Woman's enterprise., 1922-12-15


site side Of the clearing in the shadow
Of the pines that 'Nervy dared look
up. One swift wondering glance told
her he was unlike the men she was
accustomed to see around the settle
ment and placed him under that COM
prehensive and exalted category
known as "town folks"
"Can you tell me who lives here?"
he asked.
"Over yonder?' she indicated the
direction Of the house with her head,
Jerry Dixon,' steadily looking down.
rs he at home?" asked Morrison.
mot as I knows on, less he's got
back since l left ther.'
"Could you tell me where I'd be
likely to find him."
"Ther amt no tellin'; like ez not
he'll come ter dinner, and like ez not
he won't. Yer amt er wantin' ter
see him ar yer?" Merry looked sus-
plclously at the stranger, and her
wander grew that any man should
desire to see her father "on business" )"
as the stranged explained; she had
never known the like to occur before.
"You could go to ther house an
light, an wait fer him if yer hav' a
mind to- said Merry, her hospitality
banishing shyness, an put yer critter
under the shed--ther' corn in the
shuck pen," she added.
"Thank you," the young man re-
turned, and dismounting, prepraed to
lead his jaded horse to the point des-
ignated. The girl walked ahead in
her characteristic indolent way, paus-
ing to utter fierce "shoo e, shoe e."
at the adventurous hen whose chicks
she held in her apron, and once she
stopped to watch a squirrel scamper
up the trunk of tree.
"1s game plentiful hereabout ?"
asked Morrison, with an effort at
conversation.
"Them ar and theirs big chance
Of varmints," she answered without
looking at him.
The house when reached was not
unlike the majority of those in that
section, a two-room structure Of pine
logs, notched and fitted together, the
crevices filled in with a mixture of
mud and moss, the chimney of this
same compound reared its ungainly
proportions against one end and
seemed a pillar to support the cabin
that possessed an oblipue slant in
that direction. A long handled gourd,
sere and brown, hung near the door,
a sample of last years product Of a
vine that ragged rampant over the
fence and shed in the rear Of the
house. A clambering tyrannical vine
'@that wouldner growed so fine eff
gourds were fitten to eat," as Merry
often declared. She deposited her
chicks in coop by the shed while
John Morrison put up his horse. "I1l
fetch some cool water from the
spring fer yer," said she, in a cordial
though smileless way, "an' yer make
yersef at home," bringing out chair
on the rickety porch, but Morrison
picked up the bucket from the shelf
near the steps before she could reach
it, saying: "Tell me the direction of
the spring and III bring the water
myself"
This unexpected move caused
Merry to demonstrate, II amt never
called on company to tote water yit"
but Morrison only laughed and
started off on a footpath that led
back into the woods, surmising that
the spring was in that direction.
Jeary Dixon's world was narrow,
but he never grew restless because of
its close drawn limits. He knew
nothing of the GLORIOUS arena stretch
ing away beyond his boundaries, he
knew nothing of the world, for the
throbbing of its great heart had never
stirred the pulses of this remote set
tlement that was hemmed in on one
side by the D'Arbonne bayou, with
its margin Of swamp, stream that
at unexpected times swelled above its
channel, spreading over the swamps
and impeding travel. Jerry's world
focused into three points-the bayou,
lHudson's store, and the cabin in the