Show 1 cr ILOE VALLE C 0 ird ig 9 6 b ben ames IM ams U NU service chyr by ben den ames wiliams will an 1 I 1 SYNOPSIS at a gathering of cronies in the vil lage age of liberty maine alaine jim saladine Salad lne listens to the history of the neighbor ing hostile valley its past tragedies its superb fi ahing streams and above all 11 the mysterious mi enticing huldy wife of will ferrin Inter interested eted he drives to the N valley alley for a day days a fishing though admitting to himself his chief desire to to see the glamorous huldy perrin ferri old marm alarm pierce and her nineteen year old granddaughter jenny live in the valley S 8 nee childhood jenny has deeply loved young will wit ferrin older than she and who regards regard s her as till still a child will leaves to take cm em in nearby augusta his fa a ther there a death brings will back to the valley but he returns to augusta still unconscious of jenny jennys woman womanhood hoo d and love neighbors of the pierces are bart end and amy carey brother and sister bart unmarried and something of a ne er do well Is attracted by jenny the girl repulses him definitely learn ing that will Is coming home jenny exulting sets his long empty house to rights and has dinner ready tor for him tin CHAPTER II 11 continued 5 it its s me will she said come in all alls a ready for you heie AN welcome elcome home jenny he cried why jen I 1 take this neighborly of you folks where s granny home she told him you do all this he asked de light edly 1 I didn t want you coming to a cold empty house she wild suppers all ready or it can be in ten minutes chicken stew and doughnuts and blueberry Mu eberry pie and there are biscuits ready to bake and the ovens oven s hot she moved toward him finding her limbs at last answering her will come in will take off your hat she bade mm him set down and ill the word died in her throat for behind will in the open door a worn wom in had appeared jenny saw her and ehe she stared and the woman smiled then will perceiving by jenny s coun cenance what had happened turned and find took this woman gently by the irm and drew her into the kitchen to stand there beside him jenny he said proudly this othis aeres a my wife this Is huldy dreadful aching agony of emptiness strength th draining sickeningly away huldy said will s come ind nd made all ready for us I 1 told you thit that folks was friendly here huldy smiled something in her taint faint mirth at once insolent and pro vocative at once arrogant and acque ascent she looks mighty friendly to yon you will she said a barb in the words I 1 why she Is will declared blind ly content always was ras she want but a young one when I 1 see her the last time the time pa died he ile turned to jenny yore real grown up now jenny tenny be said the word somehow lent jenny strength her spine stiffened and her pulse slowed and her tone was calm you come in and set mis alls ferrin she said equably 1 I guess yore tired you make yourself to home and I 1 it get supper on bat but when this task was done she would not stay to eat with them val or dr would not sustain her so tar far it its s late will she explained it you d come earlier I 1 might stay and wash dishes but granny will be wondering about me now and when supper was on the table jenny bade them both good night in strong steady tones and took herself away out through the barn down domn the orchard slope down the steep trail to the stream she went blundering through the dark woods her eyes hot and dry with tears that would not flow CHAPTER III when jenny struggling through the deep woods her eyes burning for the anodyne of tears emerged at last into the open meadow land and saw raw the dim bulk of the barn ahead she ran stumblingly in haste to come home to harm marm pierce and the old woman B un der standing arms she rounded the barn and saw a light in the kitchen but she saw too a team here a the yard and so was warned that her grandmother was ras not alone and had bad time to steady herself before she came to the kitchen door bart was here he ile had been in lib erty village when will drove through had hailed will and heard an an call but will did not halt so bart had not seen huldy yet he had bad seen dimly the form of a woman in the seat beside AN III and before jenny arrived now he had told this much to old alarm pierce sitting by the stove before the open oven door brought some one to keep house tor for him like as not was the opinion he hazarded but alarm pierce knew rats misgivings things even before jenny appeared jenny came in composedly enough but her countenance was a haggard hagard mask eloquent of torment and ot of pain and alarm pierce rose quick ly and came between the girl and bart to shield jenny from his eyes he lie come finally did he jen she asked yore late enot enoich gh he only just got there jenny ex pla ined 11 1 I stayed to pu put the supper on marm fierce nodded and she told jenny bart see will go through the village he ile says as how there waa was a woman with him in the car jenny said in husky tones yes granny it its s his wife wills will s got mar ried her voice was terribly steady as rigid as steel marm marra pierce was shod shoel ed motionless and even bart could in this moment read jenny s secret in her eyes before the old woman could move he stood up and came loaird the girl why jen he said warmly I 1 guessed you liked will pretty well yore own self sou lie ile chuckled yet I 1 not ot ln jn a fashion to cause her any biln I 1 al at i ays hid a notion you did he confessed I 1 knew with lira 1 im around there want wa n t a chance for e but when he went away I 1 kind of thought and he urged don t you grieve tor for will jen I 1 theres men enough not as fine as him maybe but marm marra pierce said harshly part you shut your mouth let the child alone I 1 bart protested ma ala am I 1 m orry lorry for her I 1 want to kind of comfort her I 1 id d marry jen in a minute if she d have me guess she knows it too well she won t the old woman told him don t you see she wants to cry now you go along and get out of here and she bundled him unceremonious ly y through the door bart outside climbing into his buggy wondered at the sudden flooding ardor which had made him speak so openly he ile had no least mind to marry had not bontem plated doing so yet there had been in jenny s eyes just now something go so brol en with longing and deep hunger tint that he be had bad been swept into a folly of words into an unaccustomed forget falness eager to assuage her grief will he thought was blind and dumb and blamable he had bad a quixotic im int pulse to go thrash the other man for falling failing to see that jenny loved him for falling failing to understand but before he came home he began to be curious about this wife of will wills s he ile would want to see her by and by jenny alone with her grandmother gr wept long weary tears till she slept at last from very pain and deep fa tigue and old marm alarm pierce sat by her long that night brooding over the hurt child tender and fond already she hated huldy ferrin for hurting jenny so but when jenny woke in the morn ing it was composedly she was older older even to her grandmother s ac customer cus tomed feyes eyes but there was no longer any panic of bereavement in her nor any vehemence of outcry at the blow that had bad struck so shrewdly home her world might lie ile broken at her feet but her head still was high she went calmly about the common dally daily tasks which can so often by their familiar monotony bring comfort to a distracted mind and she and marm alarm pierce spoke not at all of will that day or the next when they did at last it was airm pierce who asked the question jenny who answered her he iles s married granny she said in a tone of finality all there is to it or ever can be I 1 didn dian t grow up soon enough for him that s bill all 1 and she reflected with a surprising wisdom I 1 ike enoi enot gh h there s been other girls that loved a man and had to see him marry somewhere else before they come to be women and all they could do was grieve the rest of their lives you 11 have a main of men to pick and choose from jenny marm alarm pierce told her stoutly any man with sense n jenny smiled faintly like bart she suggested amused well anell there therell 11 be others the older woman insisted walt and see so they spoke no more of will for a while thereafter but a week after will wills s homecoming on a sunday aft ernson the old car in which he had returned from augusta came bouncing in from the miln road and stopped in the yard by the doorstep and huldy and then will descended marm alarm pierce and jenny were in the kitchen and the old woman would have protected jenny from this ter but the girl went bravely to the door and opened it and stepped out upon the porch to greet trem aft noon doon mis ferrai she said hello will its it a neighborly of you to come over granny and me wed vied have come to see you before now but cant can t walk so far v huldy smiled a slow deep smile with nith slumber lidded eyes will said we come to much obliged to you jenny for fixing up the bouse house and all he ile touched huldy a arm proudly huldy s a housekeeper her own self but she ain t found a speck of dust ana an R here come in and set old marm marra pierce invited briskly and they did come in huldy moved indifferent to her sur round lna yet even jenny was con selous that there was ras a powerful dis tur bance in the very air about this woman she had not the other night seen huldy clearly ale sl e saw now that wills will wife was beyond question beau ticul as a flame Is beautiful hair black as ink and black eyes half veiled yet bright and warm and her cheek a fine brown from long acquaint ance with the sun jenny could won der at the others beajay bea ity and at the same time fear it and sarini from it with an instinctive alarm without I 1 boing why she wished to draw way from huldy and as though in to I 1 ersela thit ale st e had no such desire she spot e to the woman take off your coat she said sou you and will you 11 II have to stay and visit to supper huldy smiled with faint amusement yet obeyed and will sat down and he talked in the old friendly fashion for a while of his long absence and his work in augusta I 1 done well there he said gaved ved good money but I 1 im in glad to be back just the same he ile looked at huldy proudly hul dy here she had so many beaus after her all the time when I 1 finally talked her into marrying me I 1 fetched her away from them quick quiet s I 1 could dunno how I 1 ever got her but I 1 aim to keep her now marm alarm pierce made a noncommittal sound and jenny said politely I 1 hope you 11 like here mis alls ferrin I 1 huldy looked at her husband id like being anyA anywhere here with will she said in slow deep tones I 1 like big meni men I 1 ahe two other women were buncom fordable for table but will was not he ile beamed and talked on contentedly but huldy in the end would not stay to supper I 1 ve got beans on the stove she reminded will wed best get along and as they said bald good by she ex to jenny you ca can n t blame me for going on home I 1 im m still a bride and I 1 id d like to have will all to myself I 1 guess you know how that and led will like a captive away when they were gone jenny was silent hurt without knowing how she had been hurt wounded without being 1 she looks mighty friendly to you will able to put her finger on the wound but mann marm pierce was not in the least my mystified stifled she ashes s a hussy I 1 she exclaimed will s cut him off a bl bigger er piece than he can chew she shell 11 make him dance a pretty tune tulle jenny turned to the stove to set the kettle on unable to speak and marm marra pierce added indignant lie seen women before with them sleepy ees ej es like they want wa n t more moren n half awake but will the dumb fool Is blind as a bat she 11 II put a ring in his nose she 11 II bring him up with his toes a dig gingi ging I 1 jenny whirled toward the older worn wom an if she shea a not good to him ill kill heri herl she cried so marm alarm pierce perceived the girls distress and sought to ease her there jen jeri she said quickly don dont t you mind I 1 there s nought to do for will now you go reed read the book of proverbs I 1 you 11 II find a heap of wisdom there wormwood will be his dish soon or late maybe if he bed d read his bible bed have lime knowel better than to marry her but I 1 dunno many a mans let a woman take him with her like the bible says pore will I 1 I 1 jenny whispered no and you wont won t the old worn wom an interrupted stoutly she shook her head nought you can do but would make it worse for or will and for you too jen jeri stay away from him from the both of them let fire burn jen jeri it will come to ashes by and by and jenny was ras hushed and silenced and the wise old woman went to get the s supper on summer was upon them now and during the months that fol followed loRed jen ny saw will not at all there was a stir of new activity in the valley which served in some degree as a dietr in july a man named seth hum ilum from augusta set up a steam mill not far below marm marra pierce s farm they could hear bear unless the wind wen wei wron wrong the whine of the saw sa I 1 and now and then some one of t the he I 1 men who worked tl it ere with ith a cut or wound came to ask marm alarm pier alere I 1 to heal his hurt for him she had r I 1 salve with virtues which were famous I 1 and she could minister to the lesser phy physical lical ailments which sometimes at tache I 1 them when one of these men appeared jenny saied sti ed usually in the back ground but they were nere a harmless lot rough and strong and spending their days in hard bard physical toll yet toward a woman gentle and shy some times she saw one or two of 0 them slipping through tl e open land between the house and the woods to vard the brook A path from the mill cut through the woods roods direct to careys carels bridge goins going up tip to sample cart dart careys carels rum alarm pierce guessed with a gr grim tin d sapi ro roval at jen you keep an away ay from them stay out of the woods down that way aone of cm em to hurt you less n they was ras drunk but I 1 never did believe bellene in putting edees into a mans head you lou stay away anay she had in fact some reasons for concern which she did not explain to jenny I 1 eople were apt to confide in this wise old woman and she heard things thin q jenny did not hear amy car ey barts bart 9 sister came one afternoon when jenny had gone toward the brook so that the old woman was alone and amy was troubled the mill crew they re around the house all the time she explained and bart hes he s had a couple men staying there from augusta that let on they come to fish but they dont don t bring home any trout they go off down the brook every day and come back at night and no fish to fy and they never come before her eyes were uneasy it its a that woman she said 1 I ve heard cm em talk about her they knowel her in au gusta and seth humphreys he did too one of em said the other night the only reason seth come and put a mill in here sos so s to be handy to her he ile was hot after her to hear bear their tell before will come along and married her marra alarm pierce said 1 I cd see the kind she was first time I 1 laid bejes on her bart says she ain bin t more n halt half de cent to will I 1 amy reported he ile says she ashes s always tithing a dig at him and him too blind to see bart tart says bed he d like to tal e a hoop pole to her the way she treats will him and will was always friendly the older woman nodded will hell bell go along blind about so long and then hell wake rake up she pred c acted ed IN hen he does the fur furs s bound to fly the ferrins was always slow blow to get mad but it ain aln t safe to face era em when they got their dander up man alan or worn wom an it ain aln t wise to make |