The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-03-26

Derg, VINO merely nodded anu hurried
along. Mr.. Bridges, the merchant, did
not greet. him warmly and chat with
him as he had been wont to do. / saw
that The Thing-as l had come to
think of twas following him also
How 1t darkened his facet Even now
can feel the aching of the deep,
bloodless wounds of that day. ! could
bear 1t better alone. We were trying
to hide our pain from each other when
we said good-by. How quickly my
uncle turned away and walked toward
the sheds He came rarely TO the vii
lage of Canton after that.
May had returned--a warm bright
May. had entered my seventeenth
year and the work of the term was
finished
Having nothing to do one afternoon,
/ walked out ON the road toward Og-
densburg for look at the woods and
fields. Soon thought that heard the
sound of galloping hoofs behind me.
/ looked back and | saw Sally round
ing the turn by the river and coming
toward me at full speed, the name of
her pony flying back to her face. She
pulled up beside me just as had
imagined she would do.
"Bart, / hate somebody terribly"
said she.
"WhomT'
"a man who is coming to our house
on the stage today. Granny Barnes Is
trying to get up match between us.
Father says he is rich and hopes he
will want to marry me. i got mad
about it, He is four years older than
am. Isn't that awful? / am going to
be just as mean and hateful to him as
I can"
81 guess they're only fooling you."
said.
mo. they mean it. I have heard
them talking 1t over.
"He cannot marry you"
"Why?"
II seemed to me that the time had
come for me to speak out, and with
burning cheeks l said:
Because think that God has mar
ried you to me already. Do you re-
member when we kissed each other
by the wheat field one day last sum-
mer"
Eyes"
We had faced about and were walk
ing back toward Canton, close by the
ponys side.
'May kiss you again?"
She stopped the pony and leaned
toward me and our lips met in kiss
the thought of which makes me lay
down my pen and bow my head a mo-
ment while / think with reverence of
that pure, sweet spring of memory in
whose waters / love to wash my
spirit.
81 guess God has married us again."
declared.
'I knew that you were walking en-
this road and 1 had to see YOU" said
she. people have been saying such
terrible things"
'What?'
"They say your uncle found the
pocketbook that was lost and kept the
money. They say he was the first man
that went up the road after it was
lost"
s1t's lie-my uncle never saw the
pocketbook. Some money was left to
him by a relative in Vermont. That's
how Ii happened that he bought farm
instead of going to the poorhousA when
Grimshaw put the screws to him."
81 knew that your uncle didn't do
IT," she went on. Father and mother
couldn't tell you. So had to-"
"Why couldn't your father and moth
er tell meT
"They didn't dare. Mr.. Grimshaw
made them promise that they would
not speak to you or to any OF your
family. heard them say that you and
your uncle did right. Father told
mother that he never knew n man 50
honest rs your Uncle Peabody"
Just then we came upon the Silent
Woman sitting among the dandelion'
by the roadsfde. She held a cup In
her hand with some honey on Its bot
tom and covered with piece of glass
"she is hunting bees" said as W.
stopped beside her.
she rose ana patteu my shouiuc
with a smile and threw kiss to Sally
Suddenly her face grew stern. Sh'
pointed toward the village and then a
Sally.
"She means that there Is some dan
"a ger ahead of you," said.
The Silent Woman picked loni
blade of grass and tipped its end II
the honey at the bottom of the CUP
She came close to Sally with the blad
OF grass between her thumb and finger
"She Is fixing a charm" I said.
She smiled and nodded as she put
drop Of honey on Sally's upper lip.
She held up her hands while her lip
moved as II she were blessing us.
IT suppose It viii not save me II
brush 1t off, said Sally.
We went on and In moment be-