The Little River news., 1920-08-14
A LOYAL. GUARDIAN
By EVELYN LEE

uIuef, SoII IUT1 LO fepOSe on. lllS last load of hay was in loft or stack. Marston lazily stretched himself and rest seemed sweet. Then he arose and advanced toward the broad open doorway of the barn, attracted by the 1utter of dress and the echo of silvery laughing tones.
 There hung near an unused stall, double yoke. Robert Burton had fash toned it himself nearly half century previous, but oxen had given place to less clumsy and slow going stock, and the old yoke remained in view as re- hinder and relic Madge Burton ran toward it and poked her sunny face and head through it.
 "BOo!" she cried out, playfully to her adopted father, who was filling q measure with corn for the chickens.
 You need mate to make the pic ture complete" declared Burton. Reckon I'll have to find you one:" and the girl flushed, embarrassed as Egbert came nearer.
 "A yoke fellow?" he rallied. "Who wouldn't be glad to the task" he was going to say, for they all worked on the farm. Madge as well as the rest, and he supplemented the word ''p7iv- ilege," and then added, with an ad- hiring glance at Nadge, "and hOnor.'
 Robert Burton left the twain to themselves with chuckle as a sud- den idea flashed into his mind. Il wonder now" he sofloquized, If needn't worry any more about Madge being left alone in the world after l am gone"
 Meantime the couple he discussed came out into the yard, strolled in desultory way and carr.ed on casual conversation under some restraint. That flash of admiration from Egbert's eyes as she made pretty picture framed by the yoke had Instantaneous ly enlightened Madge. The responsive glow in her face had, too, enlightened him. Egbert did not keep up his strain of gentle bantering, however
 It was just a month later that Robert Burton died. He had adopted Madge a little girl, when his Wife died, and an own daughter could not have been more loving, grateful and loyal. She had indeed been tc him helpful, cheerful "yoke fellow" To her work had become pleasure and she never shirked the severest toll.
 It was the dead mans lawyer who unfolded the contents of will recent ly made by the decedent. It was brief simple and plain. Jointly all that Bur- ton had to leave was to be inherited by Madge and Egbert, provided they married. Otherwise the main part of it was to go to charity.
 "He would have 1t thus, Madge," spoke Egbert. Am I to go away, or are we to be the yoke fellows your father hoped we would be?'
 Madge said, "Stay," and tliere was fluttering joy in her tones as she did so. They had quiet wedding, set tied down readily and naturally into the new life, and happiness seemed assured
 At the end of month Madge began to change It puzzled and then grieved Egbert to note that her entire character seemed to undergo de- velopment that he could not analyze. She was as kindly as ever and as to work bore more than her full share of it. She did not encourage the wis it's of neighbors. especially of Ter own sex. She rid the house of liquor of which Mr. Burton had always carried a stock for harvest use and sickness. Egbert never went to town but she begged to go with him. She became economical to the point of penurious- ness. and on an occasion when she and her husband visited the circus, in a sudden and almost frenzied manner hurried Egbert away from stand where games of chance were going on.
 Egbert Marston felt an invisible but oppressive yoke restraining all the free and varied workings of his mind. He could not account for Madge'S ever present watchfulness and her attempts to shut him out from the most ordi- nary Independence of action.
 oitt udt NIuNSt Il'tu S-oiit 'N'' w nurse sick neighbor for the after noon and Egbert, ransacking the room for razor he had mSlaid, chanced to open the drawer of a desk that had Alwavs been Mad"e's own property, He did not locate the Sought-for arti- cie but chanced to come across some loose papers which he dScerned at glance had belonged to Mr. Burton.
 One showed a crumnled SOiled con dition, as if it had been read great many times. It was in Mr. BurtOn's own handwriting and it told of an in vestigatiOn he had made. Its subject person he had thought of em- ,'1r;ng, but the reports he had re- ceived made out the applicant as a thinker, a gamester and undesirable generally.
 i've solved 1t! almost shouted Egg bert in a transport of glad enlighten- ment, and so satisfied was he that he had discovered clew to Madge's strange action that he at once went over to the neighbors to see her.
 "Madge." he spoke. when she joined him outside. "has that paper anything