American Fork citizen. [volume] (American Fork, Utah) 1912-1979, 1920-11-27


I could only live little while up there
should grow strong"
"And why notf It's empty. and no
body 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 30 |,
near. And I've lived so long--slnce
you were child In arms-on the river
the Ohio; the White: the Wabash"
always. motheri Always the house
bont-drifting drifting-and you so
frail. so beautifulw
The man left the window and knelt
by the rocking chair. The Iron-Gray.
Woman saw the question In his eyes
hunger for some word out Of the
past: word that had never come. All
his life she had kept It from him
whatever It had been that happened
back there behind the veil Of her 81.
lence that left him nameless; q river
waif; q nOmad In an orderly world: a
fisher Of pearls; a pearlhunter. Her
eyes came back and faltered over him.
No longer a child; a boy-the rehec-
ton startled her. A man knclt at her
side-the question written big upon
his face. And II was his right to
know. Her head dropped back against
the quilt that cushioned the chair. It's
solemn thing to be the mother Of
man-glorious but solemn.
The lustrous eyes-brighter for the
fever wasting them-came back TO him
after time. He saw a far-fiung
thoughtfulness In them; knew they
had strayed into that past from which
he was barred. The thin lips parted.
The mans fingers curled tense upon
the chair arm.
ITO city on the Wabash, In early
days, came three families Of Virginias
purest blood-my family, your fathers
family. and the family of-of-another
man."
The Iron Gray. Woman shuddered
and was silent for q moment. The
man picked up wasted hand; stroked
II softly between his own, and she
went on, strained and slow, like one
desperately nerved to long-dreaded
task.
my parents both died when ! 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 l look back upon my
! life cannot remember that he ever
gave me pleasant word.
"AIy 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 sunshine
after rain. Such happy times They
are high among the few pleasant
. memories Of my life"
The -Gray-Woman paused. her
4. dark, deep eyes seeming to search
, back into the dead past. like traveller
straining his gaze across stretch Of
desert to where the oasis lies. The
, man shifted TO his other knee and she
went on.
D my aunt died when We were In our
9 girlhood. After that-the gray days
A were ever more than the bright. A
3 petulance settled deep upon my uncle
4 His best word was growl. The serv'
. ants moved about the house like silent
shadows.
Z "In this same city upon the Wabash
I lived two other families, as have told
Q you-your fathers family and the
= family of--of-another man. your
;, father and this other man were boti
!. my suitors. But my uncle tried ever,
e means In his power to turn your IA
i Their away from me to my cousin
:. while he secretly encouraged the at
h ] tentions of the other man to me.
, "Your fathers blood was Of tn,
best In virginia. A soldier, as the mel
Q Of his family had always been, he hat
n already won. by conspicuous gallantry
: the rank Of colonel In the IndIrl
q wars"
d "what was he like"
The Iron-Gray-w Woman turned he
d eyes and studied him so long. so In
II tently. that he trembled lest his Ques
II tion--a question that came In spite o
him--had startled her into silence.
!" Like YOU" she resumed, "and no
Is like you. His eyes were blue. his hal
n light. Your hair In dark. like mine
Your eyes are like mine. But he ha
e the same height and breadth Of shoul
der; like you, slow Of speech. slow
ID strike. TIL the right instant came
'e then. as the hawk strikes.
" II never liked the--other man
D. though my uncle made II impossible
for me completely TO discourage hi
attentions" Her words dropped bac
q into the memory groove worn dee
he by the years. II kept up show Q
le interest In him. for the sake Of IN
cousin. She really loved him. and
~ was the only way she could get to sc
d him. He was very handsome man
y though as 10 aftprward turned out, IN