The Lamar register., 1920-09-08

TO bring his eyes level with the open
ing.
"a log house; old and empty"
The lron-G -Gray-Woman sat musing
moment. her eyes astray among the
trees nodding languidly in the serene
June afternoon.
II wish l might live again upon the
shore. The sun beats down SO hot
upon the houseboat, and grow weary
Of the eternal throb OF the river. II
| could only live little while up there
l should grow strong"
"And why noti It's empty, and no
Jody would care. In these deep woods
there's nobody TO care"
A flicker Of light crossed her face.
I'D get well 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 river
the Ohio; the White; the wabashl"
always. mother! Always the house
boat-drifting drlfting-and you SO
frail. SO beautiful" !"
The man left the window and knelt
by the rocking chair. The Iron-Gray-
, Woman saw the question in his eyes
u hunger for some word out OF the
past u word that had never come. All
his life she had kept II from him
whatever 1t had been that happened
back there behind the veil of her ST.
lence that left him nameless; IA river
walf; u nomad In an orderly world; n
fisher of pearls; pearlhunter. Her
eyes came back and faltered over him.
No longer Il child; boy-the refiec-
tion 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 that cushioned the chair. It's
a solemn thing TO be the mother, Of 4
man-glorious but solemn.
The lustrous eyes-brighter for the
fever wasting them-came back to him
after time. He saw far-fiung
thoughtfulness In them; knew they
had strayed into that past from which
he was barred. The thin lips parted.
The mans fingers curied tense upon
the chair arm
ITO a city on the Wabash. in early
days. came three families Of virginia's
purest blood-rny family, your fathers
family. and the family of-of-another
man"
The Iron-Graywoman shuddered
and was silent for moment. The
man picked up wasted hand; stroked
It softly between his own, and she
went on, strained and slow, like one
desperately nerved TO long-dreaded
task.
"My parents both died when 1 was
so small that / can barely remember
them, leaving me, their only child, to
the care OF a distant relative, a great
uncle OF my fathers This great-great-
uncle-well, as | look back upon my
life | cannot remember that he ever
gave me pleasant word.
MY aunt was as different as dawn
TO dark. She was everything that he
was not. thousand times she loved
my hurt away.
''They had a daughter. an only child.
almost my age, ana Of the same name
surname and all. When uncle was
away Oh business trips, as he often
was for weeks, 1t was like sunshine
after rain. Such happy times They
are high among the few pleasant
memories OF my life"
The Iron Gray Woman paused her
dark, deep eyes seeming to search
back into the dead past. like u traveller
straining his gaze across a stretch Of
desert TO where the oasis lies. 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 my uncle.
His best word was a growl. The serv-
ants moved about the house like silent
shadows.
In this same city upon the Wabash
lived two other families. as 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 IA
ther 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
best in Virginia. A soldier, as the men
of his family had always been. he had
already won. by conspicuous galiantry,
the rank of colonel in the Indian
! rsrs"
--'--.