The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1918-03-08

to me-" Bin grew suddenly moody
mot with you In Carlboo Meadows
I'm taboo there. Why, I'd have been at
your elbow when you left the supper
table at Jim Briggs that night II I
hadn't known how it would be. went
there out of sheer curiosity to take
look at you-maybe out of a spirit of
defiance, too, because / knew that ]
was certainly not welcome even IL they
were willing to take my money for a
meal. And / came away all up In the
air. There was something about you
the tone Of your voice, the way your
proud little head is set on your shout
ders, your makeup in general-that
sent me away with large-slzed crouch
at myself, at Cariboo Meadows, and at
you for coming in my way"
'Why2" she asked in wonder.
Because you'd have believed what
they told you and Cariboo Meadows
can't tell anything about me that isn't
bad" he said quietly. my record
there makes me entirely unfit to asso-
ciate with-that would have been your
conclusion. And / wanted to be with
you, to talk to you, to take you by
storm and make you like me as / felt
/ could care for you. You can't have
grown up, little person, without realiz-
ing that you do attract men very
strongly. All women do, but some Tar
more than others"
Perhaps" she admitted colcly.
"Men have annoyed me with their un-
welcome attentions. But none Of them
ever dared go the length of carrying
me away against my will. You can't
explain or excuse that"
I'm not attempting excuses" Bill
made answer. "There are two things
l never do-apologize or bully. dare
say that's one reason the Meadows
gives me such black eye. If they
weren't a good deal afraid Of me, and
always laying for q chance to do me
up, they wouldn't let me stay in the
town overnight. So you can see what
handicap was under when It came
to making your acquaintance and
counting you In the orthodox manner"
you've made a great mistake" she
said bitterly, IF you think you've re-
moved the handicap. I've suffered a
great deal at the hands of men in the
past six months. I'm beginning to be-
lieve that all men are brutes at heart"
Roaring Bill sat up and clasped his
hands over his knees and stared fixedly
into the fire.
"No," he said slowly, "all men are
not brutes-any more than all women
are angels. I'll convince you Of that"
stake me home, then," she cried for
lornly. "That's the only way you can
convince me or make amends"
"No," Bill murmured, 'that isn't the
way. Wait till you know ME better.
Besides, couldn't take you out now II
l wanted to without exposing you to
greater hardshlps than you'll have to
endure here Do you realize that it's
fall, and we're In the high latitudes2
This snow may not go of at all. Even
II 1t does It will storm again before a
week. You couldn't wallow through
snow to your waist In forty-below-zero
weather"
"People will pass here, and TIL get
word out" Hazel asserted desperately.
"What good would that do your
You've got too much conventional re-
gard for what you term your reputa-
ton 70 send word to Cariboo Meadows
that you're living back here with Roar
ing Bill Wagstaff, and won't some one
please come and rescue you" He
paused to let that sink in, then con.
tinued: Besides, you won't sae a
white face before spring; then only by
accident. No one in the North, out
side Of a few Indians, has ever seen
this cabin or knows where II stands"
She sat dumb, raging inwardly. For
the minute she could have killed Roar
ing Bill. She who had been so sure In
her independence carried. whether or
no, into the heart of the wilderness at
the within Of man who stood self
confessed rowdy, In Ill repute among
bis own kind There was a slumber-
ing devil In Miss Hazel Weir, and II
took little to wake her temper. She
looked at Bill Wagstaff, and her breast
heaved. He was responsible, and be
could sit coolly talking about II. The
resentment that bad smoldered against
Andrew Bush and Jack Barrow concen-
trated on Roaring Bill as the arch Of.
fender of them all. And lest she yield
to savage impulse to scream at him,
she got up and ran into the bedroom,
slammed the door shut behind her, ami
threw herself across the bed to muftie
the sound Of her crying in a pillow.
After a time she lifted her head
Outside, the wind whistled gussily
around the cabin corners. In the
hushed intervals she heard q steady
pad, pad. sounding sometimes close by
her door. again family at the far end
OF the room. A beam Of light shone
through the generous latchstring hole
In the door. Stealing softly over. she
peeped through this hole. From end
to end Of the big room and back again
Roaring Bill paced slowly. looking
straight ahead OF him with a fixed.
absent stare. his teeth closed on his
neither lip Hazel blinked wondering
~. Many an hour In the last three