The Snowflake herald., 1921-10-21
By IRVING BACHELLER

cry. It's all over now. I'm going to
cut these ropes"
1t was as if she had known and
loved him always. She was RE
young mother with her first child.
Tenderly she wiped his tears away
with her blond, silken hair. She cut
his bonds and he rose and stood be-
magic.
ooh what q fool I've been!" she
exclaimed. =
"Why so?" he asked.
81 cried and / kissed you and we
never have been introduced to each
other"
She covered her eyes with her hair
and with bent head went out of the
door.
"I'll never forget that kiss as long
as live" said the boy as he followed
her. "Pn never forget your help or
your crying either"
$50 away from mel won't speak
to you," she said. go back to your
work. I'll stay here and keep watch"
The boy returned to his task point
ing up the inside walls but his mind
and heart were out in the sunlight
talking with BIN. Once he looked out
of the door and saw her leaning
against the neck of the pony, her face
hidden in his name. When the sun
was low she came to the door and
said:
"You had better stop now and go
home"
She looked down at the ground and
added:
"Please. please, don't tell on me-"
"Of course not" he answered But
hope you won't be afraid of me any
more"
She looked up at him with little
smile. "Do you think I'm afraid of
you?" she asked as if it were too alb
surd to be thought of. She unhitched
and mounted her pony but did not go.
81 do wish you could raise a mus
tache," she said, looking wistfully into
his face 81 can't bear to see you
look so terribly young; you get worse
and worse every time l see you. l
want you to be regular man right
quick"
He wondered what he ought to say
and presently stammered: "I-T-in-
tend to. / guess I'm more of a man
than anybody would think to look at
me-"
You're too young to ever fall in
love, l reckon"
mo, I'm not" he answered with de-
cision.
"Have you got razor?" she asked.
"NO."
81 reckon it would be q powerful
help. You put soap on your lip and
NOW it off with razor. My father
says it makes the grass grow"
There was a moment Of silence dur
ing which she brushed the name of
her pony. Then she asked timidly:
do you like yellow hair?"
Eyes, if it looks like yours"
eff you dont mind I'll put mus
tache on you just-just to look at
y
"When I think Of you I put violets
in your hair" he said.
He took step toward her as he
spoke and as he did so she started
her pony. A little way off she checked
him and said:
''I'm sorry. There are no violets
now.'
She rode away slowly waving her
hand and singing with the JOY Of
bird in the springtime
That evening when Harry was help
ing Samson with the horses he said:
"I'm going to tell you a secret.
wish you wouldn't say anything about
It."
Samson stood pulling the hair out
of his card and looking very stern as
he listened while Harry told of the
assault upon him and how BIN had
arrived and driven the rowdies away
with her gun but he said not a word
of her demonstration of tender SYM
pathy. To him, that had clothed the
whole adventure with a kind of
sanctity so that he could not bear to
have it talked about.
Samson's eyes glowed with anger.
They searched the face of the boy.
His voice was deep and solemn when
he said:
'This is serious matter Why do
you wish to keep it a secret?"
The boy blushed. For moment he
knew not what to say. Then he
spoke: "It amt me so much-it's
her." he managed to say. "She
wouldn't want 1t to be talked about
and / don't either"
Samson began to understand. "She's
quite girl, I guess" he said thought
fully. "She must have the nerve Of
mani declare she must"
"Yes-sir-ee! They'd "a got hurt if
they hadn't gone away, that's sure"
said Harry.
"We'n look out for them after this"
Samson rejOined. "The first time l
meet that man McNoll he'll have to