The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-02-24
Continued from last issue)
cHAPI Err XIX.
"A Perfect Cross.

. CHAPTER XIX. .
49,. 49,, .A.Perfect Gross.
On the floor of the richly-furnished
library Of the Dale home. near west
window, Miss Elizabeth LittlefOrd sat
reading by the fast fading light of an
early March afternoon. Somehow she
liked to sit on the floor, and always she
liked to, read; for one thing, books
helped. her to forget that she was
lonely. 4
There were footsteps behind her,
soft footsteps because of the thick vel
vet carpet; then a low voice inquired:
!, "Aren't you afraid you will injure
your eyes, Elizabeth? Better have a
light. hadn't you, lear?"' The old coal
king turned toward the switch on the
wall. - r. ~+t' 2.
r mo" she answered quickly. '.Tm
through reading for today, and ] like
this twilight" ~Tf#' =. 49,,
Her Improvement In speech and in
manners had gone on at surprisingly
rapid rate. She rarely spoke with any
but the simplest words. but she never
fell into anything more than bare sem
blance Of the old drawing hill dialect
unless it was while she was under the
stress of some strong emotion.
She closed the book and looked up
with eyes that were like the first; stars
in summer sky. Her beauty was
wonderful; it was finer and sweeter
than it had ever been before.
Old. Dale stood looking thoughtfully
|, into her upturned face. He was a lit
tie pale, and he seemed troubled and
uneasy. Il
Elizabeth shook her head you're
worrying .again!"& y. =, - -
He dropped into a nearby chair,
lenned slowly forward and let one
hand. fall gently on her thick and silky
chestnut-brown hair. 50. =. IT, ,
II wish," he said as though to him.
seelf. "that had daughter like you"
He. took his hand from her head, lay
back, YEARLY in his chair and closed
his eyes. Then he bent forward again.
'"The Morelands, Elizabeth-they've
moved away from the. settlement.
haven't they?" s-}
Eyes; Bill Dale has done wonderful
things for them! !" the girl answered.
John X. Dale was silent for a mo.
ment,, after which he said suddenly: Il
want to see my son there is something
I must tell him.. Will you 90 with me,
Elizabeth?' = -. IT,
"Of course, Ell 80 with YOU"
She thought she knew what it was
that stirred him. By intuition, supple
mented by Bill Dale's occasional cryp'
tic utterances, and pieced out by bill
tradition, Elizabeth Littleford gradu.
ally had come into possession of the
old coal mans grim secret.
Neither of them knew that, John
Moreland was then visiting his beloved
old hills for the sake Of some shooting.
The following day John, K. Dale and
Elizabeth LituefOrd alighted from a
northbound passenger train at the
Halfway switch. The mountains were
covered with three inches of snow, and
the ,hemlock and pines bore heavy bur-
dens Of the beautiful white stuff bn!
the air was still, and it wasn't very
cold. 4 I'll
you'd get your clothing all black
on the. coal train" Dale said to his
companion, $50 you'd rather walk over,
wouldn't you? Anyway. the train ism,
here. I'm good for six miles, think. v
YES" smiled Ben. LttlefOrl,s
daughter. I'D rather waikiki you're
sure that six miles won't be too much
| for you.'''>"
4. Together. with the girl leading the
| way, they set out across David More,
Hands, mountain The old trail showed
not one footprint ahead Of them; il
was :not SO much used now. They said
little. Each thought their own thoughts
and neither cared to speak them to
the other. '*-@ = 49, y -
-. Just before they reached the noun
tain's crest, they passed group OF
snow-laden pines that concealed a big
brown-bearded3 man who had been
stealthily following the trail of!a lone
wild turkey. He wore khaki limiting
Clothes andShigh laced boots, and there
was certain English finenesss abou,
him. In his bare hands he carried q
repeating rifle, which marked him as
one born sln the hills; lowlander
would have had a choke-bored shotgun
When he saw John X. Dale he
stopped suddenly. 1t might have been
intuition, or it might have been sheer
curiosity. the average hillman being a
stranger to neither-he followed and
watched the two. unseen by them.
On the pine-fringed crest. Elizabeth
Littleford halted to view that. which
lay around and below him. Old Dali
stopped close at her side, and he, too,
looked at that which lay around and
below them and to his mind also there
came memories crowding. ,.- =.
The young woman brushed back q
Maynard wisp Of brown hair ant