Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1922-11-16
'periuinklc House


lest he might have changed his mind.
She heard him moving about, but she
waited long time before she went to
meet him, so sweet 1t was to stand
there at the window to catch the first
ray Of the sun.
The old man hummed a jagged tune /;
In garden of melody 1t would have
| been a briar. Nadine came out, and
| CALAMITY he kissed her hand, laughing
softly; and then as was his won't, he
kissed her hair.
Her duties about the house were
light, but he helped her. and when
their queer assortment of plates and
| dishes, gold-rimmed china, crockery,
stoneware and tin plate had been
washed and put away, they sat in the
shade of the house, the girl anxious
and wondering.
II have sent Tony back to the ceety,
as tell you l WILL" he said to her
'He does the good work to burn the
spy the carpetbaggair Now he have
| spree, with the red wine an the white.
| When the time come, he be back.
have need of heem with the cattle that
l buy. He drive them Up to the
| town Natchez / have trouble The OF
scoun'rel Bethpage l go in the tav',
an he is there, sing, laugh, eat an
| look at the darky dance. | wait. Then
/ go up. We have words. He jump
up Then the young man, big, he
grab my wrist like this. He squeeze.
say: Monsieur you was YER strong,
see you again An when / do, I
keel heem. l hear old Bethpage call
him Vergeel The old man / keel too,
eh?"
ooh, no-now she cried LET
us go away somewhere. They will
never let you alone. 1t will be better
to be in the city than here"
"Just a little while longer we stay
in this place, Ell? Then we meet Mon
sieur Boyce in Memphis, an you mar
ry him, an he take you away for the
honeymoon, per'aps to France. An
he buy you the silk dresses, an many
beautiful things. An then l come and
join you, an we all live happy-eh?"
"But-but I do not like Monsieur
Boycei"
"Ha! You learn soon. He is fine
man. Wait till we see him in Mem
phis an you know him better. You
will love him then, an be happy.
/ go now. Au revoir, ma p'tite."
Stepho went down to his boat, feel
;,,o ba had o1fx4,ittad ho,. fy,yo
tience of the swamp, and she ran back
to her room to gaze through the win
dow. But soon she came out with
a big Battle-Ground book of plays and
put it on the ground beneath the oaks.
Then with a broom made of stiff twigs
she swept the ground, unstrung a cat
erpillar swinging down and carried it
away out of the range of her stage.
From the house she brought narrow
strip of rush mating, spread it be-
meath a tree, raising one edge as if
to form of it sort Of back, sofa.
From the house she brought box, to
serve for table, and from out be-
yond the palisade of cane she gath
cred lilies, plucking from the bank a
great bloom that looked like trum-
pet. These she hung on the low-sway-
ing branches of her playhouse trees,
or with sharp thorns pinned them to
the rugged back, curtain to drape
the wall above her "pretend-like" d.
van. She sat down and waited a long
time. The cane stirred, and she seized
her book, opened where lily-stem
marked her favorite play, and made
herself believe that she was reading.
It was only breeze that rustled in
the cane. She could hear it now, lisp
ing amid the glossy leaves above her.
Why should she be impatient? She
could wait. Had she not waited night
after night for her fathers footstep?
Had she not sat in the house, alone
and not afraid, when the storm
tangled the tops of the cypress trees
and dashed the bayou mad?
She had not heard a sound but look
ing by chance, she saw BRACE coming
through the cane, and she sprang up
to meet him, the play-book pressed
against her bosom.
Nadine"
Monsieur 70
Don't call me Monsieur Call me
Virgil"
She dropped her book. He bent to
pick it up, but she snatched it from
beneath his reaching hand and stood
back from him.
ION, it was you, then! 1t was you
the so strong man that would break
my fathers wrist. 1t was your
Nadine it was not to hurt him.
With knife he would have killed an
old man; and then they would have
hanged him. Nadine, my other hand
held yours, to protect you"
| ut must be true will believe you
Virgil. l know you brave and not
wish to hurt an old man. No, you
could not do that. You will forgive
| me, yes?"
| She held forth her hand and taking
| it tenderly, he touched it with his lips;
q CHI n