The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1935-09-26


occupations, In catching quick fieeting
glimpses of small creatures unawares.
Sometimes deer drank warily at the
streamside, and once or twice she had
encountered in the border of the cedar
swamp great moose, black and bulky
in the Swallowed wood, huge and faint
ly terrifying. She was no more a dis
turbing element in the forest than the
creatures which lived there, and VIII.
his ears filled with the rushing song of
the water as he fished, heard nothing
| of her coming.
He had crossed to the west side of
the stream for his fishing, so that his
back was toward her when she first
| discovered him. She saw a tall, strong
| figure in blue overalls and blue shirt
and a battered old hat, the overalls
| tucked into rubber boots that ended
| just below his knee. She saw him,
and paused a little way off, standing
utterly still, leaning with one hand
against tree, motionless and yet not
rigid, beautifully at her ease.
She watched him for moment; and
| he lifted fine trout out of the stream.
1t fell Hopping by his side, and he
| dropped the rod to pin it with his
hands. So doing, he turned sidewise
to her, so that she saw his face,
under his hat, and his delighted grin.
But as he pinned the fish, he uttered
| an exclamation of pain, and snatched
one hand away and looked at it; and
Jenny, with that quick sympathy which
all women have, came toward him. She
was six PAGES off when he heard or
felt her presence there, and turned
and looked up at her; and his eyes
widened in quick surprise, and then
he said something, laughing. And he
got up, the trout in one hand, his rod
in the other, and held the fish for
her to admire.
Handsome, amt he?" he said.
into you?"
Will was puzzled. "Now
II could see you hurt your hand,
when you grabbed him."
"Oh," he remembered; and he ex-
tended the hand which held the fish,
turning it so that she could see an
inflamed and swollen finger joint. SCOT
felon," he said. Its sore as time !"
She took his hand in her two hands,
gently, looking at the felon. Granny
can cure that" she said. IF you'd
come on home with me-"
"Sow he calculated, in pleased sur
prise. "Can she now? I've heard tell
that Marin Pierce Is a mighty hand
at curing ills; but 1 thought felon
you just had to take and stand it."
She frowned in thought, with an
| amusing affectation of maturity. "Tve
just forgot what it is you do" she
confessed. "But Granny, she'll know"
| And she urged: at amt only a little
ways through the woods to our place."
Will said heartily: 'Why, let's go
| along, then. Like trout, does she? I've
| couple here. You'll have to show me
| the way"
She nodded; and he fetched his fish
| from a moss bed where he had laid
them under ferns; and the two young
| people went together through the
| woods back toward Marin Pierce's
| farm. There was no path; but there
would be, by and by. 1t needs only
| little tracing and retracing of the same
| way, in wild land where no foot has
trod, to leave a thread Of trail along
the ground. And-Jenny would come
often by this way, in the years that
| were to follow; would come thus to
| the brook and wait here on the chance
| that Will might find time for the fish
ing; would even cross the brook and
climb the steep path beyond, and so
go up through the orchard to the Fer"
rim farm for a glimpse of him.
But now the way was trackless, and
| Will followed on her heels. He said:
Guess yo're Jenny Pierce. never
see you before"
"Yes, be-" she assented; and she
added, with a glance over her Shout
| der: Nor I never see you"
"Pm Will Ferrin," he explained.
| She stopped as though in surprise
she turned, and looked at him, and
her eyes were wide with wonder.
"Wil Ferrin? You live right up
there?" She pointed.
"Certain.'' He was puzzled by her
surprise.
But she made no explanation, only
nodded; yet it seemed to her incredi.
BILE that he could have been, all hef
life, so near without her knowing.
There was already in her heart such
certainty, and poignant bliss at being
near him now.
When they emerged into the back
pasture behind Marin Pierce's barn, he
came to walk beside her. The woods
had been dark with shadow. There is
a peculiar intensity and thickness
| about all the foliage in the Valley,
| which lends the forests a strange SOM
| Der gloom. But when they came out
into the open and the sun, it was with
a lift of spirit in them both. Jenny, for
no reason, smiled.
They found the old woman In the
kitchen. Granny" said the girl. "This
here is Will Ferrin, and he's got a
felon on his finger. told him you
could cure it for him."
Marin Pierce, brisk, black-eyed,
white-haired, with a quick-thrusting
tongue, said sharply: "Take it in time
and 1 could. Howdy, Will. Let's see
it. If you'd had any sense, you'd have
come before now!"
Jenny cried softly: "You already
knowed him? You never told me,
Grannyr'
Marin Pierce looked at the girl with
| swift probing eyes. "Told YOu?" she