Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1921-10-13

both hands, and found more WRITINGS
there were bushels Of WRITINGS, il
seemed to her, lying there under the
snow.
i Then she wondered wondered who
It could have been.
i 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.
BIZ Dale's head was down. and ho
moved as though he neither knew nor
cared whittier he went. Then lie saw
the dark heap on the rivers bank be-
fore him, and he halted. He knew IN
his soul that 1t could be but one wom-
| an.
Dale went on and sat down on q
stone the size Of small barrel that
lay ut the rivers rim.
"Babe?" he said. It was the mating
call of his heart in the springtiine Of
his life.
who d-done all o. this whittlin,.,
Bill?" asked Elizabeth.
Il did," softly.
But thought you were so busy
here! It's nobody but oilers. Of
course. that whittles--that is, most O.
The time it's nobody but oilers that
whites"
But I'm not busy on Sundays. y
know" replied Dale.
TELL me this" Elizabeth asked
pointedly: "What made you come to
this one spot to do your whittlin'?
Couldn't you white up there In my
daddy's cabin yard?"
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 you come to
this particular spot to sit down In
the snow? There's snow in your dad
dy's cabin yard!"
Said Elizabeth, In voice that sound
ed smothered: Because like to be
here-thls place is shrine to me.
too--it was here that first loved you,
Bill Dale!"
Then Why" he demanded. won't /
you marry me?"
Because it 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:
y thought you wouldn't want me
y You knew that | lid that, and
couldn't marry you without telling you. 81
But you know now! And do what
ever you feel like doing Or saying, you
can't hurt me; can never be hurt
any-any m-m-m-more-''
Bill Dale shot erect. Truly, this
was day of surprises for him. He
stopped and caught her up.
"A real womanr he sud happily.
with her in his arms. "A
real. all gold, pure gold woman! You
loved me well enough to kill man
10 save me, and wouldn't let me know
It'll Woman is mystery, sure enough.
But perhaps It's because women are
so fine and so far above menfoik that
cannot understand them
Well. Babe, kitten, must drag you
to the altar, or will you go with me
Of your own accord?,
She put her arms around his neck
and drew them tight.
I'D go with you, Bill Dale--or David
Aloreland, whichever 1t is--t0 the very
asst inch Of the end of the world" she
said.
Early the next morning, there came
strolling lazily up the rivers bank
all and lanky mountaineer who wore.
among other things, Niagara Falls
nnstache and cowhide boots that
seemed ridiculously short because OF
he great length of his slender legs.
He carried rifle in the hollow of one
lrm: he was looking for rabbit-tracks
n the snow. Near the pool above the
downtown sycamore. he came upon
racks that had not been made by any
animals. There were the
footprints of man coming from one
and the footprints Of wom-
IN coming from another direction:
,nly the footprints OF the man went
lway toward Ben Littlefords cabin.
BY Heck was puzzled. sHere comes
BILL. he frowned, "and over here
'omcs Babe. And thar. as plain as
lay goes Bill: but what become o
Babe? Whar in the name o. the devils
'et ridin'-hoss did she go to? Not
straight up. shorelyw
He scrutinized the signs with the