The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1921-09-29

III was nufu Tor BdDe l4lttle1Ofu 10 ne
come accustomed TO wearing useless
shoes and stockings In warm weather
when she had reached the s,.ot of
the mountain, she didn't take the by
paA her people had been wont to use
in order that they might avoid con
no need Of avoiding contact with the
Morelands now, thank goodness
Then a voice hailed her from the
laurels out at her right, the voice she
loved better than any other
Hello, Miss Littlefordw
Babe stopped and faced him, and
She blushed furiously when she saw
him. lie was coming rapidly toward
her with his hat in his hand, and his
brown hair was rumpled and damp
with perspiration. she saw that he
was In boots and corduroys, the cloth
ing of a timber-jack, and he looked
bigger in them; about his waist there
was cartridge-belt, from which hung
big and dependable looking revolver
in leathern holster.
Hello, Mister Dalew she mimicked
lie shook her hand, then he dropped
TO moss-covered log that lay beside
the narrow trail.
"Sit down here beside me-" he said
and he added: 1--WE been going hard
all day, ana I'm pretty tired"
She let fall her bundle and her
shoes and stockings, and obeyed.
"Why did you come back, Babe?" he
asked as though he were dlspleased.
"'Cause," she answered-and she
corrected herself quickly, 81 mean be-
cause"
mo reason whatever" smiled Dale.
well" and her clear brown eyes
looked at him sQuarely, 81 come back
because yore mother she said | would
he burden to Mis- McLaurin, that's
why"
Mrs. McLaurin," said Dale; mot
| Mis- McLaurin.'
"A burden to Mrs. McLaurn, and
amt a-goln' TO be burden to no
| body" vehemently. In softer voice,
she went on, Mrs. McLaurin and her
husband and her folks has done made
up friendly, Bill Dale. Mrs. McLau-
rims pap--I mean her father-he
brung 'em big lot o silver
things.
"Bill Dale, had big time Every
body liked me but yore own maw-I
mean yore mother. My goodness
gracious-they dress awful fine, don't
they? Why, silk amt nothin'. But
whar all o. their money comes from,
shore CANT see. Say, l showed some
o. Pats friends how to dance our old
hill dances, and the whole town was
crazy about 'em when | left. Jimmy
Fayne Is awful good-lookin' and rich,
amt he, BillI He liked me better'n
any OF 'em, less 1t was Pat herself.
You know Jimmy, don't ye, Bill?"
Dale nodded, frowned, and turned
his sober gaze toward the toes of his
high laced boots. Yes, he knew Jimmy
Fayne, and he held him in contempt
The pampered son of a wealthy cotton
speculator, weak, devoted to high
nights. remarkably handsome to ro-
mantle and unsophistlcated girls but
not TO men and women who had cut
their MISUNDERSTANDING was Jimmy
Fayne.
Babe Littleford was speaking again
81 'cided to come back here, Bill
Dale, because thought they might
need me here as well as because l was
afeard ] would be a burden TO Pat
mean afraid | would be a burden to
Pat. Seems like CANT talk proper
| ~ nlI tpgn t.fn Is,vA
half o. my time jest a-tryln' to talB
proper. Pat, she'd put down words
mustn't say on sheet o. paper, and
I'd study 'em. Afeard, shore, pap
cause, amt, haint-and all o. them
And she'd put down the right words
with 'em SOS I'd know.
"Yore mother was the last to come
to see me. Bill. so this, she says tC
PAT, is the barbarian princessw
didn't know what that meant, but
! 'spect it's somethin' bad. went into
the house, because / didn't want tC
say anything, and her yore own moth
er. But ! listened, and heard heI
say the rest. and this is II;
"'What viii you do when the ln-in
innovation wears off, PatriciaT she
says. Shell be n burden TO you
Patricia; you1l have half-savag,
person tagging after you, like a lady
bearp
, That's what IL was she said. Bill
Dale. I'm shore they do neet
me here, and l AK We this, Bill Dale
Are you sorry to see me come back 2
perhaps they do need you" Dal,
slowly stripped the tiny leaves from {
fern. But that Is not sufficient rea
, son to warrant your staying here. o.
course, I'm not sorry TO see you, Babe
But you must go back TO Patricia very
soon. II you had been burden tt
Patricia, she would have told you"
Babe put out a foot and idly rolled
an acorn across the path with on,
bare big toe.
But IL don't think want to &,