Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1918-06-07
CHAPTER VII.


Each In His Own Trail.
CNINCE nothing in this world is abso-
lutely immutable = the human
emotions least of all perhaps
Billy Louise did not hold changeless
her broken faith in Ward. She saw it
broken into fragments before the evil
dence Of her own eyes and the frag-
ments ground to dust beneath the
weight of what she knew of his past
things he had told her himself. So she
thought there was no more faith in
him, and her heart went empty and
aching through the next few days.
But, since Billy Louise was human
and woman-not altogether because
she was twenty-she stopped after
awhile, gathered carefully the dust of
her dead faith, and, like God, she be-
gan to create. First she fashioned
doubts of her doubt How did she
know she had not made a mistake,
there at that corral? Other men wore
gray hats and rode dark bay horses;
other men were slim and tall, and she
had only had a glimpse, after all, and
the light was deceptive down there In
the shadows. When that first doubt
was nodded and she had breathed into
II the breath of life so that it stood
sturdily before her she took heart and
created reasons, whole company of
them, to tell her why she ought to give
Ward the benefit of the doubt. She
remembered what Charlie Fox had said
about circumstantial evidence. She
would not make the mistake he had
made
So she spent other days and long,
wakeful nights. And since 1t seemed
impossible to bring her faith to life
again just as it had been, with the
glamor of romance and the sweetness
of pity and the strength Of her own in
nocence to make It a beautiful faith
indeed, she used all her innocence and
all her pity and little of romance and
created something even sweeter thar
her untried faith had been. She had q
new element to strengthen it. She
knew that she loved Ward. She had
learned that from the hurt it had giver
her to lose her faith in him.
That was the record Of the inner
Billy Louise which no one ever saw
The Billy Louise which her little worIt
knew went her way unchanged excep
, in small details that escaped the no
tice of those nearest her A look ii
her eyes for one thing; a hurt, ques
; tioning look that was sometimes re
bellious as well; droop of her moutI
I also when she was off her guard; a sad
+, tired little droop that told of the weigh
! of responsibility and worry she wa
e carrying.
! Ward observed both the minute b.
!, saw her on the trail. He had com
q across country on the chance that sh
!. might be riding out that way, and
: had come upon her unawares Will
e she and Blue were staring out over th
I desert from the height they had attain
q ed in the hills.
e "'Lo, Billv' he said when he wa
quite close and held himself ready
o meet whatever mood she might pr,
D sent.
/ She turned her head quickly an
IL still in her eyes; the droop still shoy
s. ed at her lips. And Ward knew the
e had been there before she saw him.
e "Wha's molla, Bill?" he asked in tt
n tone that was calculated to invite q
q unburdening of her troubles.
% "Oh, nothing in particular! Nor
p mics been awfully sick, and I'm q
70 ways worried when I'm away from Il
le ranch for fear she'll have another spe
while I'm gone. The doctor said 81
lie might have any time. Were you hea
sr ed for our place? II you are, come o
e, I was just starting back. 1 don't da
ID be away any longer" If that were