American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1922-08-31
CHAPTER tx

AS the fire burned down to Goals
and 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 a whis-
per carried far. Besides, Bruce was
just beside her, watching her with
narrowed eyes, forgetful of every
thing except her story.
1--we waited a long time to tell you
this" she told him. "Of course, when
we we're babies together in the or
.phanage, / didn't ever know 1t. 1t
has taken me a long time since to
trqrn all the details; most of them l
got from my aunt, old Elmira, whom
you talked to on the way out. Part
of 1T ] knew Thy intuition, and a little
of it is stiE doubtful.
you ought to know first how hard
/ have tried ito reach you. OF course,
"A NANub NtA& '~POhiy CACCBt a. nIbl-
the first years after / ame 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 nan who had adopted you
was Newton Duncan; one OF the
ynrrnoac "a %ha neryIV,n, kNI1 - 49,
And i remembered the name of tive
city where he had taken you.
'"You must understand the difficul-
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
a certain family that lives near here
goes down every week to get the mail
for the entire district.
Eat first-and that was before 4
geally undeestoOd-L wrote you maRy
letters and gave them to one OF this
family to mail for me. / vas just a
child then, you must know, and /
lived In the same house with these
people. They were just baby let
tiers from-fBsm LindaaTinda to BwOv
aboo3etters about the deer and the
berries and the squirrels-and all the
wild things that lived up here"
AeBeraaesi" Bruce cried. "I had some
ON the way up His tome wavered,
and he seemed to be speaking far
away. Il had some once-lOng ago."
Eyes. You viii understand, soon.
/ didn't understand why you didn't
answer nay letters. 1 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 it was be
fore they ever reached the post once.
They were never mailed, Bruce. l
was to know why, later. Even then
1t wal part of the plan that l should
never get in communication with you
again-that you would be lost to me
forever.
when I got older, I tried other
laSh5. \ WhotS u Inc n15Aumt CASAN
ing a letter to you But those letters
were not mailed, either.
Nov we can skip a long time. ]
grew up. I knew everything at last
and no longer lived with the family
I mentioned before. / came here, to
this old house-and made it decent
to live in. / cut my own wood for my
fuel except when one Of the men
tried to please me by cutting it for
me. / wouldn't use 1t at first. Oh
Bruce[ wouldn't touch It'll"
Her face was no longer lovely. II
was drawn with terrible passions.
But she quieted at once.
Sat last / saw plainly that | was
little fool-that all they would do for
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