Middletown transcript., 1918-06-15

AAlN
! of snow. Patches of earth steamed
wherever hillside lay bare to the sun
From some mysterious distance a lont
crow winged his way, and, perching OF
nearby treet0p, cawed rauc0us greet
ing. -.
Hazel cleared away the breakfast
things, and stood looking out the kitch
en- window. Roaring Bill sat on a log
shirt-sleeved, smoking his pipe. Pres
emily he went over to the stable, lee
out his horses, and gave them their lib
erty. For twenty minutes or so hi
stood watching their mad capers al
they ran and leaped and pranced bach
and forth over the clearing. Then hi
walked of into the timber, his rife
over his shoulder.
Hazel washed her dishes and went
outside. She did not know why, but
all at once terrible feeling Of uttel
forlornness seized her. It was spring
and also 1t was spring in other lands
The wilderness suddenly took on the
characteristics of prison, in which
she was sentenced to solitary conflne
ment. She rebelled against 1t, rebelled
against her surroundings, against the
manner Of her being there. against
everything. She hated the North. she
wished to be gone from 1t. and most
Of all she hated Bill Wagstaff for con.
straining her presence there.
All the heaviness of heart. all the re
sentiment she had felt in the first few
days when she followed him perforce
away from Cariboo Meadows, came
back to her with redoubled force that
afternoon. She went back into the
house. now gloomy without a fire,
slumped forlornly into chair. and
cried herself into a condition approach
ing hysteria. And she was sitting there,
her head bowed on her hands, when
Bill returned from his hunting. The
sun sent a shaft through the south
window, a shaft which rested on her
dropping head. Roaring Bill walked
slowly up behind her and put his hand
on her shoulder.
"What is it, little person?' he asked
gently.
She refused to answer.
"Say," he bent a little lower, You
know what the Tentmaker said:
'Come fill the cup. and in the fire of
spring
Your winter garment Of repentance fling;
The Bird Of Time has but a little way
To flutter-and the Bird is on the wing. :"
"Life's too short to waste any of 1t
in being uselessly miserable. Come on
out and go for a ride on Silk. I'll take
you up q mOuntainside, and show you
waterfall that leaps three hundred
feet in the clear. The woods are wax
ing up and putting on their Easter bon
nets. There's beauty everywhere. Come
along!"
But she wrenched herself away
from him.
II want to go home !" she walled. II
hate you and the North. and every
thing in it. If you've got spark Of
manhood left in you, you'll take me out
Of here"
Roaring Bill backed away from her.
do you mean that? Honest Injun?"
he asked incredulously.
II dol dol" she cried vehemently.
Haven't l told you often enough? I
didn't come here willingly, and l won't
stay. I will not! l have a right to
live my life in my own way, and it's
not this way"
$50" Roaring Bill began evenly.
"springtime with you only means get
ting back to work. You want to get
back into the muddled rush of peopled
places, do you? You want to be where
you can associate with fluffy-ruffle.
pompadoured girls, and be properly in
troduced to equally proper young men.
Lord, but l seem to have made a mis-
take! And, by the same token, I'll
probably pay for tin way you
wouldn't understand If you lived a
thousand years. Well, set your mind
at rest. I'll take you out. Ye gods and
little fishes, but I have sure been q
fOOl!'
He sat down on the edge of the table,
and Hazel blinked at him, half scared,
and full Of wonder. She had grown
so used to seeing him calm, imperturb-
able, smiling cheerfully no matter what
she said or did. that his passionate out
break amazed her. She could only sit
and look at him.
He got out his cigarette materials.
But his fingers trembled, spilling the
tobacco. And when he tore the paper
In his efforts to roll it, he dashed pa