Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1936-02-28
CHAPTER v

absorbed in an inspection of the stars.
As though to bear out his suspicious,
she had dressed her hair in Spanish
fashion and there jutted over her right
ear tortoise shell comb that, tipped
here and there with gold, was mar
vel of intricacy. Her face, Ken noted
appeared whittier by the starlight, and
her long dashed eyes seemed simply
enormous.
"Good evening"" she murmured.
"It's lovely, isn't it,"
While the frontiersman gave one
last swift look about, she arose and
swayed towards him, one slim hand
extended. 1t was then that Ken, flush
ed and delighted, would have given
anything for the ability to turn some
neat compliment and the skill to
deftly lift that fragile hand to his
lips. Instead he halted where he was,
and, miserably conscious of his hands,
stammered,
"That-that's sure a mighty pref
ty c-comb, Miss Novel;"
do you really think 500" she muir
INJURED, looking up at him with an m
tensity so marked that he instantly
noticed it, but as quickly forgot-be
cause the dark lines of her lips were
so intriguingly curved and the glim-
mer of teeth behind them was so very
white.
There's nice view from the hill
top over there" she suggested pres
emily. "Shall we go up there? You
can see almost to the San Lorenzo
Valley"
Now hilltops were a thing that
Ken instinctively istrusted-knowing
pioneer had failed to come home be-
cause he fingered on the skyline-but
of his train Of thought he said moth
ing, having long since picked out a
spot where they would sit and talk
with safety. 1t was half way up on
that same hill in little declivity
which would permit him to see any
one approaching. Ted was not an en-
envy to be disregarded.
AS they made their way upwards,
Ken was both pleased and puzzled to
see how continual were the efforts
of this slender lovely girl to please
him, to draw him out of that reserve
habitual to men who spend long hours
alone.
1t was not until they were seated
on tuft of soft and fragrant buffalo
grass that the gaunt frontiersmanl
relaxed his vigilance and permitted
himself the luxury of devoting his
whole attention to the girl by his side.
Perhaps a quarter of mile below
them the kerosene lights of noisy,
turbulent little Novedad blinked and
Glimmered redly. There was, Ken
noted, an extra large blaze of light
in front of the Two Star Drink EN-
porium, and another down on the rail-
road right-of-way where sparks shot
skywards from the clumsy bell-shaped
stacks OF the two locomotives whenev-
er sleepy fireman opened the fire
box door to throw on fresh logs.
For several minutes the two made
conversation on all those inane sub
jects which man and girl discuss
before they begin to speak on what
they are really interested in.
$50 you were in the war;, Lucia muir
INJURED, her small head tilted back the
better to study the stars which blazed
like diamond-headed nails driven into
the deep purple heavens.
Reckon So was a sergeant O.
scouts fightin' the Rebs in the Red
River Campaign"
us that where you got that scar"
she demurely inquired, then she sud-
denly leaned closer as though the I'M
certain light made it hard to see that |
crooked line across his left cheek
bone. A wisp of her hair brushed his
cheek and to his nostrils came a sug-
gestion of perfume. His throat SEEM
ed suddenly very thick as he said:
"Sure did, A Texas sergeant give
me that when-I-oh, faint nowise
interestin'. "
ooh, but it is-You were going to
say?" she prompted sweetly as ever
Desdemona encouraged Othello, and
deliberately looked into his face, the
pale blur of her face not two inches
from his face.
Subconsciously, he realized that
something was wrong. Lucia Novel;
was leading him on-she was encour-
aging him too much-but discounting
this there now was pleasurable mad
ness, nay a recklessness, heating his