Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1922-08-17


but later ! married. and shortly
| after that l went 10 the farmer and
persuaded him to let me adopt the
child ! brought II up as my own, and
educated II. as a sort OF compensation.
And | came 10 love Ii. But II was
years before my wife loved II. She
didn't like children then. But she does
now. She is paying now, and am
paying. Don't you understand, Bill
don't you understand"
There was a choke In his voice to-
ward the last Bill Dale went to his
feet His eyes were wide, but he did
not seem unhappy; and for that Eliza
beth was grateful. John Moreland sat
as still. with his bearded. viking face
us eXpressionless as though lie had
known it all along.
"And so ] really am in my own
countryl" cried Bill Dale. II am a
Moreland, and the Morelands really
are my own people,"
Yes, you are in your own country,
and you are q Newfoundland your
baby name was David" said John *.
Dale.
1t was then that John MoreIand
spoke.
"Bll, when fust seed you, you
made me think o. my brother the day
he was married. / amt never fo'got
that. sartainly amt surprised none
at all. We didn't know about the
baby. Cherokee Joe told me the baby
had died."
"And now, son." pleaded old Dale,
his voice breaking, SAY that you for
give me-"
Bill Dale, David Moreland's boy,
knet beside the old sheepskin-lined
rocker, took the old coal kings hand
In both his own and bent his head
over II.
Its all right" he said thickly. Its
oil right"
Elizabeth Littleford arose and stole
blindly out of the house. Her foot
steps led her, quite without her real
izing where she was going, across the
meadow and 10 the river above the
downtown sycamore. And there on
that sacred spot, where she had first
felt her heart leap at the sound Of
Bill Dale's voice, she sank down irf
heap In the snow and cried. and
cried.
Twilight was gathering rapidly, but
she did not notice 1t. She did not
notice, either. that the air was grow
ing steadily colder with the approach
of the mountain night. To her a
warm sun was shining above In a
bright blue vault; 10 her the spirit of
summer was everywhere; in her ears
there was the liquid song. of a meadow
lark, the sweet twitterlng of wood
thiushes. the low humming of wild
bees. The pouring Of the crystal wa
tiers between the two boulders above
the pool made music TO her, and blend
ed with IL she seemed 10 hear the voice
OF big. clean, strong man
II was thinking of the difference be-
tween you and some other women
know"
Then a ray of hope shone into her
heart. Bill Dale was really More
land and, therefore, OF the hill blood
even as she was of the hill blood, and
that should make them mere nearly
equal. She told herself that he wouldn't
be so apt TO condemn her for being
able TO take a human life easily as
one of another blood would be; he
would be more apt to understand. And
yet, the women he had known were
| L..
stance. Patricia McLaurn. Soon the
ray of hope died within her, and she
bent her head and sobbed again.
One of her bare hands began to
grope idly in the snow at her side, and
she did not feel the cold. Suddenly
she realized that her hand was full
Of shavings, WRITINGS. Some man
had been sitting there whiting with
a pocket knife---it must have been a
man, for who ever heard of q woman
whiting? She felt In the snow with
both hands. and found more WRITINGS
there were bushels of whittllngs, it
seemed to her. lying there under the
snow.
Then she wondered-wondered who
| II could have been.
1t was quite dark now, but the moon
was not yet up. A great. bright star
bazed above David Moreland's tomb
like q beacon fire. She heard the muf-
| fed sounds of slow masculine foot
steps In the snow behind her. She
did not turn her head. In her soul
she knew 1t could be but one man.
Bill Dale's head was down, and he
moved as though he neither knew nor
cared whittier he went. Then he saw
| the DARK neup OH the rivers bank lie
fore him. and he halted. lie knew IN
his soul that 1t could be but one won
| an.
Dale went on and sat down on a
stone the size OF small barrel that
lay at the rivers rim.
"Babe?" he said. II was the mating
call of his heart In the sprlngtime of
his life.
who d-done all o. this Within,
BilIf" asked Elizabeth.
II did," softly.
But thought you were so busy
here It's nobody but idlers, OF
i