Evening star., 1924-10-13


though it was out of his way. He
liked the low house among the stunt
ed sycamores. with the sun in its
face all day and the perpetual Whis-
per of salt sea winds about it. He
liked the bright display of flowers
Mary seemed to keep going perenni-
ally in the little garden by the south
door, the orderly kitchen with it's
sanded floor, clean whitewash and
FURNISHED copper. Bosula was his
home. but it was to Roswarva that
he turned as to a haven in time of
trouble. when he wanted advice about
his farming, or when Teresa was par
ticularly fractions. There was little
said on these occasions, a few slow
considered words from Simeon, a well
coming smile from Mary, a cup of tea
or a mug of cider and then home
again but he had got what he
needed.
He sat in the kitchen that after
noon twirling his hat in his powerful
hands. staring out of the window and
thinking that his worries were pretty
nearly over. There was always Te-
resa to reckon with, but they wer-
out of debt and Bosula was in good
farming shape at last. What next?
An idea was taking shape in his de-
liberate brain. He stared out of the
"iHuo~, out not at the farm boar
wallowing blissfully in the rnire of
the lane, or at Simeon driving his
sleek cows in for milking, or at the
blue channel beyond with a little
collier brig bearing up for the Liz
ard, her grimy canvas transformed
by the alchemy of sunshine. Eli PEN
hale was seeing visions, homely, COM
Portable visions.
Mary came in. rolling her sleeves
back over firm, rounded forearms
dimpled at the elbows. The once
leggy girl was leggy no longer, but
a ripe, outstanding, full-breasted
woman with kindly brown eyes and
an understanding smile.
TN give e penny for thy dream,
Eli-if tits pretty one" she laughed.
rs it?"
The farmer grinned. "Prettiest I
ever had"
Queen of England take you for
her boy?"
"Prettier than that"
my lor'. II must be worth a brear
bit O. money, then! More'n 1 can
afford"
II don't think So"
rs it going cheap, or do you think
I'm made of gold pieces"
IT'S not money l want"
You're not like most of US. then"
said Mary, and started. There's
father calling in the yard. Must be
goin' milkin' Sit e down where e
be and I'll be back quick as quick
and we'll see If I can pay the price,
whatever it is. Sit e down and rest"
But Eli had risen. Must be going,
I believe
Why"
Got to see to the horses: I've let
Bohemia and Davy off for the day.
| count Of wrastling"
Mary pouted, but she was a farm
er's daughter, fellow bond slave OF
animals; she recognized the neces-
sity.
"Anybody'd think it was your men
had been wrastlin' and not you, you
great soft heart. Oh, we'll, run along
with e and come back when done and
take a bite of supper with US, will
e? Father'd be proud and I've fit
lovely supper"
Eli promised and betook himself
homeward. Five strenuous bouts on
top of six hours work in the morn
ing had tired him somewhat, bruises
were stifening and his left shoulder
gave him pain, but his heart, his
heart was singing Mary Penaluna-
Mary Penhale, Mary Parliamentary
Penhale" all the way and his feet
asked her in the kitchen. almost, al
most-it had been tripping off his
tongue when she mentioned her cows
and in so doing reminded him of his
horses. By blood, instinct and habit
| he was a farmer; the horses must be
seen to first, his helpless. faithful
servitors. His mother usually turned
her mount into the stable without
troubling to feed, unsaddle it or even
ease the girths. The horses must be
seen to.
He would say the word that eve
ming after supper when old Simeon fell
asleep in his rocker. as was his in
variable custom. That very evening.
Tregors had gone whistling down
the wind long since: the unknown
hind from Burdock Water had let it
go to rack and ruin, a second mort
gagee was not forthcoming, Carveth
Donnithorne foreclosed and marched
in. Tregors had gone, but Bosula re-
mained, clear of debt and as good
place as any in the Hundred,
enough for any one man. Eli felt
he could make his claim for even
prosperous Simeon Penaluna's daugh-
ter with a clear conscience. He came
to the rim of the valley, hoisted him
self to the top of a bank, paused and
sat down.
The valley. touched by the low
rays of sunset, foamed with gold,
with the pale gold of autumnal elms,
the bright gold of ashes, the old gold
| of oaks.
Bosula among its enfolding woods.
No Roman emperor behind his tall
Praetorians had so steadfast so
splendid a guard as these. Shelter
from the Winter gales, great splut-
tering logs for the hearth. green
shade in Summer and in Autumn this
magnificence. Holly for Christmas,
apples and cider. The apples were
falling now, falling with soft thuds
all day and night and littering the
orchard. sunk in the grass like rosy
faced children playing hide and seek.
Ellis eyes ran up the opposite hill
side, a patchwork quilt of trim fields,
green pasture and brown plow land,
all good and all his.
His heart went out in gratitude to
the house of his breed, to the sturdy
men who had made II what it was,
to the first poor, ragged timer wan
dering down the valley with his dom
key to his unknown father, that hon.
est giant with the shattered face who
had brought him into the world that
he. in his turn, might take up this
goodly heritage. ~
1t should go on. He saw into the
future, brighter, better future. He
saw flowers outside the Owls House
perennially blooming; saw a white
washed kitchen with FURNISHED cop
per pans and a woman in it smiling
welcome at the days end, her sleeves
rolled up to show her dimpled elbows;
saw a pack of brown-eyed, chubby
little boys tumbling noisily in to sup
per-Penhales of Bosula. 1t should
go on. He vaulted off the bank and
strode whistling down to the Owls
House, bowed his head between Adam