Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-07-03
The Light IN
the Clearing
D TnxxrN1~ DA~TrrH
By IRVING BACHELLER
Copyright 1917. The Bobbs-Msrrin co.

| l remember repeating 10 nvseIs
the words of the senator which he
gan: You may took for me herr
| soon after the close Of the session ;,
in the tone in which he had sai5
| them. As Of Old. | admired ana
tried to initiate his dignity NJ
speech and bearing.
When | returned from the min
they were gone.
The examination Of Amos was
set down for Monday and the peo-
/ pie Of the village were stirred ard
shaken by widest rumors regard
ing the evidence 70 be adAuced
Every day men and women stopped
me in the street 10 ask what knew
Of the murder. ! followed the aa-
vice of Bishop Perkins and kept
my knowledge to myself
My life went on at the same
kindly, merry pace in the home on
the schoolmaster. The bandageg
over his eyes had In no way cloud
ed his spirit.
"Ah, how l wish that ] could see
you" he said one evening when we
were all laughing at some remark
of his. Il love the look OF a merry
| face"
l continued to wear the mysteri-
Gus clothes of Michael Henry, save
at chore time, when I put on the
spotted suit Of homespun. OBJ
served that it made a great differ
ence with my social standing. I
was treated with a greater defer
ence at the school, and Elizabeth
Allen invited me 70 her party, to
which, however, had not the cour-
age to go, having no idea what hap
pened to one at village party.
asked a boy in my Latin class
to tell me.
"Oh, we Just fly around an kiss
and git kissed till ye feel like a
fool"
That settled it for me. Not that
| would have failed TO enjoy kissing
Sally. but We were out, as they used
10 say. and it would have embar-
raised both of US to meet at a party.
Saturday came and, when the
chores were done. I went alone to
the grain barn in the back lot Of
the senator's farm with fail and
measure and broom and fork and
shovel and sacks and my luncheon,
in push cart, with all of which
Mrs. Wright had provided me.
1t was a lonely place with woods
on three sides of the field and a
road on the other. I kept laying
down beds of wheat on the barn
floor and beating them out with the
fail until the sun was we'll over the
roof when l sat down to eat my
luncheon. Then / swept up the
grain and winnowed out the chafI
and filled one Of my sacks. That
done, I covered the floor again ana
the thump Of the fail eased by
loneliness until in the middle of the
afternoon two Of my schoolmates
came and asked me 10 90 swimming
with them. The river was not forty
rods away and a good trail led to
the swimming hole. II was a warm
bright day and l was hot and
thirsty. The thought of cool waters
anC friendly companiOnship was too
much for me. ! went with them.
More ancient than the human
form is that of joy of the young in
the feel of air and water on the
naked skin, in the frOg-like leap
ana splash and the monkey-chatter
of the swimming hole. There were
a number Of the swamp boys" in
the water. They lived in cabins on
the edges of the near swamp.
stayed with them longer than ! in
tended. l remember saying as I
dressed that l should have to work
late and go without my supper IN
order TO finish my stent.
It was almost dark when 7 was
putting the last sack of wheat into
my cart, in the gloomy barn, and
getting ready to go.
4 rustling In the straw near
where l stood stopped me suddenly.
My skin prickled and began 10 stir
on my head and my feet and hands
felt numb with new fear. I heard
steaIthy footsteps in the darkness.
| stood my ground and demanded:
"W hos there?"
saw a form apprOa 4Sing in the
gloom with feet as noiseless as q
cats. / took a step backward and,
seeing that 1t was a woman, stop
ped
(Cauffuuad fop1pr~nvC