The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1922-02-13

come accustomed to wearing useless
shoes and stockings in warm weather !!
When she had reached the foot Of
the mountain, she didn't take the by
path her people had been wont to use
in order that they might avoid con-
tact with the Morelands. There was
no need OF avoiding contact with tho
Morelands now, thank goodness! :,
" Then a voice hailed her from the
laurels out at her right, the voice she
loved better than any other: = ~.
'Hello, Miss Littleford!"
Babe stopped ana faced him, and
she blushed furinusly when she saw
him. He was coming rapidly toward
her with his hat in his hand, and his
brown hair was rnmpled and damp
with perspiration. She saw that he
was in boots and corduroys, the cloth
ing Of timber-jack, and he looked
bigger i'll them; about his waist there
was cartridge-belt, from which hung
Il big and dependable looking revolver
in a leathern holster. a.. =,
Hello, Mister Dale" she -mimicEed.
I. He shook her hand, then he dropped
to a undiscovered, log that lay beside
tie narrow trail. .
"Sit down here beside me-" he said;
and he added: I've been going hard
I'LL day, and I'm pretty tired"
She let. fall her bundle and her
shoes and stockings, and obeyed. r.,
'sWhy did you come back, Babe?" he
asked as though he We're displeased.,
>"'Cause,"" she, answered--and she
corrected herself quickly, II mean 4e-
cause" =. :. ...,. f. ~. -.
NO reason whatever" smiled Dale:
""WelI." and her clear brown eyes
looked at him sauarely, st come back
because yore mother she said l would
be a burden to Mis- NrcL;rurin, that's
why" e ~, - - 3D.
Mrs. McLaurin," said Dale; mot
Mis- McLaurin." VI - ~ - a.. :.
: "a burden To- Mrs. -McLaurin. and
amt a-goin' to be Il burden to no
body" vehemently. In Il softer voice,
she went on, Mrs. McLaurin and her
husband and her folks ha,s done made
up friendly, Bill Dale. Mrs. McLau-
rims pap-I mean her, father--he
bruns 'em big lot o silver
"Bill Dale, had big time! Every
body liked me but. yore own maw-I
mean gore mother. My goodness
graciOus--they dress awful fine. don't
they1 Why, silk amt nothin'. But
whar all o their money comes from, 1
shore CANT see. Say, I. showed some
o. Pats. friends how to dance our old
hill dances, and the whole town was
crazy about 'em when I left. Jimmy
Fayne Is awful good.lOokin' and rich,
amt he, Bill? He liked me better'n
any Of 'em, less it was Pat herself.
You know Jimmy, don't We, Bill?"
Dale nodded, frowned. and turned
his sober gaze toward the toes of his
high laced boots. Yes, he knew Jimmy
Fayne, and he held him in contempt.
The pampered son Of a wealthy. cotton
Spectator, weak. devoted to, high
nights, remarkably handsome to 20
mantle and unsophisticated girls but
not to men and women who had cut
their. misunderstanding was Jimmy
'Fayne. ~,'... =, i.
Babe Littleford was speaking again:
II 'cided to come back here, Bill
Dale, because I thought they, might
need me licre as we'll as because was
afeard would be burden to Pat--I
mean afraid I would be burden to
Pat. Seems like cain't talk proper
at all! I've tried and tried. I've spent
half o my time jest a-tryin' to talk
proper. Pat. she'd put down words
mustn't say on sheet O paper, and
I'd study 'eu, Afeard, shore, pap,
cause, amt hain't-and all O. them.
And she'd put down the, right words
with 'em SOS I'd know. ~%''s" d.
ore mother was the last to come
to see me, BILL so this she says to
Par, is the barbarian princess" /
didn't know what that meant, but l
'spect It's solnethtn' bad I went into
the house, because didn't want to
say anything, and her yore own moth
er. But I listened, and heard her
say the rest. aud this Is it:
"'What viii YOU do when the in-in.
Innovation we,iss OFF, Patricia:',s: she
says. She'll be aburden to you,
Fpatricias :you'll sstayesa half:savage
spetson taesins Otter sSou, Iiksa Ialy
iosarN + 4 & - Y s J.
''Thats what 1t was she said, Bill
Dale. 80. I'm shore they do need
me here, and I AK We tlsis, Bill Dale:
i4sre you sorry 70 see me come ;Aack?'
'T&rl.aps they stio need seuv $Dale
slowly stripped the TINY leilEcs from II
ferns Slut thatFis not sufficient rea.
sou, toswarrane your staying here. OF
course, I'm not sorry to see you, Babe.
But you must go back to Patricia very
soon. y II you had been burden to
Patricia. she would have told yon."s :,
Babe put out a foot and idly relied,
an acorn across the path with one
bare big toe. h. .-..... e~.,. ~ -.
e "But; FL don't think I want to go
back she protested. I'D rather stay
here, II heap rather
But YOU must go back" declared
Dale, -.You really mlist."s5 IT. -; ss-s< 4