The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1917-01-18
PAGE SEVEN

his guilt stood looaih p Aast "a
while she was chattering ~ ann with
out hearing distinctly a word she
spoke.
you look as though were
wrath" the girl accused him Am
SO pale after a few weeks of sophisti-
Gated city ARR
Il thought you looked like-shall
tell you what / thoughtg'
Most certainly" she was forced to
insist. wasn't it bald enough invi-
tation for a pretty speechY'
Il thought you looked like small
pink bon bon," responded Steve leisure.
ly, and. while the rest laughed at her
discontinue. Fat Joe leaned over md
nudged Garry.
''What'd l tell your he demanded
.'What'd l tell you? Say, amt he
working well tonightY'
There was no keeping the girl within
doors after dinner was over. She ran
upstairs and changed into moccaslns
and white blanket coat and skirt that
barely met the moecasin tops halfway.
And Steve who had changed too, an !
was waiting for her when she came
down. had knotted a crimson scar
about the middle of his belted jacket
to match the white one twisted about
her throat.
The man and girl climbed far tba.
night in quite unbroken silence. They
had reached the crest Of the first hill
and stopped with the higher ridges In
nf thay hull
with white, before Barbara decided
that she would have to make him talk.
From the first he talked fitfully that
night. On other occasions she had no-
ticed how his mind seemed to vcer.
whimsically from one topic TO anoth-
er with little apparent continuity Of
thought. only to swing back again just
when she was beginning to feel that
she had lost the thread of inference to
point his argument with parallels that
were new and delightful VISIONS to
her ears. But tonight his grave voiced
divergences oftener than not left her
thoughts behind his thoughts.
ut is a very easy country TO get lost
in," he remarked when he had Ind to
insist that his sense of direction md
not hers should he the one to he
trusted.
ut doesn't seem complicated" he
pondered. ITO man who has come
into the world with his sense of north
and south and east ana west all safely
relegnted to his backbone instead Of
having to depend upon the Eighty
functions of his brain for his guide it's
oh eli, a. N
finds his way without thinking about
the lay of the land or moss on the
trees or the sun or stars. But the 9th
er one-the one who has to stop and
reason that he must travel so many
miles to the west to reach home III
the afternoon because he came that
many In the morning-why. he even
gets to doubling his compass. until
night catches him without roof over
his head and no wood collected for
campfire"
Il shall try to remember that" she
answered soberly. IF ever | am lost
IL shall try to wait confidently for
daylight and keep my eyes to the fore"
She was near to tears when he stoop
ed and knelt In the snow to tighten a
thong slipping from one webbed foot
Below them stretched plain of SHIN.
mering frost points. bounded by in
scrutable walls Of black timber. Some
where within the warmer heart of n
swamp a fox yapped hungrily; some
where within her own heart his whim-
steal discourse had awakened sense
of the mystery Of his wilderness-its
friendship for those who love tits
implacable enmity for those who do
not understand. And he looked up just
when that emotion came flooding into
her face.
1T is wonderful wonderful-w0n-
derfulw she breathed, throwing out
both arms with that ecstatic impulsive-
ness which he knew so well. Now l
know why you said men always re-
turn to it once they have felt its SPELL"
"You are lovelier than you know"
came back from him, almost grufily
again, and she could not parry with
nghtness SO swift and strained q
speech.
"You always tell me very pretty
things" was all she could think Of to
say In reply.
But then, rising, he flung back his
head and shook himself as II throwing
OF a burden too restraining and irk-
some. He laughed aloud, and from
that minute until he loosed her feet
from the snowshoes be was more like
her blue flannel and corduroy lover
again. But his attack no longer made
her fear herself.
"1f cared for you, yes" he made
her admit before he would let her so
In that night. IF cared for you my
engagement to no man could stand in
the way. But that is the reason
know do not care"
| She had seen him grave with doubt
that night, seen him fight to shake 1t
of. There was doubt In his answer
| now.
Because | am not But he could
not force himself to ask It
Because | could never care as you
would demand the woman should care
/ who marries Won"