The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1926-02-05
CHAPTER VIII
Brand Fair,


Nance Allison went back to Blue
Stone canyon. 1t was as inevitable as
the recurrent sun that she should dc
so. Her whole nature was stirred to
the depths by what she had found In
the lonely gorge.
The mystery of the thing lured her
set her young mind hunting for its
solution. And the little ragged boy
with his weakened face and bright
brown eyes tugged at her tender heart
irresistibly.
He was a beautiful, small creature
despite his thinness and his poverty.
There was intelligence in the broad
forehead under the long, loose, un-
kempt, dark curls, capacity for affec-
ton in the mobile lips and a terrible
hunger for love In the whole little
face.
For four days, "hand-running" as
her mother said, the girl went to the
canyon. The friendship ripened with
tropical speed. SO that she need not
search for her quarry now, but found
1t coming to meet her, peering around
this boulder. watching from that
vantage point.
When she held out her arms to the
child these last two times he had
come leaping into them to cling to her
neck in delirious gladness, while the
sedate collie. fast friend by this time
and traitor to his sacred charge,
fawned on her knee.
But on the fifth golden day trouble
was in the atmosphere.
Sonny came with dropping head and
a pucker of sorrow in his small brows
''Why, what's the matter with my
little man" said the girl, kneeling
and holding him off to scan him
searchingly. "Tell Nance. Sonny. What
is it?''
And Sonny. dissolved in tears upon
the instant, hiding his face In Nance's
neck.
I'll ha-" he hiccoughed, toto
tell-Brand-a a-lie. A nawful lie
And Brand. he-hates a liar!"
HE found your horses tracks, down
the canyon and-he asked me If
saw-any-any one strange" wept
the child.
Nance sat down and took the boy in
her lap.
The thing was coming to climax.
She was meddling with someone's
private business, of that she was sure,
both from her own reasoning and her
mothers warning, and maybe she had
no right to do so, but her sweet mouth
set itself into stubborn lines as she
fell to smoothing the little head, damp
with the ardors of its owners remorse.
Stop crying, honey" she wheedled
softly, "and let Nance rock you like
this"
She tucked her heels under her
thighs and, holding the child in the
comfortable lap thus formed, began to
sway her body back and forth for all
the world as If she sat In cushioned
rocker
What is there about a rocking wom-
an with child's head on her breast
to soothe the sorrows of the worlde
The swaying motion soon checked
Sonny's sobs and she fell to singing to
him, adding her voice to the mysteri-
GUS voices Of the canyon in the Tilt
and fall Of an old camp-meeting hymn
brought forth from her memories of
Missouri. And presently, when its
spell had soothed the tumult, she
raised him up and fed him cookies
made for the occasion, a sugary bribe
If ever there was one.
Dirk, too, was not averse to this
shameful seduction, his pale eyes
glowing with desire.
"Tell me. Sonny" said Nance. "does
Brand cook for your"
"Sure," said the child, 'sure he does
but he's gone all day and we get awful
hungry fore he comes at night"
II should think SOP thought Nance
grimly, "two meals dayI When q i
little child should eat whenever it's
hungry, to grow This precious Brand
Is about due for an investigation"
Aloud she said:
Sonny, I'm going to stay with you
all day-and I'm going to wait and
see Brand"
The boy was almost aghast at this
statement. and it was plain from the |