Cheyenne Wells record., 1921-11-24

mere speck. /. Before she went on
she removed her shoes and stockings
Il was hard for Babe Lttleford to be-
come accustomed to wearing useless
shoes and stockings In warm weather
When she had reached the foot Of
the mountain, she didn't take the BY.
path her people had been wont to use
In order that they might avoid con.
tact with the Morelands. There was
no need Of avoiding contact with the
Morelands now, thank goodnessl
Then q voice hailed her from the
laurels out at her right. the voice she
loved better than any other
"Hello, Miss Littlefordi"
Babe stopped and faced him, and
she blushed furiously when she saw
him. He was coming rapidly toward
her with his hat in his hand. and his
brown hair was rumpled and damp
with Precipitation. 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 q cartridge-belt. from which hung
big and dependable looking revolver
In leathern holster.
Hello, Mister Dalei" she mimicked.
He 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, and I'm pretty tired"
She let fall her bundle and her
shoes and stockings. and obeyed.
"Why did you come back, Babe7" he
asked as though he were displeased.
"'Cause," she answered-and she
corrected herself quickly, II mean be-
cause"
mo reason whatever" smiled Dale.
"Weu," and her clear brown eyes
looked at him sQuarely. II come back
because yore mother she said 1 would
be a 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 'em Q big lot o silver
things. =.
"Bill Dale, had big tmel Every
body liked me but yore own maw-I
mean yore mother. My goodness
gracious-they dress awful fine, don't
they7 Why, silk amt nothin'. But
whar al 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 l left. Jimmy
Fayne 10 awful good.lookin' and rich,
amt he, Billf He liked me better'n
any Of 'em, less It was Pat herself.
7qp Know jimmy, don't ye, BiiiT
pals podded howped, and turned
his sobef gaIs toEAfd TIE toes q his
high laced boots. Yes, he knew Jimmy
FGyhS, and he held him In contempt.
The pampered son Of wealthy cotton
specqlator, weak, devoted T. high
hight, Remarkably handsome to F.
mantle and unsophisticated girls but
not to men and women who had cut
their wisdom.teeth-that was Jimmy
Fayne.
Babe Littleford was speaking again
II 'cided to come back here, Bill
Dale, because I thought they might
need me here as well as because was
afeard would be a burden to Pat-I
mean afraid I would be a burden to
Pat. Seems like CANT talk proper
half 8 ny time jesi s-tryln' to talk
proper. Pat, she'd put down words
mustn't say on a sheet o paper, and
I'd study 'em. Afeard, shore, pap.
cause, ain't 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 I
'spect it's somethin' bad. l went into
the house. because 1 didn't want to
say anything, and her yore own moth.
er. But I listened. and heard her
say the rest. and this is 1t:
"'What will you do when the in-in-
innovation wears OF, PatriciaT she
says. She'll be q burden to you,
Patricia; you'll have a half-savage
person tagging after you, like a lady
bearv
'"That's what 1t was she said. Bill
Dale. I'm shore they do need
me here, and Ak ye this, Bill Dale:
Are You sorry to see me come back7
perhaps they do need you" Dale
slowly stripped the tiny leaves from
fern. but that Is not sufilcient rea-
son TO warrant your staying here. OF
course, I'm not sorry to see you, Babe.
But you must 60 back to Patricia very
soon. II you had been q burden to
Patricia, she would have told you"
Babe put out foot and Idly rolled
an acorn across the path with one
bare big toe.
"But IL don't think want to 70
he Ck y oha nPofoatod NT,d - thor c<o,