Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-12-18
By JACKSON GREGORY
Copyright by Charles scribner,s Sons

/ because he was a lover and a lover
must be filed with dread when she
is out of his sight, he felt a growing
anxiety. She had lighted the fire last
night; what might have happened to
her since then? Had she been wan
dering, lost all these days? If moth
| ing else, then had she waited here
half the night and in the end had she
gone on plunging deep into some can
yon hidden to him? Would he find
her well? Would he find her at all?
Suddenly he called out, fhouting
nightly, and began running, though
the way was steep. He had seen Jul
dith, he had found her. She was
! standing among the scattered boulders,
her back to great rock. She was
waving to him. Her lips were NOV
! ing, though he could not see that yet,
could not hear her tremulous:
| "Oh, thank God, thank God!'
Judith" he called, "Judith!'
Now, near enough to see her dis
tinctly, he saw that her face was
white that the hand she held out was
! shaking, that her clothes were torn,
that she looked pitifully in need of
him. But at last, when he stood at
| her side one of the old rare smiles
came into Judith's tired eyes, her lips
| curved, and she said quietly:
"Good morning, Bud Lee. You were
| very good-to come to me-
stOh T17d;fI, ho nv.fo<7 se,barv,1r, Dee
no other word came to his lips then.
The brave little smile had gone, the
| whiteness of her face smote him to
the heart. And now she was shaking
| from head to foot, and he knew Why
she had not stepped out to meet him,
why she had kept her back to the
rock. He thought that she was go
ing to fall, he saw two big tears start
from the suddenly closed eyelids and
with little inarticulate cry he took
her into his arms.
IF you had not come, Bud Lee"
she whispered family, II should have
died, think"
Very tenderly he gathered her up
50 that her little boots were swung
clear of the fiinty ground and she lay
quiet In his arms. He stood a mo-
ment holding her thus, looking with
! eyes alternately hard and tender into
her face. He wanted to hold her thus
always, to watch the glad color come
back into her cheeks, to carry her,
| like a baby, back across the weary
miles and home. And, oddly, per-
haps, the thought came back to him
End hurt him as it had never hurt him
before, that he haG once been brutal
with her, that he had crushed her In
his arms and forced upon her lips hig
kiss. He had been brutal with Judith,
when now he could kill a man for lay
| ing little finger on her.
II have been brute with you, a
brute" he muttered to himself But
Judith heard him, her eyes fiuttered
open and into them came again her
| glorious smile.
Because you kissed me that night,
Bud Lee?' she asked him.
.Don't!" he cried sharply. Don't
even remember it, Judith
do you know so little of a girl,
Bud Lee" she went on slowly, ito
think chat o man can so easily find
her lips with his unless unless she
wants to be kissed?"
| He almost doubted his ears; he
could hardly believe that he had seen
what he had seen in Judiths eyes.
They were closed now, she lay quiet
in his arms, it seemed that she had
tainted, or was asleep, SO very white
and still was she. He had forgotten
that he must carry her to where he
could lay her down and bring water
| to her, give her something to eat. He
| just stood motionless, holding her to
him, staring hungrily down at her.
"Are you going to play-Im your
baby-all day, Bud Lee?' she asked
! softly.
He carried her swiftly away from
| the ring of boulders and to little
| grassy, level spot where ne put her
down with lingering tenderness. Ju-
4 dith had not been angry with him all
these months Judith had let him kiss
her because she wanted to be kissed
| by him
He raked some Goals out Of the
ashes, hastily set some slices of bacon
| to fry, cursed himself for not having
/ brought coffee and milk and sugar
and steak and flask of whisky and
enough other articles to load q mule.
He ran down into the canyon and
brought water in his hat, swearing
at himself all the way up that he had
not brought cup. He put his arm
about her while she drank kept his
arm about her, kneeling at her side,
while he gave her a little, crisp slice
of bacon, held his arm there when
she had finished. watching her solicit
ously.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS