Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-09-16

Hello, Mister Dale" she mimicked.
He shook her hand, then he dropped
to a moss-coyered log that lay beside
the narrow trail.
'Sit down here beside me-" he said;
all day, and 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 displeased.
"'Cause," she ansWered-and she
corrected herself quickly, 81 mean be-
cause"
mo reason whatever" smiled Dale.
"Wen," and her clear brown eyes
looked at him squarely, II come back
because yore mother she said would
be burden to Mis- McLaurin, that's
why"
Mrs. McLaurin," said Dale; mot
Mis- McLaurin.'
"a burden to Mrs. McLaurin, and /
amt a-goin 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 EN- a 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, I
shore CANT see. Say, ] 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, Bill? He liked me better'n
any Of 'em, less 1t was Pat herself,
You know Jimmy, don't We, 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 wealthy cotton
speculator, weak, devoted to high
nights, remarkably handsome to ro-
mantle and unsophisticated girls but
not to men and women who had cut
their wisdom-teeth- was Jimmy
Fayne.
Babe Littieford was speaking again:
II 'cided to come back here, Bill
Dale, because thought they might
need me here as well as because was
afeard / would be burden to Pat
mean afraid / would be burden to
Pat. Seems like / CANT talk proper
at all I've tried and tried. I've spent
half o. my time jest a-tryin' to talk
proper. Pat, she'd put down words
mustn't say on sheet o. paper, and
I'd study 'em. Afeard, shore, pap,
cause, amt, hain't-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 to
Pat, is the barbarian princess!"
didn't know what that meant, but 1
'spect it's somethfn' bad. went into
the house, because didn't want to
say anything, and her yore own moth
er. But listened, and / heard her
say the rest. and this is it:
"'What will you do when the min
innovation wears off, Patriciay she
says. She'll be a burden to you,
Patricia; you'll have half-savage
person tagging after you, like lady
bearP
That's what 1t was she said. Bill
Dale. I'm shore they do need
me here, and / ak We this, Bill Dale:
Are you sorry to see me come back?'
Perhaps they do need you" Dale
slowly stripped the tiny leaves from a
fern. .But that is not sufficient rea-
son to warrant your staying here. OF
course, I'm not sorry to see you, Babe
But you must go back to Patricia very
soon. If you had been burden to
Patricia, she would have told you"
Babe put out a foot and idly rolled
an acorn across the path with one
bare big toe.
"But III don't think want to go
back" she protested. I'D rather stay
here, heap rather"
"But you must go back" declared
Dale, "You really must"
Ben Littleford's daughter was 81
lent. For a moment she absently
watched the playful antics of little
boomer squirrel on the side of a near
| by hickory. Then she arose.
Look" she urged-it was one of
| the charming wiles of her-"Look at
my new dress. Me anu Pat made it,
every stitch Of it. Don't you think it's
nicer
"Sure, it's NICE" Dale agreed. "But
any dress, looks nice on you, Babe. If
only you'd stick with Mrs. McLaurin
and let her educate you! You
shouldn't have cared anything about
what my mother said; my mother
doesn't always see things In the true
light. You'll go back, won't your"
She bent toward him and asked
pointedly:
"Bill Dale, what makes you so anx-
ious TO- me to go?''
Because" readily, II want you to
have an education"
What makes you want me to have
a education, Bill Dale?"
Because you'd be such splendid
woman, if you had an education"
Babe Littleford pursued with child
like eagerness: "And what makes
you want me to be such s-splendid
yryo,,aor