The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1921-02-24

very softly, as If his voice might dis.
turb the spell Of the music before the
echoes had finished carrying it TO the
rest of the woods.
The leaves hung motioDless, as II
waiting for the song TO start again.
The tinkle Of the rifle where the wa
ter walked up at the lower edge of the
pool came u of the silence.
'"The telegram came" he went on
after a long time. "It says"-he
hesitated, as If bordering the mex
words before giving tkem speech, as
If half dreading to give them speech
that Judge Eskridge is coming for
you"
The words strangely carried the
girls thoughts back to a mother driven
forth to die I'm loneliness and poverty ;
to a grave on a hill overlooking the
river, where the hand of a friend had
laid her; to a great, silent house; to
a stern old man ~relenting In his last
hours
81 shan't go back with him." she
said. Some day I'll go back to the
grave on the hill, but not-now."
The man stood weighing the words
In his slow way.
81 shan't either" He paused a mo-
ment; went on. I'm going to tear
down the old cabin at Fallen Rock,
clear out the underbrush, lay out
grounds. and build n house. Why
should I leave the Flatwoods? All
that ! are for in the world Is here
my father. my mother, and-you."
The last word came hard for him,
The girl lifted a hurried, shy half.
glance to his face; dropped her eyes
again to the quiet water.
"The Blue Moon" he went on, els
somehow-well, II oughtn't to pass
from hand to hard for iust-money
Mother spent her life for 1t. l now
know why" There came a pause. "TI
never need that five thousand dollars
and maybe Louie Solomon's widow
does. I've arranged with the sheriff
to send her the draft, and I've kept
the pearl"
The girl softly clasped her hands
together and looked up at him with
beaming eyes.
"And maybe I'll get to see 1t, after
ALL
81 think maybe you Will
He reached into the pocket of his
blouse, drew out the small velvet box
raised the lid, lifted the girls hand
and laid the Blue Moon in her palm
The sunset, the green Of the leaves
the glory of a silver-edged cloud float.
ing across the sky-the wonderful
gem caught them all, and lay laughing
them up into her face.
"Wild Rose!" Her eyes left the
pearl and rose to his face. What she
saw there brought a little catch to her
breath. And there was a note in his
voice that had never been there be
fore. 81 reckon there's nobody left
| but just-you. and-me. And moth,
ing In the world counts to me but
You. The pearl is your birthday pres.
ent."
"It's your birthday, too" she STAN.
mered, her face bowed and turned
away. "And / have M present"
'sThe most wonderful a man ever re
ceived! A Wild Rose"
He held out his unwounded arm
His heart had leaped to his eyes. His
voice held the note that makes all
voices musical. The girl lifted her
face-like the dawn Of day; her eyes
| glorious with the light not Of star OF
sun; the light 1t is given a nan but
once to see. Her hands came toward
him. found their way about his neck.
The sunset stole softly through the
hushed branches and touched their
heads, and bound the two together
the gold and the brown-with a shaft
of living bronze. A little. breeze came
by. lifted a strand of her hair, laid II
across his lace and slipped away to
tell the trees.
THE end