The state herald., 1921-01-18

A thought shad0wed his face-the
old thought that always brought the
cloud. His eyes narrowed; the lines
of his mouth drew tense. Drawing
the stems Of the three roses through
a buttonhole In his blouse. he strobe
away down the branch back to Fallen
Rock.
The languId eyes of the Iron.Gray-
Woman turned toward him as he
sprang in over the saving Sangplank.
pushed aside the rumpled curtain. and
entered the tiny cabin of the house
boat. There was not SO much flre In
the eyes. The fever wns going down
with the sun. The thought his re-
turning step had brought came out in
her first words.
"They who own the old cabin might
not like US to move In"
"They can only make us move out
again." was his CHEEKY answer. "And.
mother. you never saw such view
as you get from up there. And you
can drink right out Of the spring"
Something came to the face Of tha
Iron Woman that had long been
stranger there. Not q smile-a rip.
pie. like the swath a chance breeze
rufIles across still water.
But you can't carry everything"
Everything. And the first load
shall be you"
"Me"
ut would set you coughing to climb
the slope"
The woman dropped her eyes. After
all. weakness Is not a pleasant fact to
face. The loss of power, the inability
TO do accustomed things, always
comes MS n shock. Life had brought
to the Iron-Gray.Woman little enough
|-pitifully little enough. But though
life be ever so bare and gray. no one
likes to sit helpless and watch 1t go.
HAPPY the young man sensed moth
ing OF this. but was already busy
gathering together such Of their
meager stock Of household goods rs II
would be absolutely necessary to
carry up to the cabin under the cliff
II the coming night was to be spent
ashore.
Nothing remained but the actual
going ashore. His mother came first,
as he had said. While packing. he
had planned to help her up the hill to
the spring and leave her there while
he swept the old cabin, aired II out.
put up the cook stove. and otherwise
made the place Us sweet and inviting
as possible for her occupancy.
Just before passing through the
rumpled curtain Of the houseboat she
stopped and gazed over the tiny cabin.
'Just one look before I Co." she
said.
He was astonished at tie wistful.
ness In her tones.
"why, mother. yon can come back
any minute"
"It has been my home for twenty
years" she said MS she turned away,
her tone more the voicing Of renec-
tion than the statement OF fact.
Across the gangplank and up the
slope among the trees he led her
carried her-wlth al the tenderness
due from man TO his mother; for
the Iron-Gray-Woman had the man.
ners and speech Of "lady Of high
degree" and she had taught him all
she knew. He had brought along n
cushion, which he spread for her upon
moss.upholstered rock. With the
spray OF the waterfall In the mir. with
the cup In her hand. the cool spring
within reach. he left her and hurried
back to the houscboat.
The sun was dipping low townrd
the distant bend In the river when
the last Of the moving was done. A
purple twilight had given place to
dark before he had the cabin put to
rights. his mother In her easy chair.
and supper on the tnble: bnss, taken
from the nets only that morning !;
fruit from the woods: baked potn-
toes: tonst, crisp and brown; and tea.
which she had left her chair l2Qg
enough 10 draw. ssf
Ip-,tss.suuai e {. 4