Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1921-10-06


Elizabeth shook her head. you're
worrying againl"
He dropped into a nearby chair,
leaned slowly forward and let one
hand fall gently on her thick and silky
chestnut-brown hair.
II WISH" he said as though to him
seelf, athat had a daughter like you
He took his hand from her head, lay
back YEARLY in his chair and closed
his eyes. Then he bent forward again.
.'The Morelands, Elizabeth-they've
moved away from the settlement
haven't they7"
.sYes; Bill Dale has done wonderful
things for themW the girl answered.
John X. Dale was silent for mo-
ment, after which he said suddenly: Il
want to see my son; there Is something
I must tell him. Will you go with me.
Elizabeth"
"Of course, I'll go with you"
She thought she knew what 1t 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 ard pines bore heavy bur-
dens Of the beautiful white stuff but
the air was still, and 1t 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, I 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; 1t
was not so much used now. They said
little. Each thought their own thoughts,
and neither cared to speak them to
the other.
Just before they reached the noun
tain's crest, they passed a group Of
snow-laden pines that concealed big,
|hgown-bearded man who had been
stealthily following the trail of 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 carried a
repeating rife, which marked him as
one born in the hills; lowlander
would have had a choke-bored shotgun.
When he saw John X. Dale he
stopped suddenly. It might have been
| intuition, Or 1t might have been sheer
curiosity, the average hillman being q
stranger to neither--he followed and
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 and
!, below them; and to his mind also there
came memories crowding.
The young woman brushed back a
Maynard wisp of brown hair and
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. :" She
went on absently. 'But the Littlefords
are there yet"
Old Dale caught the meaning that
was In the latter sentence. 1t was not
a shallow meaning.
1--WE are going to take care of the
| Littlefords, Elizabeth" he assured her
1--WE thought much over it, and just
i now I've decided. When decide, it's
for all time! you know that, don't
your"
A great gladness filed Elizabeth's
heart. 1t did not occur to her to ask
how, In what manner, he. was going to
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 to
speak, choked, and couldn't utter a
word. But 1t didn't matter John X
Dale understood perfectly.
Then he took his arm away, faced tc
the right, and drew his hat rim low
over his eyes. For two minutes he
stood there and looked for the little old
cabin down near the foot of the north
end Of the mountain, and he failed te
find 1t. His mind had gone back once