Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1921-10-13
CHAPTER XIX.
A Perfect Cross.

CHAPTER XIX.
A Perfect Cross.
On the floor of the richly-furnished
library of the Dale home, near a west
window. Miss Elizabeth Littleford sat
reading by the fast fading light of an
early March afternoon. Somehow she
liked to sit on the floor, and always she
liked TO read; for one thing, books
helped her to forget that she was
lonely.
There were footsteps behind her,
soft footsteps because of the thick vel
vet carpet; then low voice inquired:
Aren't you afraid you will injure
your eyes, Elizabeth? Better have a
light, hadn't you, dear?" The old coal
king turned toward the switch on the
wall.
"No" she answered quickly. I'm
through reading for today, and like
this twilight"
Her improvement in speech and in
manners had gone on at surprisingly
rapid rate. She rarely spoke with any
but the simplest words, but she never
fell into anything more than bare SEM
blance of the old drawing hill dialect
unless it was while she was under the
stress Of some strong emotion.
She closed the book and looked up
with eyes that were like the first stars
in a summer sky. Her beauty was
wonderful; it was finer and sweeter
than it had ever been before.
Old Dale stood looking thoughtfully
into her upturped face. He was lit
tie pale, and he seemed troubled and
uneasy.
Elizabeth shook her head. You're
worrying again!''
He dropped into a nearby chair,
leaned slowly forward and let one
hand fall gently on her thick and silky
cheStnut-brown hair.
81 WISH" he said as though TO him
seelf. that had daughter like you"
He took his hand from her head, lay
back wearily in his chair and closed
his eyes. Then he bent forward again.
1.-THE Morelands, EliZabeth-they've
moved away from the settlement.
haven't they"
"Yes; Bill Dale has done wonderful
things for themI" the girl answered.
John K Dule was silent for a mo-
ment. after which he said suddenly: 81
want to see my son there is something
must tell him. Will you go with me,
Elizabeth?"
"Of course. I'll go with you"
She thought she knew what it was
that stirred him. BY intuition, supple
mented by Bill Dale's occasional cryp-
tic utterances, and pieced out by hill
tradition, Elizabeth Littleford gradu:
ally had come into possession Of the
old coal mans grim secret.
Neither of them knew that John
Moreland was then visiting his beloved
old hills for the sake Of some shooting.
The following day John X. Dale and
Elizabeth Littleford alighted from a
northbound passenger train at the
Halfway switch. The mountains were
| covered with three inches of snow, and
the hemlock and pines bore heavy bur-
dens of the beautiful white stuff; but
| the air was still, and it wasn't very
| cold.
You'd get your clothing all black
on the coal train" Dale said to his
| companion, $50 you'd rather walk over
wouldn't you? Anyway. the train isn't
here. I'm good for six miles, think.
"Yes," smiled Ben Littleford's
| daughter, I'D rather waikiki you're
sure that six miles won't be too much
for you"
Together, with the girl leading the
way, they set out across David More
lands mountain. The old trail showed
not one footprint ahead of them; il
was not so much used now. They said
little. Each thought their own thoughts
| and neither cared to speak them tC
| the other.
Just before they reached the noun
tain's crest, they passed group OF
snow-laden pines that concealed big
| brown bearded man who had beer
| stealthily following the trail of a lone
| wild turkey. He wore khaki hunting
clothes and high laced boots, and there
was a certain English fineness about
| him. In his bare hands he caSried d
repeating rife, which marked him as
| one born In the hills; a lOwlandel
would have had a choke-bored shotgun
When he saw John X. Dale he
stopped suddenly. 1t might have been
| intuition, or it might have been sheer
| curiosity, the average hillman being O
| stranger to neither-he followed ant
watched the two, unseen by them.
On the pine-fringed crest, Elizabeth
Littleford halted to view that which
| lay around and below him. Old Dale
stopped close at her side, and he, too
looked at that which lay around an6
below them and to his mind also there
came memories crOwding.
The young woman brushed back 6
wayward wisp of brown hair anc
turned to the man beside her.
"The Moreland part o the settle
ment looks lonesome, don't it?" she
said. ''See. there's no smoke comm
from their cabin chimneys. :" Sht
went on absently. But the Littlefords
are there yet"
| Old Dale caught the meaning thai
was in the latter sentence. 1t was moi
Il shallow meaning.
1--WE are going to take care of the
Littlefords, Elizabeth" he assured her
"rve thought much over it, and JUS
now I've decided. When l decide, its
for all time! you know that dom
you?"
A great gladness filled Elizabeth:
heart. 1t did not occur to her to ash
how, in what manner, he was going tC
take care of her people; 1t was enough
to know that he was going to take care
of them. He put fathers arm lightly
around her shoulders. She tried I,
speak, chOked, and couldn't utter Z
| word Rut it didn't matter John h