The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current, 1939-09-21
CHAPTER ii

cary i0OEIlluS was dIldIIlG dDOpG the
spires of the pines. He moved away
once and called up the stairs to as
sure himself that Autumn was get
ting ready for the ride she had in
sisted on taking with him into the
sheltered ravine where the lambing
was in progress. When she replied,
he strobe back to the window and
looked out upon the softly lighted
mosaic of the world that was his.
As he stood, weary and haggard
from sleepless night, it came to
him that it had been better had he
sold it last winter when he had had
a substantial offer for il. Why had
he not sold it? He was getting old.
Pride, pridel Pride and vanity. Van
ity of possession, of power. of tri-
umph Yes-that had been it-tri-
umph The triumph, as he had
thought, of his own conscience over
catastrophe of twenty years ago.
That was why he had stayed on,
here, stubbornly. bitterly, when his
world had seemed ready to crash
about his ears after the death OF
Godfrey Landor, and then-Milli-
cent.
All, Millicent. forever loved for
ever lost! Her slender red smile.
red still as she died IN fever rec In
the undying love of another, slender
in hatred of himself, seemed to
pierce the brooding east now as he
stared at it with vacant eyes.
Fool, fooli" he muttered to him.
self. 81 might have known--I might
have knownl"
He turned as Autumn, dressed for
the ride, came down the stairs.
Lets gol" she sang out, and
stood before him slapping her boots
with her quirt.
Two horses stood before the door,
Jarvis Deans big black and Hector
Cardigan's hunter. In a moment
they were in the trail and heading
eastward over the way that Autumn
had come the night before.
They were on their way to visit
old Absolom Peek at his camp in
the ravine. When they turned at
last from the main trail and took
winding path that led toward the
camp, Autumn remembered
roundabout and more picturesque
way to the place, down through
gully where a tiny creek ran and
where the white birch grew in
dense wall up either slope. Landor's
Gulch it was called locally. partly
because one-haf of its length marked
the boundary between the Landor
and the Dean acres; partly, too, be-
cause it was down there beside the
creek among the birches that the
body of Godfrey Landor had been
found years ago by one of his own
men. The years had dimmed the
| details of that tragic story, though
they had served only to deepen the
legendary color that invested it.
Years ago, old Hannah had told Au-
tumn that sheep herders had en-
countered Geoffrey's ghost among
the white birches there, of moon
lit night in spring, and had heard his
voice calling to his sheep-dogs when
the wind came up from the river.
Autumn had all but forgotten the
legend, but its memory smote her
now as she drew rein and turned
her horse toward the gully.
Come on, Da!" she called. Let's
60 down this way"
Jarvis drew up short and looked
at her.
There's quicksand along that
creek" he replied. Don't you re-
member"
Autumn laughed. Come on! |
used to find gold pebbles down there
I want to see if there are any left. >"
Jarvis exclaimed under his breath
Damn it. my girl, ! have no time
for such foolingl Are you riding with
me or are you not?"
Autumn held her horse for a mo-
ment in perplexity, then followed
her father along the trail of his own
choosing. One of these days, she
thought to herself, ii would be neces-
sary to warn Jarvis Dean that his
daughter was grown up and would
not be spoken to as if she were no
more than a child. But there would
be time for that.
When she drew abreast of him
again, the old mans face was oddly
rigid and colorless. Hector Cardi-
gan had been right, then. Her fa-
ther had changed. He was not the
man she had known in other years.
He was getting old, and the burden
of living had lain too heavily upon
him. Her impatience with his mood
melted to pity as she thought of him.
by the way, father, how are the
Landors?" she asked casually, when
they had ridden a short distance.
"Eh? The Landors? Ah-they're
we'll, | presume he said absently.
"You told me at Christmas time
that Mrs. Landor had been ill.," she
reminded him.
"Oh, yes, yes, of course" he said
hastily. "Old Jane has been very
low. She's not long for this world,
I'm afraid"
And Bruce?"
But Jarvis had fixed his eyes sud-
denly on a struggling bunch of frail
new weeds close to the trail. He
dismounted abruptly and pulled the
grasses up by the roots.
Milk vetch,' he remarked, and
got back into the saddle.
When they arrived at the camp,
old Absolom was in his shack. brew
ing coffee and frying bacon. While
her father went indoors. Autumn
1;puarol for rnopaap4 os,fcida har