The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1922-11-23
Continued from last week.
CHAPTER TX

As the fire burned down to Goals
end the stars wheeled through the
sky. Linda told her story The two
of them were seated In the soft grass
In front of the cabin, and the moon
light was on Linda's face as she
talked. She talked very low at first.
Indeed there was no need for loud
tones. The whole wilderness world
was heavy with silence, and whis-
per carried far. Besides, Bruce. was
just. beside her, watching her with
narrowed. eyes, forgetful Of every
thing except her story.
i've waited a long time to tell you
this" she told him. "Of course, when
we were babies together in the or
phanage, didn't even know it. 1t
has taken me a long time since to
learn AL the details; most of them
got from my aunt, old Elmira, whom
you talked to on the way out. Part
of 1t knew by intuition, and little
Of 1t is still doubtful.
you ought to know first how hard
: / have tried to reach, you. OF course,
didn't try openly except at first
the first years after I came here, and
before was old enough to under
stand" She spoke the last word with
a curious depth Of feeling and a per-
ceptible hardness about her lips and
eyes. II remembered just two things.
That the man who had adopted you
was Newton Duncan; one of the
nurses at the asylum told me that.
And remembered the name Of the
city where he had taken you.
"YOu must understand the difficult
ties / worked under. There is no
rural free delivery up here, you know,
Bruce. Our mail Is sent from and
delivered to the little post Office at
Martins store - over fifteen miles
from here. And some one member of
certain family that lives near here
goes down every week to get the mail
for the entire district.
"At first-and that was before I
really understood wrote you many
letters and gave them to one Of this
family to mail for me. I was just
4
lived in the same house with these
people. They were just baby let
tiers from-from Linda linda to Bwov-
aboO-letters about the deer and the
berries and the sQuirrels-and all the
wild things that lived up here"
"Berries!" Bruce cried. II had some
on the way up" His tone wavered,
and he. seemed to be speaking far
away. 81 had some once-long ago."
.sYes. You will understand, soon.
Irdidn't understand why you didn't
answer my letters. I understand now,
though. You never got Them"
mo. never got them. But there
are several Duncans In my, city. They
might have, gone astray."
They went astray-but 1t was be
fore they ever, reached the post Office
They were never mailed, Bruce I
was TO know why, later. Even then
1t was part Of the plan that ! should
never get IL communication with you
again-that you would be lost to me
forever.
when ! got older, I tried other
tacks. ] wrote to the asylum. enclos-
Ing letter to you. But those letters
were not mailed, either.
"Now we can skip long time. l
grew up. knew everything at last
and no longe. lived with the family
] mentioned before. / came here, to
this old house-and made 1t decent
to live In. cut my own wood for my
fuel except when one Of the men
tried to- please me by cutting 1t for
me. ] wouldn't use 1t at first. Oh,
BrucevI wouldn't touch itl''
Her face was no longer lovely. 1t
was drawn with terrible passions.
But she quieted at once.
AT last ! saw plainly that was