Western news and the Libby times. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1920-1933, 1931-02-19

crime Bulain.
They're down there said Teens,
and pointed. speaking TO Odd more
/ than TO her.
He took the Ratchet from his belt
and carried ii In his hand They en-
tered the greater stiffness OF the Big
forest. and Odd. who had Travelled be.
tween them. dropped back to Toinette's
side and thrust his muzzle against her
4 hand.
She did not snatch 1t away from
him now.
They came to the slope and Jeems
forgot that Toinette was behind him.
He walked straight down like a tall.
thin ghost-and the girl stopped and
| stood alone. staring at the place where
his home should have been. cry
wringing itself at last from her lips.
| Ieems did not hear. He saw nothing
but the clump of rose bushes and the
place where his mother lay lie wen.
/ to her first. obivious Of ether pres
| ence, unconscious of the sun. IF the
| ruins still smnldering. his soul stirring
once more with the fainf mad spark
Itof incredulity. But she was dead. He
| was sick with hurt He knelt beside
her calmly for n little while. He
touched her face gently with his hand.
and then went to his father. Odd
/ tvof nd ut bip taats In Ia CT fnfd
was shovel. Under his mothers big
| tree he planned to dig.
When lie returned his mother was
not alone. Toinette was there. on the
ground, with the English woman's
head in her lap. Her eyes hazed up
/ at Teens, and something like defiance
was In them, something that was pos
sessye and challenging and which hid
whatever pity she might have had for
him. or pleading for his forgiveness.
Her hands were pressing the cold
! face OF the woman she had wanted to
| hate. and she continued to look at
Jeems. SO hard. so terribly. so under
cAuhhiAAig that Hi~ SNCitNo Htih''Ht w
be waiting for him to punish her with
blow.
Then she bowed her head over his
mother, and the shining we'll OF her
hair covered DEATH
| Under the big tree he began to dig.
| Ii vas late afternoon when they left
| the valley, n sill, slumbering hour
| when the sun VAS about to 70 to its
| early rest, leaving CLOVIS and sunset
| paintings behind that might have been
made Of swimming metals.
Toinette's hand lay In Jeems' as
they went
They were like a young god and
goddess ready to face the hazards Of
savage world with strength
wrought out Of fire. The sickness had
left .leems His wounded arm was
cared for by fingers as gentle as his
mothers Ind heen. Hot tears caress-
Ing his flesh from Tonettes dark
lashes had cured his physical pain.
| Words spoken in voice he had never
heard from her lips entreating his for
giveness for years of misundersiand-
Ing were like the peace of The day
Itself about his heart. Out OF ruin
size had raised his soul to splendid
heights Of courage and resolution
They passed his mothers gardens Of
flowers where choice blooms were nod
ding filled to overlooking with ripen-
Ing seeds: they skirted the tnrnip field
where pnrple-breasted crop lay walt
Ing for spicy frosts to give crispness
and favor to its flesh. In place
where fresh dirt was scattered about
were tools used yesterday--axes and
shovels and hickory prying poles and
the big double-bladed grub hoe which
Hensibah had made at Tonteur's forge
On n stump partly dug from the earth
was one OF Hepsibah's pipes made OF
half corncob with hollow reed
for stem.
Jeems stopped and looked about. his
throat almost tensing for the old
familiar call TO Hepsibah. But the
stiffness warned him. Like friend 1t
was whispering the sacredness OF an
other trust. His eyes turned to the
lovely head near his shoulder In
moment Toinette raised her eyes to
meet his and even with his mother
they had not been 50 deep md gentle.
They must have caught my uncle
out there" he said, keeping his voice
steady and gazing over the forest tops
of Forbidden valley. He set the
signal fire for US and then was Killed
| would 20 and find him. Ii II were not
for you"
i will go with you" answered
Toinette.
But Jeems turned west and did not
look back at his home or betray the
choking In his breast. He found him
self talking to Toinette as II she were
the child of the old days. and he.
changed into a man, were explaining
things. He described for the first
time how the savages had come while
he was on his way home from Lns-
sans place, and gave his reasons for
believing they had departed tn haste,
leaving many things, like the gathered
irons ~ fr,,ft nrA s~uf. ~w.ls.ls 49,.