OCR Text |
Show I THAT GIRL 9 JOHNSONS Author "At Cirl't Aftrat," Etc. , - Bntared Accor.Hnf to Acl of Congress In the Vr 1SW br Strel A Smith, In tho Otfaca of tba Ubrarlan of Cone rest, t Whlnston. O. . CHAPTER I. The Girl. The day was dreary when sho was born, not only because tho rain was falling in a drizzling fashion and n mist hung over tho hills, but because Bho was born. Her mother, having a soft hoart, felt all her tonderncaa awaking for her weak daughter, and gatherod hor Into her arms with a half pitying caress, nut hor mothor did not llvo long, and some of her friends went so far as to Bay that It was well sho did not, for she would have spoiled tho girl. Her father well, there was no danger dan-ger of hor father spoiling tho girl with' tenderness. He considered her birth oijo qf the blows fato dealt him, and ho said he had had many blows from fato, Ho Bald fato was against him; pcoplo said ho was shiftless; they said also that thcro was hardly a doubt that the girl would bo the same. Nono of tho Johnsons amounted to much at least that branch of tho family. fam-ily. Lemuel Johnson, this man's brothor, was rich, rumor said, and they did not blamo him for having nothing to do with his shiftless brother. He llvod in a flno houso in Now York; was entorprlslng and ahrowd; how could anyono blamo him for dropping this ne'er-do-well brother? HIb brother thought differently. Lemuel was rich; fate bad been good to him; It was but right that ho should help him; it was an unheard of thing that ho had never offerod to help him, especially when this added burdon wag laid upon his already too heavily laden shoulders. Of what good to him was a girl? Girls woro of little uso. Had she been a boy but sho was not a boy, and sho was motherless from tho tlmo sho was three wcoks old. With a pathotlc appreciation of tho fltno3s of things her mother namod hor Dolores. And from tho time sho was taken from the dying mother'B arms her largo brown eyes, shaded by long curling lashes, looked out upon tho world with a strange gravity and a knowledge of what It meant to bo brought Into tho world unwelcome and UillUVVU. Sho npldom cried. ,SUo novor coood as other and happlor babies do, And no' sh6' grow older Bhonco grow upon hor.. She said Httlo.nnd tho neighbors seldom ran In to gossip with her as thoy did vfith each Qthej-, for thofo was no uso;' she took nd intcrost in thorn or their gossip; no ono could talk easily with hor pyes upon them. So when she grew old enough to attend to the household mattors herself, they left her alouo; even tho children of her own ago dropped her as though sho had been dead. Sho was an excellent cook, and kept tho houso well. In thoso things hor father had no fault to find. Ho seldom sel-dom spoke to hor; If tho food wore wxrw qBMbW wfss mm mm m VKt ' L"' mS&Miv) "Did yo get ther water7" woll cooked ho never found fault; ho novor praised it or her; he ato his meals In silence, and wont out of tho houso. She saw him only at meal times; his evenings woro spont at tho tavern; hors woro spent at homo mending his clothes or doing whatovor was to bo done. And to ovory ono in tho village out of It sho know no ono she was simply sim-ply "that girl of Johnson's." CHAPTER II. Tho 8tranger. When Dolores wo twenty her father awoke to thp fact that sho wm no longer a child. Tho knowledgo of her age and comlluoss camo -to him suddenly sud-denly ono day. Johnson was a blacksmith, and young Green, whose father waa jurtge in tho town across tho mountain, was riding up tho'valloy when hln maro cast a shoe, and ho stopped at tho Bhop to have It replaced Tho day was warm tind sultry and nftcr a fow minutes young Green asked for some water. Johnson sent him to tho houso for it, saying that Dolores would give It to him. Green roturnod in a few minutes. There was a strange expression on hiB face, and ho did not ontor tho shop at pneo; he stood In tho doorway, watching tho hammer fall on tho glowing iron. Green hnd a college education, and his friends were to a certain extent like all othor young fellows, fond of hunting nnd all. athletic sports, but a strongth liko this man's he had never boforo seen. Greou was a man, and mon ndmtro strength. The mouth was Fitllen. under the scant gray mustache; tho eyes were small, and Bhowed a possible cruelty of nature brute cruol-ty; cruol-ty; tho forehead widfTsw and narrow. Thcro was not an intellectual lino In his face. A wrinkle . of puzzled thought appeared ap-peared between the young man's brows. Ho turned and looked long and earnestly up tho path that led to the tiny unpalnted bouse set In Its drear' garden a short distance up tho mountain. Dolores was standing In tho doorway, door-way, hor arms hanging down In front of her, hor fingers .clasped listlessly together. Tho sunllKht was on hor dark hoad; hor brown eyes were looking look-ing straight before her, and there waa a light in her face that fairly transformed trans-formed It. Usually there was llttlo light In her face. Her lips were parted part-ed as though sho had beon speaking of nli'ORant thlncs. Young Green took off his hat, and ran his fingers through his fair hair. Tho wrinkle of perplexity appeared and deepened between his brows. "Johnson Is Bho your daughter?" The blacksmith straightened up In surprise. No ono had ovor beforo asked about Dolores. With tho baclc of 'his hand ho wiped tho drops from his grimy face. ' "She my darter? Wal, I reckon. My cursed luck thot she warn't a boy; boys Ib o' use." A'c' oy C3 vat(lnsWfw?K'irsducVl7 Man, you should Ildk,yourlIuckJr'Btar that sho is a woman and such a woman! wo-man! Whoro did sho got hor learning?" Tho man wasbowlldcred; he laughed scornfully. "Sho ain't never had no learnln' 's far as I know. Thar ain't no uso In loarnin' 't least I ain't novor seen no uso o' it. Wlmmen 'specially air better off 'thout it Hyar's yor maro reddy. Fino maro, she. A Bhlllln', sir; thank 'eo." Tho maro was full of ltfo and spirits, and a beautiful animal. When her master mounted sho reared nnd plunged; her tall owept tho scanty grass at tho door, her long silky mono Bwopt his faco; hor oyos woro flashing, flash-ing, her nostrils dilated. Tho girl in iho dooway lost hor listless list-less attltudo. She came down tho stops, and called to him, and her volco peculiarly penetrating, but full of rnro sweetness sounded like a noto of music on tho Bultry air. Ho Binllcd at her. With a tight roin and a calm word ho quletod the maro, then ho rodo up to tho girl. Hla volco was pleasant; to her It soundod grave and almost sweot. "Tho maro Is gentlo as a kitten; sho would not hat m mo for tho world. It Is only ono of hor tricks. You nro us fond of animals as of astronomy, are you not, Mlaa Johnson?" Her gazo had strayed down to tho shop. Her fathor waa standing In the doorway rubbing his hands on his leathern apron and watching them. Tho flash died out of hor oyes, tho flush from her face; tho llstlossnees had roturncd. His gazo Involuntarily followed hers. Ho received no reply from hor, and oxpocted nono; ho understood with a raro Instinct. When ho had ridden away she stood a long tlmo at tho gato. Tho faraway far-away look was In hor eyes aa sho watched tho black maro and hor rider until tho haze from the mountain hid thom from view. When her father camo into dinner ho watched ber as she prepared tho tablo; he watched her aa she ate. HIb oyoa woro on her constanly; sho know it, but gave no sign. As he took up his hat to return to tho shop he turned and asked, abruptly, abrupt-ly, but with little show of Interest: "How old air ye, girl?" Her large eyea looked through and through him; hor gazo waa ntoady, hla wavorod; hor voice, too, was steady and alow: "I am twenty, fathor," -Ourse tho jrlrll" he muttered, aa ha poasod down the worn path to the shop with no hasto In his slouching gait. "Curso all ther wlmmonl Horned fools, overy ono of 'oral Jest my luck thot sho warn't n boy; boyB Is o usal" CHAPTER. III. Her Learning. Dolores was Bitting on tho door stops one evening. Her father was at tho tavern as usual, and as her household house-hold duties woro finished sho sat in tho mellow moonlight that flooded tho mountain with raidlance. Sho was no longer listless. Her lips woro partod; her eyes largor and darker than usual; her faco, raised to tho starry heavens, was full of light. On hor knoos lay an old astronomy, nnd one slondor finger marked the place of hor reading. read-ing. Sho was lost to horsolf and her surroundings sur-roundings ; sho did not hoar tho hoavy footsteps approaching along the narrow nar-row path; sho saw nothing until n rough hand pullod the book from under her flngors. A deep oath smote tho air. "Curso yol" her father mutterod, bo-tweon bo-tweon his clonched teeth. "Curso 'em as Invented books an learnln'l Thoa He watched her face. is ther way yo waato yor time whllo I am away. Curso yo! Ycr mothor waa fool 'nough, but ye'ro worse." She roso up slowly to her full height I and confronted him. Her soul was in I her eys and his shrank from it I I "Father, Bay what you llko of mo; I I you Hhall not say nothing of my I mothor; sho Is boyond your power 1 now."' t. , Tho book had Bllppod from his hand iv and fallen to, the ground; ho klckod it - contemptuously.' Tho flash doopend In hor oyo, but she had had her Bay, .and sat down. Tho moonlight waa on her faco and hair: hor shadow lay long and dark behind her. Lavlna Kotcham mado a gentle wlfo; Bho gavo up much for peace, j and at first sho had loved hor husband; hus-band; afterward sho found out his bruto nnturo. Hor nature was fine, and sho was truo to him always, but lovo waa out of tho question then. Ho forbado her tho ubo of her books, and in that only bho would not obey him. For a naturo llko hors to dio mon-tally mon-tally or even Btagnato was impossible. She was above him as tho stars sho loved wore above hor, and aho know It, and ho know It also; ho hated her for IL Sho was a school teacher, and as school teachers did noc thrive that Bldo of tho mountain ho offerod hor a homo, and sho accepted his offer, boliovlng him noblo because of this gonorous act, as women will beliovo of tho men thoy love until they havo been provod otherwise, when tho sweet If rather blind faith In thom can novor return nnnet lining HoKtrnVOfl. Hor daughter Inherited hor naturo only In n far higher degree. Hor husband hus-band know it, and tho nolghbors know It. Nover, howovor, did tho girl's father know that her mother's books woro her constant companions; that Bho lived In them and on them; that noarly ovory word of theirs was known to hor by heart. Dotsy Glonn had beon her mother's Bchoolraato and friend. Botay Glenn taught Dolores with all tho power sho was capable. Sho had long boen dead, but tho soed Bho sowed grow and grew; somo tlmo It would ripen and hear frulL . Had hor father known of this ho would have stopped it from tho first. Ho did not know It, for he had novor taken enough Interest In hor to know it. Had ho askod her aho would havo told him, but ho never asked. Tho jealousy ho had already felt toward to-ward hla wife for her lovo of books seethed and scorched in his heart a ho stood facing her daughter and his. Sho possessed not one of his traits; tho mothor's naturo had deepened ten fold in his daughtor. (To Do Continued.) |