Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1921-07-21

| DNCk WAS lOSt III iiC
looked at her as one might look at n
beautiful thing in a dream. He did
not speak; he only smiled as he gazed
into her eyes.
She was the first to- speak.
"Well, who are you?" she asked with
slightly southern accent in her
I voice, delicate and enhancing.
Her head gave little modest toss,
her fine white teeth caught her lower
lip with a little quirk Of humor; for
she could see that he was gentle
man, and that she was safe from any
thing that might trouble her.
He replied to her question with the
words:
"My name? Why, It's Dyck Cal
houn, that's ALL"
Her eyes frightened. isn't that
enough?" she asked gently.
She knew of his family. She was
only visiting in the district with her
mother but she had lately heard OF old
Miles Calhoun and his wayward boy,
Dyck; and here was Dyck, with a
humor In his eyes and touch Of
melancholy at his lips. Somehow her
heart went out to him.
Presently he said to her:
"And what's your name"
"Im only Sheila Llyn. the daughter
of my mother, a widow, visiting at
Loyland towers. Yes, I'm only Shei-
lap
She laughed.
"Well, just be only Sheila,'" he an
swered admirlngly, and he held out a
hand to her. II wouldn't have you be
anything else though it's none Of my
business"
For one swift instant she hesitated
then she laid her hand in his.
There's no reason why we should
not" she said. "Your fathers re-
spectacle"
She looked at him again with a
sldelong glance, and with whimsical,
reserved smile at her lips.
Eyes, he's respectable, agree, but
he's dull" answered Dyck. "For an
Irishman, he's dull-and he's tyrant,
too. l suppose / deserve that, for I'm
handful"
81 think you are, and big handful,
tooW
(which way are you goingl" he
asked presently.
"And your"
"Oh, I'm bound for home" He
pointed across the valley. "Do you see
that smoke coming up from the plan
tation over there?"
ayes, / know" she answered. u
know. That's Playmore, your fathers
place. Loyland towers is between
here and there. Which way were you
going there?"
"Round to the left" he said, puzzled,
but agreeable.
"Then we must say good-by, because
l go to the right. That's my nearest
way"
"Well, If that's your nearest way,
I'm going with you" he said, because
-Well, DecduSe-
IF you won't talk very much !" she
rejoined with little air Of instructive
coquetry.
81 don't want to talk. I'd like to lis
ten. Shall we start?"
Shella's fathers name was Erris
Boyne, and he had been debauched,
drunken. and faithless; so at time
of unendurable hurt his wife had freed
herself. Then, under the egis Of her
maiden name, she had brought up her
daughter without any knowledge of
her father; had made her believe he
was dead ; had hidden her tragedy with
a skillful hand.
Only now, when Sheila was released
from a governess, had she moved out
of the little wild area Of the County
Limerick where she lived; only now
had she come to visit an uncle whose
hospitality she had for so many years
denied herself. Sheila was two years
old when her father disappeared, and
fifteen years had gone since then.
Down the long road the two young
people travelled, gossiping much, both
of them touched by something sad and
mysterious, neither knowing why both
Of them happy, too, for somehow they
had come nearer together than years
Of ordinary life might have made pos
sible. They broke into talk Of their
own countryside, Of the war with
FraLce, of the growing rebellious spirit
in Ireland, of riots In Dublin town, Of
trouble at Limerick, Cork and Sligo.
At the gate of the mansion where
Sheila was visiting, Dyck put into her
hands the wild flowers he had picked
as they passed, and said:
"Well, it's been great day. I've
never had greater. Let's meet again,
and soonl I'm almost every day upon
the hill with my gun, and it'd be
worth lot to see you soon-very
soon" o
"Oh, you'll be forgetting me by to-
morrow" the girl said with a little
wistfulness at her lips, fer she had a
feeling they would not meet on the
morrow. Suddenly she picked from
the bunch of wild flowers he had
given her little sprig of heather.
"Well, If we don't meet-wear that"
she said, and, laughing over her shoul-
der, turned and ran into the grounds
of Loyland towers.
CHAPTER II.