The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1920-08-05
A LOYAL
GUARDIAN
BY EVELYN LEE

the morning over-stately trees to be
under, soft turf to repose on. The
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 tlutter of dress and the echo of
| silvery laughing tones.
There hung near an unused stall, a
double yoke. Robert Burton had fash
| toned it himself nearly half a century
previous, but oxen had given place to
less clumsy and slow going stock, and
the old yoke remained in view as re-
minder and relic. Madge Burton ran
! toward it and poked her sunny face
and head through it.
'Boow she cried out, playfully to
her adopted father, who was filling a
measure with corn for the chickens.
"You need mate to make the pie
ture complete" declared Burton.
"Reckon III have to find you oneS'
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 lac supplemented the word priv
ilege,' and then added, with an adj
miring glance at Madge, land honor"
Robert Burton left the twain to
themselves with a chuckle as a sud-
den idea flashed into his mind. 81
wonder now" he soliloquized, eff
needn't worry any more about Madge
being left alone In the world after
am gomez
Meantime the couple he discussed
came out into the yard, strolled in a
desultory way and carried on a casual
conversation under some restraint.
That flash of admiration from Egbert's
eyes as she made a 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
1t 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 to him a
helpful, cheerful yoke fellow" To her
work had become pleasure and she
never shirked the seyereSt toll.
1t was the dead mans lawyer who
unfolded the contents of a will recent
ly made by the decedent. 1t 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 it thus, Madge,"
spoke Egbert. Am l to go away, or
are we to be the yoke fellows your
father hoped we would beY
Madge said, "Stay," and there was
nuttering JOY In her tones as she did
so. They had a quiet wedding, set
the new life, and happiness seemed
assured.
At the end of a month Madge began
to change. 1t puzzled and then
grieved Egbert to note that her entire
character seemed to undergo a de-
velopment that he could not analyze.
She was as kindly as ever and as to
work bore more than her full share
Of II. She did not encourage the Wis
its of neighbors, especially of her 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 90 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 q 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.
One day Madge had gone over to
nurse a sick neighbor for the after
noon and Egbert, ransacklng the room
for a razor he had mislaid, CHANGED to
omen the drawer of a desk that had
always been Madge's own property
He did not locate the sought-for arti-
Gle, but CHANGED to come across some
loose papersMhich he discerned at a
glance had belonged to Mr.. Burton.
one showed a crumpled soled con-
ditlon. as If II had been read a great
many times 1t was in Mr., Burton's
own handwriting and It told Of an In
vestigation he had made. It's subject
was a person he had thought of EN-
ploying, but the reports he had re-
ceived made out the applicant as a
drinker a gamester and undesirable
generally,
ave solved ltw almost shouted Egg.
bert in transport of glad enlghten-
ment. and so, satisfied was he that he
had discovered a clew to Mddge'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
TO do with the way you have acted?'
ayes, everything" came the truthful
reply. "My hearts one thought has
been to keep you from becoming what
you once were"
f,..Il,l rnninInl,nr liIIln 70 L