Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1921-12-01

III 1he cry Of a child from the
eap't Fas leaving halted me before
! na ne thirty yards. David More
Isnd lie had left him with q baby
on! Jew weeks old. which ! didn't
pay - particular attention 10 until
that prnlng. that black morning. At
tfsa' me there was no other house
for les around. I couldn't leave the
chi xhere TO die Of starvation, after
Kiln - Its father. So I went back and
got - baby. and all its clothing. and
too1 = away with me. left IL at a
firm heuse down In the lowIand. and
wen 30 another city, and started life
tsut later married. and shortly
aftdr that ] went to the farmer and
persgaded him. to let me adopt the
child brought IL up as my own, and
educated Il. as a sort OF compensation.
Ana came TO love IL But 1t was
years before my wife loved II. She
didn't like children then. But she does
now. She is paying now. and am
paying. Don't you understand. Bill
don't you UNDERESTIMATE
There was a choke In his voice to-
ward the last. Bill Dale went To his
feet. His eyes were wide. but he did
not seem unhappy: and for that Eliza
beth was grateful. John Moreland sat
as still. with his bearded. viking face
as expressionless as though he had
known II all along.
"And so ! really am In my own
country" cried Bill Dale. 81 am
MOreland. and the M6relands really
are my own people!"
"Yes. you are in your own country.
and you are a Northumberland your
baby name was David" said John X.
Dale.
II was then that John Moreland
spoke.
"Bill. when l fust seed you. you
made me think o. my brother the day
he was married. amt never fo'got
that ] sartainly amt surprised none
at all. We didn't know about the
baby. Cherokee Joe told me the baby
had died"
And now. son." pleaded old Dale.
his voice breaking. SAY that you for
give me-"
Bill Dale. David Morcland's boy.
kpelt beside the old sheepSkin-lined
rocker. took the old coal kings hand
In both his own ana bent his head
over IL.
''It's all right" he said thickly. Its
oil right"
Elizabeth Littleford arose and stole
blindly out of the house. Her foot
steps led her. quite without her real
iZing where she was going, across ih,
meadow and to the river above a.,
blOwn-dOwn sycamore. Ana there %:
that sacred spot, where she had first
felt her heart leap at the sound OF
i-Bill Dales voice, She sank down In
heap In the snow and cried. and
cried.
Twilight was gathering rapidly, but
She did not notice il. She did not
notice, either. that the air was grow
Ing steadily colder with the approach
of the mountain night. To her a
warm sun was shining above In n
bright blue vault; to her the spirit of
summer was everywhere; In her ears
there was the liquid song of meadow
lark. the sweet twittering of wood
thruShes, the low humming of wild
bees. The pouring of the crystal wa
tiers between the two bOulders above
the pool made music to her. and blend
ed with II she seemed to hear the voice
of big. clean. strong man
II was thinking of the difference he
stween-rou and some other women ]
know"
Then n ray Of hope shOne into her
heart. Bill Dale was really More
land and, therefore. of the hill blood
even as she was of the hill blood. and
that should make them more nearly
equal. She told herself that he wouldn't
be so apt to condemn her for being
able TO take a human life easily as
one of another blood would he; he
would he more apt to understand. And
yet, the women he had known were
gentle. tender and refined. like. for in
stance, Patricia McLaurin. Soon the
ray Of hope died within her. and she
bent her head and subbed again.
one of her bare hands began TO
Crope idly in the snow ut her side, and
she did not feel the cold. Suddenly
she realized that her hand was full
of shavinGs, WRITINGS. Some man
had been sitting there whiting with
u pocket knifc-it must have been n
man. for who ever heard Of n woman
whittlingf She felt In the snow with
both hands. and found more WRITINGS
there were bushels of WRITINGS, il
seemed to her. lying there under the
snow.
Then she wondered-wondered who
II could have been.
II was quite dark now, hui the moon
wns not yet up \ great. bright star
blaz2d above David Morcland'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 II could be hut one man.
Ell Dalc'S head was down. aud lac
moved ~ fhuu-m u" ne fh"r knew nor
cared whittier he went. Then lie saw
the dark heap on the rivers bank lie
fore him. and he halted. He knew II
his soul that II could be but one WON
an.
Dale went on and sat down on
stone the size OF small barrel that
lay at the rivers rim.
"Babe?" he said. II was the mating
call of his heart In the springtIme of
his life.
"WhO d-d0ne all o. this Within.
Bill?' asked Elizabeth.
II did" softly.
"But ! thought you we're so busy
here! It's nobody but oilers. Of
course. that whittIes-thai Is, NEST o
the time its nobody but idlers that
whittles''
But I'm not busy on Sundays. y
knsw," replied Dale.
Tell me this" Elizabeth asked
pOintedfy "Wlat made won came 10