Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1921-09-02

ing, shaded her eyes with her hand,
and tried to find Bill Dale among the
builders. But the distance was too
great; a man down there was but a
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
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 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 q leathern holster.
"HelIo, 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-" 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, Babe?" he
asked as though he were displeased.
"Cause," she answered-and she
corrected herself quickly, II mean be-
cause"
"No reason whatever" smiled Dale
"Weu," and her clear brown eyes
looked at him squarely, II come back
because yore mother she said 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 big lot o silver
"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,
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 is awful good-lookin and rich,
amt he, Bill? He liked me bettern
any of 'em, less it was Pat herself
You know Jimmy, don't ye, Bill2"
|
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 MISUNDERSTANDING was Jimmy
Fayne.
| Babe Littleford was speaking again {:
II 'cided to come back here, Bill
Dale, because l thought they might
need me here as well as because l was
afeard / would be burden to Pat-I
mean afraid l 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 a 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.
| 1UIc luOlucE was Tie ldSl W CUluc
to see me, Bill. so this, she says to
Pat, is the barbarian princess !" l
didn't know what that meant, but
'spect it's somethin' bad. l went into
the house, because / didn't want to
say anything, and her yore own moth
er. But 1 listened, and 1 heard her
say the rest, and this Is it:
"'What will you do when the in-in-
innovation wears off, Patricia? she
says. She'll be a burden to you,
Patricia; you'll have a half-savage
person tagging after you, like lady
bearp
That's what it was she said, Bill
Dale. I'm shore they do need
me here, and 1 ak ye this, Bill Dale
Are you sorry to see me come back?
Perhaps they do need you" Dale
slowly stripped the tiny leaves from c
fern. "But TIT 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 a burden to
Patricia, she would have told you"
Babe put out foot and idly rolled