The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-11-25


grope idly In the snow at her side, and
she did not feel the cold. Suddenly
she realized that her hand was full
OF shavings, WRITINGS. Some man
Ind been sitting there whiting with
pocket knife--it must have been
man. for who ever heard OF o woman
whittlingf She felt In the snow with
both hands, and found more whittlings
there were bushels of whittiings, IL
seemed to her, lying there under tha
snow.
Then she wondered who
1t could have been.
It was quite dark now, but the moon
was not yet up. A great, bright star
blazed above David Moreland's tomb
like beacon fire. She heard the muf-
fed sounds of slow masculine foot
steps In the snow behind her. She
did not turn her head. In her soul
she knew 1t could be but one man.
Bill Dale's head was down, and he
moved as though he neither knew nor
cared whittier he went. Then he saw
the dara heap on the rivers bank be-
fore him, and he halted. He knew In
his soul that 1t could be but one won,-
an.
Dale went on and sat down ON a
stone the size OF a small barrel that
lay at the rivers rim.
"Babe7' he said. 1t was the mating
| call of his heart in the springtime Of
his life.
"Who d-done all O. this whittlin',
Billf" asked Elizabeth.
II did," softly.
"But / thought you were SO busy
herel It's nobody but idlers, OF
| course, that whites that is, most O.
the time it's nobody but idlers that
whittles.''
"But I'm not busy on Sundays, "
know" replied Dale.
''Tell me this" Elizabeth asked
pointedly: "What made you come to
this one spot to do your whittlin'f
Couldn't you white up there In my
daddy's cabin yardY'
| He answered her unhesitatingly !:
Because / like to be here. This
place is shrine to me. 1t was here
that first loved you. Babe. Now you
tell me this: Why did ysu come to
this particular spot to sit down In
4 the snow7 There's snow In your dad
dy's cabin yardp'
Said Elizabeth, In voice that sound
ed smothered: Because like to be
here-this place Is shrine to me,
too--it was here that I first loved you,
Bill Da1el"
''Then why" he demanded. won't
you marry me?"
Because 1t was me that shot-Ad-
am Ball."
She went on, and though emotion
had set every fibre of her to quivering,
she did not fall into the old hill talk,
which was proof of the magnificence
of her:
II thought you wouldn't want me
Il You knew that did that, and
couldn't marry you without telling you
! But you know nowl And do what.
ever you feel like doing or saying, you
can't hurt me; I can never be hurt
any-any m-m-m-rnore"
Bill Dale shot erect. Truly, this
was o day of surprises for him. He
stopped and caught her up.
! "a real womani" he said happily
Strengthening with her In his arms. "a
real, all gold, pure gold womanl You
loved me well enough to kill mar
: to save me, and wouldn't let me know
It'll Woman is mystery, sure enough
!. But perhaps It's because women ars
so fine and SO far above menfolk thai
menfolk cannot understand them
Well, Babe, kitten. must / drag yor
4 to the altar, or will you go with mt
Y Of your own accordT"
t She put her arms around his necl
3 and drew them tight.
9 'Td go with you, Bill Dale--or Davis
Y Morefand, whichever II is-to the yer,
last inch Of the end Of the world" sh,
J. said.
Early the next morning. there cam,
:, strolling lazily up the rivers bank
d tall and lanky mountaineer who wore
d among other things, Niagara Fall
d mustache and cowhide boots tina
seemed ridiculously short because 0
e the great length Of his slender legs
He carried rifle in the hollow of on
e arm; he was looking for rabbit-track
t IN the snow. Near the pool above th
l. downtown sycamore, he came npo
e tracks that had not been made by an
e four-footed animals. There were tn
n footprints of man coming from ON
IT direction, and the footprints Of won
If an coming from another direction
n only the footprints of the man wen
d away toward Ben Littleford's cabin.
BY Heck was puzzled. Here come
1t Bill ne frowned, 'and over her
1t comes Babe. And thar, as plain q
dar crnas I,iII. -. -. - q