Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1922-11-02

yond the palisade Of cane she gath
cred lilies, plucking from the bank a
great bloom that looked like a 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 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 sound, but look
ing by chance, she saw Drace coming
through the cane, and she sprang up
to meet him, the play-book pressed
against her bosom.
Nadine"
Monsieur
Don't call me Monsieur Call me
Virgil"
She dropped her book. He bent to
pick 1t up, but she snatched 1t from
beneath his reaching hand and stood
back from him.
"Oh, 1t was you, thenl 1t was you
the so strong man that would break
my fathers wrist. 1t was you'll"
Nadine, 1t 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. I will believe you
Virgil. I know you brave and not
wish to hurt an old man. No, you
could not do that. You will forgive
ME, yesT'
She held forth her hand and taking
1t tenderly, he touched it with his lips;
and like princess~she accepted the
homage due her rank and her beauty.
"Come, now, we play" she said,
sweetly laughing. "And it must be
free, like the boy and the girl. But
first you sit down here ana tell me-
She led him to her "sofa" and they
sat down, leaning back against the
tree.
''Tell you what, Nadine?"
."About the great big world you
know so WELL"
81 don't know the big world, as you
think it. But l know the universe as
I feel it. 1t is here"
About her finger she sat wrapping
the lily-stem that had marked her
favorite play. Was 1t that she did not
understand his reference to his uni
verse? No, for she shook her head,
and with sigh that did not mean
WEAKNESS.
"The universe could not be on this
little island"
"It could be held in your dimpled
hand"
"Oh, my hand dimpledw She held 1t
In front of him, touched his brow
with the palm.
at is not soft enough to be dimpled.
Virgil"
ST would kiss it soft"
He caught her wrist, touched the
tip of each finger with his lips and
then kissed the palm. She laughed,
drawing back her hand.
"You must not do that. We must
talk of other things"
''Yes, but first let me tell you Of
my dream"
81 do not like to hear dreams. We
always forget them and make up some
thing we did not dream. But
did you not tell me once?'
"No. / don't think so. In my dream
you touched my heart with a torch
and set it aflre."
"But I would not do that. / would
save you from the fire. All, and Tony
he has gone to the city, but when he
comes back, we must watch close.
One time he tried to take my
hand, and he said he would kiss me.
And / say: THAT may be, Tony. You
can kiss me because you stronger. But
when you have, then you be dead
And he knew that speak what was
TO come"
1--WE care nothing for him. Let him
keep out of my way. And
when I saw you at the BAH, I knew
that you were the girl with the torch.
And do you know what I said to my
self? Let me whisper 1t to you"
"There is no one TO hear"
81 said: You are to be my wife
And inst thon Won turned about and