The Little River news., 1920-12-04
CHAPTER II.
The Red Mask.

The Red Mask
 Amazed at the woodcraft that had enabled the girl to disappear under his very eyes, without so much as the quiver of a leaf, the Pearlhunter crossed the branch on the rifle at the lower edge of the pool, by springing from stone to stone, and went up to the rock. There lay the flowers in scattered confusion-a tumbled mass of refreshing color; the half an arm full of pink and white and red wild roses. He picked up three-a pink :; red; a white-and stood gazing down upon them. The true woods man is instinctiyely a gentleman. He did not know-he did not try to know that the girl watched his every move from behind big oak few yards up the bank.
 Like her-sofnehow," he muttered. "Wild Rose It might be her name. A name I wonder what it's like to have namev'
 A thought shadowed his face-the old thought that always brought the cloud. His eyes narrowed; the lines of his mouth drew tense. Drawing the stems of the three roses through away down the branch back to Fallen Rock
 The lGngud eyes of the Iron Gray Woman turned toward him as he sprang in over the saving gangplank, pushed aside the rumpled curtain, and entered the tiny cabin of the house boat. There was not so much fire. in the eyes. The fever was going down with the sun, The thought his re- turning step had brought came out in her first words. .--7-~ --- 2. ,,'' They, who own the old cabin might not like us to move in."
 '"' They can only makefus move out again." was his cheery answer And, mother, you never saw such a view as you get from up there. And you cnn drink right out of the spring."
 Something came To the face of the IronGray-Woman that had long been a stranger there. Not a smile-a rip pie, like the swath chance breeze ruffles across still water.
 ''But you can't carry everything"
 Everything. And the first load shall be you"
 "Mew
 ''It would set you coughing to climb the slope"
 The woman dropped her eyes. After all, weakness is not pleasant fact to face The loss of power. the inability to do accustomed things, always comes as a shock. Life had brought to the Iron-Gray-Woman little enough rrpitifully little enough. But though life be ever so bare and gray, no one likes to sit helpless and watch it go.
 Haply the young man sensed noth- ing of this, but. was already busy gathering together such of their lneager stock of household goods as 1t would be absolutely necessary to carry up to the cabin under the cliff if the coming night was to be spent ashore.
 Nothing remained but the actual going ashore. His mother came first, as he had said. While packing, he had planned to help her up the hill to the, spring and leave her there while he swept the old cabin, aired it out. put up the cook stove, and otherwise made the place as sweet and inviting as possible for her occupancy
 Just before passing through the Tumplsd curtain of the houseboat she stopped and gazed over the tiny cabin. | SJust one look before go." she sei9. Sf aaa45 ..IW .i @s5 He was astonished at the wistful- neas in her tones. 7s ~s4as.
 -why. mother. you can come back ---any minute"
 .1t shas. been my home for twenty JsasA. .s sAe saaid as she .turned away. 1sF tane more the yoicing of . rehec-' ten tAan the statement of fact. {, y. s;ssskessp the sGsnsplapk and up the soeps among the trees he led her- cArr1AA skef witA all the {sndseneSs Ane 4A man to his mother: for t1e hsn sn0ray-Wcman had the man. M s64 sAh p{saj "lady of hisA 1s6fsS:~ and shs had 'tausht 6in ~ s4lAe knew Hev vheA ~brousHt aiSNg Il ,czl vhlsh s 3Ssead foe her 1Dcp ,sns ss6Ae l6ter6ds rock. .sWJthS tho ,,! !ay tlA atatgr fklisms the alf. {, ,wlt, { Hla. cpp. N her hand. tho cool iet5g S1llAlA fE hS left her ''Gl1f 1dfff9t n t6e hppseboat @s %gassaaessss %gassaee s;ss. 2 I'm wGs dipping lSt Isiafl 21 1HSsi 1igafnt abexa idi the rlv9 wh1a
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