.
less she hurried OF to the little white
house at the top. This road led d.
rectly from the little house occupied
by Roland jackson and his father. on
the hilltop, TO the small country estate
Of Mrs. Harris Harvey and her daugh- /
ter. Myra.
Each morning for three days Myra
had waited, at the bend Of the road.
where the brook formed in miniature
falls, for Roland Jackson to come
down the hillside. But Roland did not
come.
When Myra and her mother rented
the house in the farming section OF
Essex, they expected to remain only
till late in September. But the red and
golden days of October came and
passed and they still fingered in the
large, old house far back from the
road. sheltered by of tall tulip
trees. With Roland as guide and
teacher, Myra found a joy and beauty
in nature of which she had only been
vaguely aware before. The call of the
city had never before failed in its ap.
peal to Myra. but it did not reach her
now =,
AS she trudged up the hill her mind
flew to the events of her stay in the
country, and she went white as she
recalled and reviewed the last morn.
ing she had spent with Roland. The
habits of a lifetime In the city had
swayed her completely that morning,
when Roland asked her to share his
little hut ION the hilltop. She had
weighed the man by the --LATEST OF
standards.
Not being versed in the ways Of
woman, knowing nothing of their In.
consistencies, Roland could not know
that the next morning, Myra. after a
wretchedly wakeful night, awaked no
longer a laughing girl, but a woman,
with a woman's desire for her man.
After waiting three days for Roland to
,ome to her. Myra went to him.
Coming out of a patch Of dense
woods, Myra turned into the lane that
led to the Jackson house. Roland saw
her through the trees and coming to- /,
ward her with outstretched arms, his
eyes smiled into hers with simple, hap ;
ny confidence In her love for him. So,
with the beginning of the love of Ro-
land and Myra, began the days Of sor
row and much confusion for Roland'a
father and Myra's mother,
Mrs. Harvey went about with quiv. /
ering lips and red-rimmed eyes. She ;
declared that nothing In the wide
world could separate her from her ;
only child, and in the same breath in.
formed Myra that no power under the !
heaven could induce her to settle down I
to a life in the wild farming country. :
One day Roland came to Myra and !
taking her in his arms whispered, In ;
tragic voice, that his father was vast. !
ing away before his very eyes! He I
confessed that his father pointedly (
ignored their approaching marriage
and with the passing Of each day the =
older man grew more unyielding and
sad.
"Well elope," cried Roland.
ITS the only way" assented Myra, J
Thereafter SO deeply absorbed were
they In their plans to run away on l
the eve of Thanksgiving to the little
parsonage in the village and return
married. that the complaints of Myra's 8
mother and the gloominess of Roland'a
father affected them not at all. The
solace Mrs. Harvey found In telling
Mr.. Jackson about the utter lack Of
consideration daughters accorded
mothers in those days, and the com.
fort he extracted from discussions 3
with her on the neglectfulness Of sons
passed entirely unnoticed by their
children. I,
Early dusk was falling on Thanks. 3
giving eve, when Myra, wrapped In q -.
long gray motor coat, with q scarf
about her head, Slipped out Of THE
house into the shadow of the trees.
She stole quietly down the path, 'ex.
pectlng to slip into the waiting ma. 8
chine, pick up Roland down the road,
and then ride into the village. Halt
way to the gate she stopped and .
listened. Her mother! Her little 6g.
IRE rigid. a stubborn light shot into
her wide brown eyes and Myra lodged
breathlessly behind a hedge.
Two reasons suggested themselves 3
TO Myra for her mothers appearance. z
Overwrought nerves was sending her
out In the dark, lonely night, OF she
was on Myfa's trail! THEN In the still \
night came the whlr of tile automobile
going dowI the road. Myra gasped
rs the sound grew fainter. Stealing
out of the shud0w Of the hedge she
nade her way to the gate. Then Ro. l.
land came to her. His eyes were y
aglow with happiness. :
Everything is settled, darling" he
told her. "WeIl live up yonder and :,
live here"
who'll live wlierer gasped puzzled a
iiyra.
Yonr mother and dad" Roland
,eamed. u Just discovered them clip !.
ng in your mothers big red CARP I"