Woman's enterprise., 1922-10-01

i QualntanceS, SnaklnS nandS all around
! After his "Hy'r yer Buck" he sa
down and exchanged commonplace:
about the weather. the crops, the
e price of cotton, as if he had nothing
more urgent on his mind One by
n one the loungers left the yard. Johr
: Alsen waited until he and Buck were
alone and then told him of Amanda'S
< presence in C and of her mission
!, there. To the young man all else was
/ merged in the thought of her prox.
unity, and the fact that she had come
, to him seemed a vindication, a justi-
! tication. He was pallid with emotion
= and with rush Of tenderness he re-
| called the last time he had seen her,
the evening of the ball that had be-
, gun so happily and ended so tragic
ally. He could see her downcast eyes,
her tremendous lips, and hear the
} glad infections of her voice. He for
got that he was immured behind pris-
on bars, forgot that strong circum-
stantial evidence might convict him
Of the murder of her brother. He
remembered only that he loved her
and that she loved him. The saddest
thought in the long hours in which
his passionate young heart sought to
excuse its own rashness was that
Amanda was lost to him forever, but
now she was waiting outside his pris-
on doors. It was the sunburst of
joy following the night Of despair.
John Allen had no difficulty IN ar
ranging matters so that the marriage
could take place at once. He was
we'll known in c. and was Bucks
bondsman. The clerk of the court
who, with all the rest of the world
sympathized with love in distress,
went with him to the Jail so that the
license could be signed by the young
prisoner, and the jailer volunteered
to be witness. The latter was in
clined to treat the affair as a huge
joke, not knowing the facts in the
case, but grew serious when the pale,
hollow eyed bride came. Some thing(
in her face awed him, and the justice
who had been secured to tie the knot,
was visibly disappointed in the ap-
pearance of Amanda, whom he had
doubtless pictured as blushing, ro-
mantle maiden, who loved not wisely,
but too well.
Buck felt sudden transition from
hope and joy, to dread and sorrow,
when she entered the room, her color
less lips could frame no word of
greeting. He clasped her hand, but
there was no returning pressure. The
dying grasp Of her brothers hand she
seemed to feel again, and the memory
Of his white drawn face passed like
a shawodw before the strong, hand
some countenance of her lover. The
justice and jaiIer alike were touched
by her strange apathy, and the Pc
culiar shrinking expression in her
eyes, and both noticed the look of
relief in them when the ceremony was
over. When the others were leaving
the prisoners she turned to go with
John Alsen without a word to Buck.
Her husband looked at her wonder
ingly and questioned: "You're not
going, Amanda ?" At this she hesi-
tated, and the old man said hurried
ly:
eyer stay here er minute or two
an I'll fetch ther wagon round from
the court house an pick yer up as i,
start home"
Amanda was longing to escape. She
felt her will power weakening in the
presence of Buck, and when they
we're alone she stood gazing silently
at the floor.
"What ails yer, Amanda" he said,
going to her and putting his arms
around her tenderly.
She shrank from his embrace, cry-
ng, Don't Buck! don't! Yer know
what married yer for, don't yer? It
vas to keep from witnessin' 'g'inst
'ou" She drew nearer to him and
whispered in sharp agony, "I saw
'er Buck, that night by the flash light
# yer pistol" He was stunned by
he surprise of her accusation. In a
he understood the sacrifice
he had made.
They looked into each others eyes,
lie with sudden misery, she with
he resignation of hopelessness.
Down the dusty street wagon
attled and stopped in front of the
all. Amanda knew her kind old
r'end awaited her. She went steadily