The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1921-08-12

She put down her bundle OF cloth
ing, shaded her eyes with her hand
and tried to find Bill Dale among thu
builders. But the distance was tOt
great; q mar down there was but {
mere speck. -. Before she went on
she removed her shoes and stockings
1t was hard for Babe LittlefOrd 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 goodness!
Then a voice hailed her from the
laurels out at her right, the voice she
loved better than any other
Hello, Miss LittlefOrd !"
Babe stopped and faced him, and
him. He 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 a cartridge-belt, from which hung
a big and dependable looking revolver
In a leathern holster.
Hello, Mister Dale |" she mimicked.
He shook her hand, then he dropped
to a mOss-cOvered log that lay beside
the narrow trail.
"Sit down here beside me-" ne 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, Babe?" he
asked as though he were displeased.
Cause" she answered-and she
corrected herself quickly, II mean be-
cause"
mo reason whatever" smiled Dale.
Well and her clear brown eyes
looked at him squarely, II come back
because yOre mother she said l 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 a burden to no
body" vehemently. In a 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 a big lot O. silver
bill Dale, l had a big time! Every
body liked me but yore own maw-I
yore mother. My goodness
graciOuS-they dress awful fine, don't
they? Why, silk amt nOthin'. But
whar all O. their money comes from, l J
shore CANT see. Say, 1 showed some
D Pats friends how to dance our old
hill dances, and the whole town was
crazy about 'em when l left. Jimmy
is awful g~OOd-lOokin' and rich,
Amt he. Bill? He liked me better'n
any of 'em, less it was Pat herself.
Wv htO" oAAiAhN OOh L VIC, Dill |
Dale nodded, frOwned, and turned
his sober gaze toward the toes of his
high laced boots. Yes. he knew Jimmy
and he held him in contempt.
The pampered son of a wealthy cotton
peculatOr, weak, devoted to high
remarkably handsome to ro-
mantle and unsOphisticated girls but
lot to men and women who had cut
heir Observation-Disclosures was Jimmy
Babe Littleford was speaking again:
II 'cided to come back here, Bill
Dale, because l thought they might
eed me here as well as because l was
feard l would be a burden to Pat-I
lean afraid 1 would be a burden to
at. Seems like l CANT talk proper
t all! I've tried and tried. I've spent
alf O my time jest a-tryin' to talk
roper. Pat, she'd put down words l
say on a sheet O. paper, and
d study 'em. Afeard, shore, pap,
ause. amt, Mainland all O. them.
nd she'd put down the right words
18th EN- SOS I'd know. l
"YOre mother was the last to come l
see me, Bill. so this she says to
at, is the barbarian princess" / f,
.dn't know what that meant, but I 1
pect it's sOmethin' bad. 1 went into :,
re house, because I didn't want to I
y anything, and her yOre own moth
;. But l listened, and I heard her L
" the rest. and this is it: '
"'What will you do when the in-in- :.
.novation wears off, Patricia?' she =
VS.. She'll be a burden to you, :.
you'll have a half-savage !.
tagging after you, like a lady
ar! J.,
"That's what it was she said. Bill T
ale. . I'm shore they do need =
e here, and I ak We this, Bill Dale: :,
e you sorry to see me come backY :,
Perhaps they do need YOU" Dale
'wly stripped the tiny leaves from a a.
m. But that is not sufficient rea- h,