American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1922-03-10
HAPTE XIX.
A Perfect Cross.

WIDOW, MISS Elizabeth LittlefOrd Sae
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 a
lonely.
There were footsteps behind her,
soft footsteps because of the thick vel
vet carpet; Their a low voice inquired:
Aren't you afraid you will injure
your eyes, Elizabeth? Better have a
light, hadn't you, dearT" The old coal
king turned toward the switch on the
wall.
mo" she answered quickly. "Pm
through reading for today, and 1 like
this twilight"
Her improvement in speech and in
tanners had gone on at a 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 1t 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 a summer sky. Her beauty a
wonderful it was finer and sweeter
than 1t 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.
Elizabeth shook her head. YOURS
worrying again"
He dropped into a nearby chair,
leaned slowly forward and let one
hand fall gently on her thick and silky
chestnut-brown hair.
II wish" he said as though to HIM
seelf. that had a 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.
1.-THE Morelands, Elizabeth-they'vs
moved away from the settlement
haven't theyY
yes; Bill Dale has done wonderful
things for them" the girl answered.
John K. Dale was silent for a mo-
ment, after which he said suddenly ~
want to see my son there is something
l must tell him. VIII you go with me.
Elizabeth?'
"Of course. I'll go with you"
She thought she knew what it was
that stirred him. BY intuition, supple
mented by Bill Dale's occasional cryp-
tic u~tterances, and pieced out by hIll
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 Littleford alighted from q
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 stun; but
the air was still, and 1t wasn't very
cold.
You'd get your clothing all black
on the coal train" Dale said to his,
companion. 80 you'd rather walk over,
wouldn't you? Anyway, the train isn't
here. I'm good for six miles, l think"
"Yes," smiled Ben LittlefOrd's
daughter, 'Pd rather waikiki you're
sure that six miles won't be too much
for you"
Together, with the girl leading the
way, they set out across David More
lands mountain. The old trail showed
not n footprint ahead Of them; Il
was not s o much used now. They said
little. Each thought their W thoughts.
and neither cared to speak them to
the other.
Just before they reached the noun
tain's crest, they passed a group OF
snow-laden pines that concealed a big.
br~own-bearded man who had been
stealthily following the trail of a lone
wild turkey. He wore khaki hunting
clothes and high laced boots, and there
was a certain English fneness about
him. In his bare hands he carried q
repeating rifle, which marked him as
n born in the hills; a lowlander
would have had a chOke-bored shotgun.
When he say John K. Dale he
stopped suddenly. 1t might have been
intuition, or 1t might have been sheer
curiosity. the average hillman being q
stranger to neither-he followed and
watched the two, unseen by them.
On the pi~ne-fringed crest, Elizabeth
Littleford halted TO view that which
lay around and below him. Old Dale
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 brushed back q
Maynard wisp of brown hair and
turned to the man beside her.
"The Moreland part o. the settle
ment looks lonesome. don't It'll" she
said. "See, there's no smoke comm
from their cabin chimneys. She
went on absently, But the LittlefordS
are there yet"
Old Dale caught the meaning that
was In the latter sentence. 1t was not