The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1921-12-09

oAuS
Not guilty 7"
A wild shout rose from the leathery
throat of the happy BY Heck. The
Morelands and the Littlefords cheered
until they were hoarse. Sheriff Tom
Flowers had difficulty in quieting the
tumult. Bill Dale shook hands until
his shoulders ached. The Balls and
their relatives, bitter with resentment
and hatred, stole out, were given their
rifles, and went toward the big hills
with the eye Of the militia hard upon
them.
Then the Morelands and the Little
fords and the Hecks, with Dale and
his mining man Hayes, came out, and
they, too, started for the big hills.
Dale had hired q horse and a side
saddle for Ben Littleford's daughter,
and the two rode in each others COM
pany on the journey home. When they
were well into the mountains, Dale
drew his horse over close to that of
his companion.
"As soon as / can build and furnish
hC D16aLp WuGu LllZdDcIu l4CI-
rupted:
We're ridin' too fast. We're too
much ahead O. the others. One O. them
Balls might try to pick you off with
his rifle gum"
mot much danger Of that" Dale re-
piled. 1.-The Balls have already been
warned about snlping; your father told
them that their very name would be
secured off the earth If there was any
sniping. Besides, BY Heck is acting
as advance guard somewhere ahead Of
u.s."
He continued, "As soon as | can
build and furnish a little house out
near the mine, l want you to marry
me, Babe. Will you?"
Elizabeth Littleford seemed not to
have heard.
"Will you, BabeT
She faced him sadly. He saw In
her hazel eyes the same queer light
Of tragedy that he had seer there a
day or two before; and now, as then,
he wondered what 1t could mean.
"Tell me, Babel"
Her head fell forward. The sunlight
found glints Of gold in her thick chest
nut-brown hair. She was silent for a
moment; then her voice came DULY:
I'D better not marry you, Bill Dale"
Dale sat up straight and rigid in
his saddle and stared hard at her SOL
emily beautiful profile. He could
hardly believe that he had heard cor
rectly. He knew she loved him. She
had told him that she loved him. Then
why wouldn't she marry him? He
tried to reason 1t out, and the attempt
made his brain ache; he was unable
to reason. He knew only that she was
nil of the future to him. all Of the
world to him, and-that she had re-
fused to marry him.
When they were within two miles
Of home, Dale went suddenly white
and caught her almost rudely by q
wrist.
rs 1t Jimmy FayneT he demanded
hotly.
She gave him q %reproachful glance
and said nothing. He flung her hand
from him angrily.
Dale did not speak again until they
had entered the broad valley that was
home to him. Somehow he felt limp
now. The great wave Of anger had
passed.
II guess you are too good for me-"
he said. There "a weakness In his
voice, and it was the first weakness
she had ever known In him.
evil you always think Of me as
the finest and most beautiful woman
In the world?" she asked.
always"
"It's the best I can hope for" MUIR
INJURED Elizabeth.
"What do you meanT
"It's the best l can hope for" Eliza
beth repeated as though she were talk
ing to herself.
They rode on In silence.
There was no sleep for Bill Dale that
night. The sweetness Of his liberty
had all been taken away by Babe Lit
tleford's refusal to marry him. He
became bitter toward her again. She
had been exceedingly unfair to him:
while she really loved him, she was
going to marry Jimmy Fayne because
he had so much money. She was un-
grateful to him: II wa through him
that she was being educated, being
lifted out Of her nncouth and litter
ate self and set N q higher social and
intellectual plane. All he had ever
heard Of the so-called unfathomable
mystery Of womankind he now be-
lieved. and more. All this, 81 course.
was unworthy. But Bill Dale was in
tensely human, and to be human Is
to be unworthy.
It turned cold that night. A little
before noon Of the next day. BY Heck
stepped into the Moreland Coal COM
pany's Office.
Dale looked YEARLY up from his lit
tered desk.
II am very much obliged to you for
shooting Adam Ball, By"