The Elk Mountain pilot., 1917-02-01
pleading with his God for his unrepen.
tant people.
Outside single whippoorwill walled
plaintively. These poor hills! These
poor hills!" &
CHAPTER v.

itself with the rosy glow OF dawn ana
upflung shafts of light. but here In the
hills of Appalachia even the sun comes
stealing with surreptitious caution and
yelled face, as II fearful of ambuscade.
When Juanita opened her eyes, to
| find the tumbled beds empty save for
herself, she told herself with dismal
heart that day of rain and sodden
skies lay ahead Of her.
The dim room reeked with wet
mists, and an inQuisitive young roos-
ter stalked jauntily over the puncheon
floor. where his footballs sounded in
tiny clicks. 1t was a few minutes
after five o'clock. and Juanita shivered
little with the clammy chill as she
| went over to the door and looked out.
| Bending over a gushing spring at
one corner of the yard in the uncon-
scious grace of perfect naturalness.
her sleeves rolled back and her dark
hair tumbling. knelt the girl Dawn.
Juanita crossed the yard, and as she
came near the younger girl raised
face still glistening with the cold wa.
ter into which it had been plunged and
| glowing with shyness.
The older woman nodded with o
smile that had captivated less simple
subjects than Dawn and said: Good
morning. l think you and are going
to be great friends. l know we are II
| you will try to like me as much as ]
| do you"
Then the girl from Philadelphia
| plunged her face. too, into the cold,
| living water, and raised 1t again, smil.
ing through wet lashes.
What makes ye like me?" Dawn
suddenly demanded in half-challeng-
| ing voice.
you make me like you," laughed
Juanita.
The mountain girl held her eyes still
in the unwavering steadiness of her
race. then she said in voice that car
ried an undertone OF defiance:
"Ye hain't nuver seen me aforer
an" she broke off, then doggedly,
AN besides. don't know nuthin'."
Il mean to see you often after this"
announced the woman from down be-
low. "and the things you don't know
can be learned"
A sudden eaSerness came to tho
younger face and a sudden torrent of
questioning seemed to hover on her
lips. but it did not find utterance. She
only turned and led the way silently
back toward the house. When they
were almost at the door Dawn hesi-
tated, and Juanita halted with an en-
couraging smile. 1t was clear that
the mountain girl found whatever she
meant to say difficult, for she stood
nd nd har
suffused with color. so that at last
Juanita smilingly prompted: What
Is 1t, dear?"
"Ye said" began Dawn hastily and
awkwardly. I'VE said suthin' bout me
a tryin' ter like ye. IL don't halter
try does hit" Then, having made
a confession az difficult to her shy taci-
turnity as a callow boys first declara-
tion of love, she fed abruptly around
the corner of the house.
Juanita stood looking after her with
a puzzled brow This hard mountain
reserve which Is so strong that friends
rarely shake hands, that fathers sell
dom embrace theh children, and that
the kiss is known only to courtship,
was new to her.
w
the dryad had vanished!
During the meal no allusion was
made to the happenings of last night,
but the girl noticed that inside the
door leaned the householder's rifle
gun" and under young Jeb's armpit
bulged the masked shape of a pistol
butt
Young Jebs face yesterday had
been that of boy, this morning II was
the sullen face of a man confronting
grim realities. Had Juanita been
more familiar with the contemporary
affairs Of the community, she might
have known that on many faces along
Tribulation that morning brooded the
same scowl from the same cause The
McBriar yell had been raised last
night in the heart of the Havey coun-
try, and this morning brought the
| shame of land invaded and dishon.
ored.
Dawn did not reappear until Juanita
had mounted and turned her mules
head forward Then. as she was pass
ing the dilapidated barn, the slim, cal
ico-clad figure slipped from its door
and intercepted her in the road, hold
ing up handful of queer-shaped
roots.
Il lowed ye mought need these
hyar," said the girl diffidently.
Juanita smiled as she bent in her
saddle to take the gic.
Thank you, dear; what are they?"
Hits ginseng" Dawn assured her.
"Hit grows back thar in ther woods
an hits got powerful heap of vir-
tue. Hit frisks ther speret an drives
away torment. Eff yer starts ter
| sXoon agin. lest chaW hit"