Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-11-04
CHAPTER XIX.
A Perfect Cross.

On the floor of the richly-furnished
library Of the Dale home, near a west
window, Miss Elizabeth LittlefOrd sat
reading by the fast fading light Of an
early March afternoon. Somehow she
liked to sit on the floor, and always she
liked to read; for one thing, books
helped her to forget that she was
lonely.
There were footsteps behind her,
soft footsteps because of the thick vel
vet carpet; then a low voice inquired !:
Aren't you afraid you will injure
your eyes, Elizabeth? Better have a
light, hadn't you, dear?" The old coal
king turned toward the switch on the
wall.
"No!" she answered quickly. I'm
through reading for today, and like
this twilight"
Her improvement in speech and in
manners had gone on at surprisingly
rapid rate. She rarely spoke with any
but the simplest words, but she never
fell into anything more than bare SEM
blance of the old drawing hill dialect
unless it was while she was under the
stress of some strong emotion.
She closed the book and looked up
with eyes that were like the first stars
in summer sky. Her beauty was
wonderful; it was finer and sweeter
than it had ever been before.
Old Dale stood looking thoughtfully
~ ho,, f0a a a If
tie pale, and he seemed troubled and
uneasy.
Elizabeth shook her head. you're
worrying again!"
He dropped into a nearby chair,
leaned slowly forward and let one
hand fall gently on her thick and silky
chestnut-brown hair.
II WISH" he said as though to him
self, that I had daughter like you"
He took his hand from her head, lay
back YEARLY in his chair and closed
his eyes. Then he bent forward again.
sThe Morelands, Observation-Disclosures
moved away from the settlement,
haven't they?"
Eyes; Bill Dale has done wonderful
things for them!" the girl answered.
John K. Dale was silent for a mo-
ment, after which he said suddenly: Il
want to see my son there is something
I must tell him. VIII you go with me,
Elizabeth?"
"Of course, I'll go with you.''
She thought she knew what it was
that stirred him. BY intuition, supple
mented by Bill Dale's occasional cryp-
tic utterances, and pieced out by hill
tradition, Elizabeth Littleford gradu-
ally had come into possession of the
old coal mans grim secret.
Neither of them knew that John
Moreland was then visiting his beloved
old hills for the sake of some shooting.
The following day John K. Dale and
Elizabeth Littleford alighted from a
northbound passenger train at the
Halfway switch. The mountains were
covered with three inches Of snow, and
the hemlock and pines bore heavy bur-
dens of the beautiful white stuff; but
the air was still, and it wasn't very
cold.
you'd get your clothing all black
on the coal train," Dale said to his
companion, $50 you'd rather walk over,
wouldn't you? Anyway, the train isn't
here. I'm good for six miles, l think"
''Yes," smiled Ben Littleford's
daughter, sTd rather waikiki you're
sure that six miles won't be too much
for you.'
Together, with the girl leading the
way, they set out across David More
lands mountain. The old trail showed
not one footprint ahead of them; it
was not so much used now. They said
little. Each thought their own thoughts,
and neither cared to speak them to
the other.
Just before they reached the noun
tain's crest, they passed group of
snow-laden pines that concealed big,
brown-bearded man who had been
stealthily following the trail of lone