Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-05-27
. THE FLATWOODS.

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: --7--1--- M ----7 nv
rs that a log house I see up, there
under the cliffs?"
The floor Of the house boat creaked
under the weight of him as he came
to the window. He had to stoop low
to bring his eyes level with the open
"A log house; old and empty"
The iron-Gray-Woman sat musine
a moment, her eyes astray among the
trees nodding languidly in the serene
June afternoon. ..
81 wish 1 might live again upon the
ishore. The sun beats down SO hot
upon the house-boat, and I grow
weary of>the eternal throb of the
river. II I could only live a little
while up there, I should grow
And why not? It's empty, and
nobody would are In these deep
woods. there's. nobody to care"
A flicker Of light crossed her face.
"Td get we'll up there, under the
strong cliffs, with the cool spring so
near. And I've lived so long-since
you were a child in arms-on the
riyer-the Ohio; the White; the
Observation-Disclosures; drifting ting and and
you SO frail, SO beautiful!"S
|. The man had left the. window and
knelt by the rocking chair. The
Iron-Gray-Woman saw the question
In his eyes-a hunger for some word
out Of the past: a word that had
neve come, She turned back to the
window to escape the question. All
his life she Jhad kept it from him
whatever ittshad been that happened
back there behind the veil of her 81
lence that left him nameless: a river
waif; a nomad In an orderly world: a
fisher of pearls; a pearlhunter., Her
eyes came back and faltered Jover
him. No longer a child; a boy-the
reflection startled her. A man knelt
at her side-the question written big
upon his face. And it was his right
to know. Her head dropped back
against the quilt hat cushioned, the
chair. It's a solemn thing to be the
mother of a man-glorious, but
solemn.
The lustrous eyes-brighter for the
fever wasting them-came back to
him after q time. He saw a FAR flung
thoughtfulness in them; knew they
had strayed into that past from
which he vas barred. The thin lips
parted. The mans fingers curled tense
upon the chair arm.
To a city on the Wabash, in carly
days, came three families from Vir-
ginia, three families of virginia's
purest blood, my family, your fathers
family, and the family of-of-an-
other man."
The Iron-Gray-Woman s%huddered
and was silent for a moment. The
man picked UP a wasted hand; :, strok-
ed it softly between his own and she
went on, strained and slow, like one
desperately nerved to a long dreaded
my parents both died when I was
so small that 1 can barely remember
them, leaving me, their only child, to
uncle of my fathers. This great
great uncle-weli, as 1 look back up
on my life I can net remember that
he ever gave me a pleasant word.
my aunt was as different as dawn
to dark. She was everything that he
was not. A thousand times she loved
my hurt away.
They had a daughter, an only
child. almost my age, and of the same
name-surname and all. When uncle
was away on business trips, as he
often was for weeks it was like sun
shine after rain. Such happy tunes.
They are high among the few pleas
ant memories Of my life"
The. Iron-Gray-Woman paused. her
dark. deep eyes seeming to search
back into the dead past, like a tray
stretch of desert to where the oasis
lbs: The man shifted to his other
knee and she went on.
my aunt died when we were in our
girlhood. After that-the gray days
were ever more than the bright. A
petulance settled deep upon by uncle.
His best word was a growl. The
servants moved about the house like
silent shadows. Only for my cousin
more than sister-I never could have
borne it. My nature vas more seri-
GUS than hers and 1 was more given
to brooding. I appreciate now how
much her sweet spirit meant to me
to all in that great, gloomy house.
I'm this same city upon the
Wabash lived W other families, as I
have told you; your fathers family,
and the family of-of-another man.
Your father and this other man were
both my %suitors. But my uncle tried.
every means in his power to turn your
father away from me to my cousin,
while he secretly encouraged the at
tentions of the other man to me.
Your fathers blood was of the
nest IN virginia. "A soldier, as n
men Of his family had always been,
he had already won. by conspicuous
[g%allantry, the rank of colonel in the
Indian wars"
What was he like?"
The Iron-Gray-Woman turned her
eyes and. studied him. so long. so in
.tently, that he trembled lest his
question: question that came in
spite Of him-had startled her into
silence. RI ~
Like you." she resumed, "and not
like you. His eyes were blue. his hair
light. Your hair Is dark like mine.
Your eyes like mine. But he had the
same height and breadth of shout
der: like you. slow of speech, slow to
strike, till the ripe instant came
then, as theShawk strikes.
II never liked the-other man;
though my uncle madesit Impossible
for me completely to discourage his
attentions:' Her words dropped
back into the memory groove worn
|deep@by the years. ~ kept up a show
.of interest in him. also. for the sake
|of my cousin. She really loved him.
He was a very handsome. man;
-,
INST