Licking Valley courier., 1921-11-24
y. The
! ! I. '........C'IL.A'N.
BY Hapsburg Liebe
. =
IiiustradOns by Irwin Mysrs
60 tlGyh
AktiRued from page two.)
Illustrations by Irwin Mysrs

spoke.
"Bili, when fust seed you. you
made ,me think O my brother the day
he was married amt meyer fO'got
that l sartainly amt surprised none
at all. We didn't know about the
baby. Cherskee Joe told me the baby
had died."
"And now. son," pleaded old Dale,
his voice breaking. SAY that you for /
rive me-"
Bnl Dale. David Moreland's boy,
knelt beside the old shsepskin.lined
rocker, took the old csal kings hand
IN both his own and bent his head
ever it
"1t's all right" he said thickly. "It's
oil right"
Elizabeth LIttleford arose and stole
blindly cut sfy the house. Her foot
steps led her, quite without her real.
iEing where she was going, across the
meadow andFto the nver above the
wn.down sycamore. And there. on
that sacred spot, where she had first
= felt her heart leap at the sound Of
Bill Dale's voice, she sank down In
heap In the snow and cried, and
cried; a.
Twilight was gathering rapidly, but
shel did mott notice 1t. She did not
notice, either, that the air was grow
Ing steadily colder with the approach
Of the mountain night. To her q
warm sun was shining above In 4
bright blue vault; to her the spirit Of
summer was everywhere; In her ears
W therewas the liquid song of q meadow
lark the sweet twittering Of wood
thrushes. the low humming Of wild
beesS The pouring Of the crystal wa
ters between the two boulders above
the pool made music to her. and blend
ed With It she seemed to hear the voice
Of . big. clean. strong man
1,was thinking Of the difference be-
tween you and some other women ]
know" y
Then . ray OF hope shone into her
heart, Bill Dale was really q More
land dsand, therefore, Of the hill blood
even a. she was Of the hill blood, and
that should make them more nearly
!. equal She told herself that he wouldn't
be p apt TO; condemn her for being
able to take;a human: life easily as
onet Of another blood would he; he
!, would be mode apt to understand. And
Jet. Che wsnen hs had known were
gentle. tendef aAd reaned, like, for In
stance, Patricia McLaurin. Soon the
ray Of hope died within her. and she
bent her head and sobbed again.
One Of her bare hands began I,
! grobs idly in the snow at her side, ant
she did not feel the cold. Suddenly
she realized that her hand was full
:. Of shavinEs, whittlings. Some mar
had been sitting there whiting with
q pocket knife-it must have been {
man, fer who ever heard Of woman
whittlingi She felt In the snow will
both hands, and found more whiting
there were bushels Of whittllngs, l
! seemed to her. lying there under tn
mSw.
Then uhs wondered-wondere VIII,
II eSuld have been.
II was quite dark new. but the mool
wa5 not Jet up. A great bright sta
blafed above David Moreland's tsml
iikt Z beacon Are. She heard the muf
ned sounds lof slow masculine foot
=. steps in the snow behind her. Sh
ct. ala not turn her head. In her sou
she knew II could be but one man.
Bill Dale's head was down. and b
J msysd as though he neither knew no
csrsh whittier he went. Then he saV
The fsrk heap 81 the rivers bank b
fsri hin. AID hs halted. he knew Il
his sssi hat Il could be but one won
an. :k
Dale went On and sat down on
stsae the sjte Of . small barrel tha
iay,at tie FIFers rim.
-Babsr' he said. It was the matin
call Of his heart in the springtime Q
his life.
"who d.dons all = this whittlin
bur asked Elisabeth.
Il did," ssftly.
But thought you were 80 bus
herSi It's, nobody but idlers. Z
esuSse. that whittles--that Is, most
thsstims its nobody but idlers tbs
Vhttlss."
put I'm not busy on Sundays.
know" replied Dale
Yell me this" Elizabeth aske
polhtedly: Iwhat made you esme
this one spot to do your whittlln
Copldnt Joy whittle up there In n
daddy's cabh yardr'
He answered her unhesitatingly
'Bkcause Il like to be here. TIL
plaes Is Q shrine to me. II was hel
that first loved you. Babe. Now yC
tell me this: Why did you come
this particular spot to sit down
the snowf There's snow In your da
dys cabin \ysrdi" .
Said ElizsBet Z i'm voice that SCUM
cd smothered: VsBecause like to
here-thls place is q shrine to N
to1-lt was here that nrst loved 20
Bill Dalei"
Then why" he demanded. 'wor
- marry mer'
because II was me that shot-A
an Ball"
She went on, and though emoti'
bad set every nbre Of her to Qulverin
abe did not fall into the old hill tai
which was proof Of the magnlncen
sf her;
Il thought you wouldn't want o
" you knew that I did that, and
couldn't marry you without telling 70
But you know nowl And do whl
ever you feel like doing or saying, "
can't hurt me; can never be hu
sny-Aany ln.m-m.more--"
BY pah shot erect Truly. u