Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1921-08-11

1
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 o.
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 voice hailed her from the
laurels out at her right, the voice she
loved better than any other
Hello, Miss LlttIefordl"
Babe stopped and faced him, and
she blushed furfously when she saw
him. He was coming rapidly toward
her with his hat in his hand, and his
brown hair was ruInpled 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
big and dependable looking revolver
in a leathern holster.
''Hello, 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: I've 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, BabeT" he
asked as though he were displeased.
Cause she answered-and she
corrected herself quickly, II mean be-
cause"
mo reason whatever" smiled Dale.
well" and her clear brown eyes
looked at him squarely, Il come back
because yore mother she said 1 would
be burden to Mis- McLaurin, that's
why"
Mrs, McLaurin," said Dale; mot
Mis- McLaurin."
"A burden to Mrs. McLaurin, and l
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 EN- big lot O. silver
things.
Bill Dale, l had big time! Every
body liked me but yore own maw-I
mean yore mother. My goodness
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, Billl He liked me, better'n
any of 'em, less it was Pat herself.
You know Jimmy, don't We, BillP"
Dale nodded, frOwned, and turned |
lis sober gaze toward the toes of his
Ugh laced boots. Yes, he knew Jimmy
Jayne, and he held him In contempt.
The pampered son Of a wealthy cotton
peculator, weak, devoted to high
lights, remarkably handsome to ro-
mantle and unsophisticated girls but
ot to men and women who had cut
heir MISUNDERSTANDING was Jimmy
'ayne.
|
Babe LittlefOrd was speaking again:
Il 'cided to come back here, Bill
,ale, because | thought they might
eed me here as well as because was
feard / would be burden to Pat-I
lean afraid l would be burden to
at. Seems like CANT talk proper
all I've tried and tried. I've spent
alf o. my time jest a-tryin' to talk
roper. Pat she'd put down words
Iustn't say on a sheet O. paper, and
d study 'em. Afeard, shore, pap,
ause, amt, Mainland all o. them.
nd she'd put down the right words
18th 'em SOS I'd know.
"Yore mother was the last to come
see me, Bill. so this, she says to
aI is the barbarian princessy" 1
dn't know what that meant, but
Dect it's somethin' bad. l went into
e house, because didn't want to
y anything, and her yore own moth
But ! listened, and / heard her
Y the rest. and this is it:
81 What will you do when the in-in- :
novatiOn wears off, PatriciaY she
Us. She'll be a burden to you, =
Itricia; you'll have a half-savage Y
rson tagging after you, like lady
arr
That's what 1t was she said, Bill =
lie. :. I'm shore they do need =
here, and ak We this, BIZ Dale 4
e You sorry to see me come backY' :, y
Perhaps they do need YOU. Dale =
WHY stripped the tiny leaves from a :,
n. "But that Is not sufficient rea- :,
4 to warrant your staying here. OF
lrse, I'm not sorry to see you, Babe, !,
t you must 60, back to Patricia very =
IN. If you had been q. burden to = =.
tricia, she would have told YOU" =
Babe put out foot and idly rolled y
acorn across the path with one ~
re big toe. -
But I'll don't think / want to 60 a.
*" sheiprotested. I'D rather stay -
e, heap rather" -