Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1920-12-24

~ saw. But you must remember
he's sick. Now CO."
IF he's sick, let him stay In bed
and have q wet nurse. Maybe you can
be that"
The lids dropped halfway over her
gray eyes, and the slim finger curled
more tightly about the trigger. "Oh.
wish I could shoot you, Berti" she
said. She didn't whisper II, or hiss II,
or hurl It, or do any of the things most
people are supposed to do In moments
| of violent emotion. She simply said
It, and her meaning was all the
clearer.
| "But you can't. And TIL pound that
milk-sop Of yours to jelly every time
! I see him. I'd think. Snowbird. that
you'd want a man."
He started up the trail; and then
she did strange thing. Hes more of
| a man than you are. right now. Bert"
she told him. Hell prove II some
day." Then her arm went about Dams
neck and lifted his head upon her
breast; and In Cranston's plain sight,
she bent and kissed him, softly. on
| the lips.
Cranston's answer was an oath. II
dripped from his lips, more poisonous.
more malicious than the venom OF a
snake. His features seemed to tight
en-. the dark lips drew away from his
teeth. No words could have made
| him such an effective answer as this
little action Of hers. And as he turned
up the trail, he called down to her
name-that most dreadful epithet
that foul tongues have always used
70 women held IN greatest scorn.
Dan struggled In her arms. The
kiss on his lips. the instant before.
had not called him out Of his half
consciousness. II had scarcely seemed
real, rather Just an Incident IN bliss.
ful dream. But the word called down
the trail shot out clear and vivid from
the silence, just as q physicians face
will often leap from the darkness ar
ter the anesthesia. Something infinite
" warm and tender was holding him.
pressing him back against a holy place
that throbbed and gave him life and
strength; but he knew that this word
had to be answered. And only actions,
not other words, could be Its payment.
All the voices Of his body called TO
him 10 lie still, but the voices or the
spirit, those higher nobler promptings
from which no man. to the glory OF
the breed from which he sprung, can
ever quite escape, were stronger yet.
he tugged upward. straining. But he
didn't even have the strength to break
the hold that the soft arm had about
his neck.
"Oh. If could only pull the trig-
GER" she was crying. IF ] could
only kill him"
"Let me-" he pleaded. "Give me
the pistol. I'll kill him"
And he would. There was no finch
ing in the gray eyes that looked up
to her. She leaned forward. as II to
put the weapon In his hands. but at
once drew II back. And then single
sob caught at her throat. An instant
later they heard Cranston's laughter
as he vanished around the turn Of the
trail.
For long minutes the two or them
were still. The girl still held the mans
head upon her breast. The pistol had
fallen In the pine needles. and her
nervous hand plucked strangely at the
leaves of q mountain flower To Dams
eyes. there was something trancelike.
a hint Of paralysis and insensib'lity
about her posture. He had never seen
her eyes like this. The light that he
had always beheld In them had van
ished. Their utter darkness startled
him.
He sat up straight, and her arm that
had been about his neck felt at her
side. He took her hand firmly In his.
and their eyes met.
"We must go home. Snowbird," he
told her simply. "Im not so badly
hurt but that I can make It."
She nodded; but otherwise scarcely
seemed to hear. Her eyes still flowed
with darkness. And then, before bis
own eyes. their dark pupils began to
contract The hand he held filled and
throbbed with life. and the fingers
closed around his. She leaned toward
him.
"Listen, Dan," she said quickly.
you heard-didn't you-the last thing
that he saidT'
II couldn't help hut hear. Snow
bird"
Her other hand sought for HIS
"Then II you heard-payment must be
made. You see what ! mean, Dan.
Maybe you can't see, knowing the girls
that live on the plains. You were the
cause of his saying 1t. and you must
answer"
II seemer to Dan that some stern
code Of the hills. unwritten except In
the hearts of their children. memorable
as night was speaking through her
lips. This was no personal thing. In
some dim. misunderstood way, II
went back TO the basic code of life.
people must fight their own fights
up here" she told him. THE laws
OF the courts that the plains people
can appeal to are all too far away.
There's no one that can do II. except
you. Not my father. My father can't
foht vour hattIee hero ~ vorr honor