Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-05-22

steal powers could have held the
cramped. uncomfortable pose 10 long.
Several times one of the women.
and once the doctor, softly opened the
door and peeped In, but they as often
closed 1t again and left the man to his
silent vigil.
By the next day she was SO much
better that the doctor declared her
out Of danger-time alone being all
that was necessary to bring her well.
In the serene evening the sun peeped
under the porch roof for one last look
before reluctantly passing on to less
interesting scenes beyond the gates of
the west; fell in at the open parlor
window; crossed the floor and just
missed the big old-fashioned sofa, soft
and coy with blankets, where the
woodsman had carried the girl In his
great arms, the wonderful landscape
of lawn and bottoms and winding
river spreading before her.
The woodsman himself sat on low
footstool at her side. The room had
settled still.
From the kitchen came the low
drone of voices where Mrs Curry and
Aunt Liza sat by the cook stove. A
tall old clock in corner of the parlor
taller than the woodsman himself,
with a peasant man and maid on the
face raking hay-punctuated the 81
lence into sort of drowsy rhythm.
The girl was 50 still that he thought
she slept. CHANGING around at her, he
was amazed to see her eyes full of
tears.
"W'y-whafs the matter-T'
'Nothing-r'
Her lips Quivered; she turned her
face away and cried silently. He
picked up her hand: attempted com
forting word. The sprawled dead fig
ure in the old cabin crossed his mind
the brother In whom she stiN be-
lieyed; whose death she still mourDed;
OF whose degradation and deep dis
honor she was haply spared from ever
knowing-and the attempt failed.
She turned back to him after a time,
brushed away the tears and brave
suggestion of the smile that made her
eyes so wonderful frightened them.
'Ain't 1t Jist terrible FIR me T. cry
like this, when y'u're all s. good to
mel"
He hitched the footstool closer to
the sofa. 1t surprised him to feel
queer weakness in his breast and
i<h IN, ,Hesr, hr %rto
20 speak.
"Do y'u think y'u're strong enough
t. talk-some?'
IVY, / could git up-a'most"
A sudden thoughtfulness displaced
the smile.
DO y'u remember that letter y'u
give me from Pap Simons las Sat
urd,y?"
The girl raised her eyes.
''T be opened the day you're TWEEN
ty-one-Tve wondered and wondered
what was in it,
He looked down at the floor; looked
up again.
"This is the day."
mol"
I'm twenty-one t'day-and''-free
he was about to say, but didn't.
rs it possible it's only ben six days
sence-"
six days." was his slow comment.
Don't seem like s. much could hap
pen in six days-hardly-"
He fumbled In his blouse; took out
the letter in it's formidable envelope;
held it toward her.
She took it and, glancing over it,
handed it back. He tore it open and
drew out it's contents.
Wide-eyed, they read it through
a title deed in fee simple to the War
hope homestead, together with all
stock and betterments and growing
crops thereon, duly conveyed and exc
cuted to Jack Warhope; and, folded
inside the deed, bank draft In his
favor for ten thousand dollars.
The man stared at the girl: the girl
stared at the man.
I'm b'lievin' Pap Simon meant t
do this all along he unused at last.
II can see it now, as / look back.
That's why he was s. good to me. Meb-
be"-he hesitated, that's why he had
me-bound-"
Pore father THE girls eyes
strayed away to where the silver con-
tour of the river trimmed the bottoms
sit was his-way"
He let loose the deed, leaving 1t in
her hand. She turned back from the
silver-rimmed bottoms and glanced it
over again.
IVY, it was made out only last Fri
day-he never knowed it, but that was
1ady-slipper day-and so he made it
big day-after all"
Very slowly, with the tightness still
at his throat, the woodsman took out
his pocketbook and laid flattened yell
low orchid in the girls palm.
Il found 1t there at the edge of Mud
haul where you got on the house-boat."
The girl fumbled the fiattened bios
som in her hand; the color of return
inc health tinO1pd into barS obnakc