| OCR Text |
Show ITHAT GIRL gf JOHNSON'S) Ty JEAM K.ATE LVDLVM. A-,k r ' "M "' . '. ' fu. (m""1 Arrot.llm lo An of "on.,,-., in tl, Yir le I,, Son-I Smilh. In Ih. IPB.c. of It . l.,t,i.o.n uf 1 o.,.... . Wukiinl. I). C CHAPTER XVI. "Man Proposes; God Disposes." Johnson illil nut die; Hint he lived tb much the terrible strain upon his Tltnnty showed Hint ho liml mi Iron constitution, the doctors said; Imt the men at tho tnvcrn shisik their heads over It, anil looked meaningly nt ru li othor. They hail their own uplnliin of tho manor; perhaps they know morn than the donors t.l ; tho wl" moa might open tholr eyes In nmn.cinont should they rhisse to toll tholr sus-plcluna. sus-plcluna. Johnson wns kept uniliT thn lufliionco of oplalrs for thro" days and nlghta; he wan nut loft alnno one moment; mo-ment; they fed him on Mrs. Allen's boef tea and drinks, and rnred for him u though he were a bnhy, tho Dion aid In half whispers him, with mus-clen mus-clen llko Iron and cords Ilka an ox. Lodle daily carried tho newt, brief Itema briefly told In hla measured tones as they gathered In the outer room of the tavern of an evening, or called now and then serosa the drenched gardona to each other, or met at the wells. And the women over their tubs, aa they washed the clothes up and down, and eoaped and rinsed and wrung them In clear water, leaving; leav-ing; them to aoak till the storm should be over, gossiped about "thte thet hey bap'd Jnhnslng," and hla girl, and the airs they put on since Lemuel John-on John-on he who was born In the settlement settle-ment years ago had come with hla girl and his gold to see that hla brother broth-er ahould live like other folks, and waa not so "no 'count an' shofloHB." Dolores, knowing nothing of these gossiping!, and caring nothing for them, had sho known, watched her father untiringly. She never complained com-plained of being tired; she seldom apoko. Young Orccn had gone home, but he came over every day, bringing Ron-tie Ron-tie mossagoa and dcllcacloa. For three days Johnson lay In this stupor so like death, acarcaly atlr-ring, atlr-ring, not opening his eyes; bis faco waa thin and drawn, hla eyes sunken and hollow; his hair, a few daya before be-fore so lightly sprinkled with gray, bad grown suddenly whlto. tie had aged ao that bis every-day companions compan-ions would not know him. Dolores saw this In alienee; her thoughts were busy, but taor lips were dumb. Young Orocn'e oyes had grown wondorfully keen to note the changes -at the sweet, pale face, and the aha- of the dark, wondering eyea. ' ' roc he knew that he loved her. It had i come upon him the first niRht aa be stood behind her In the firelight and watched the pure face bent above the book on her kneea. It bad come almost al-most like a blow at first, but full of a awoetness that waa full of pain also, ahe waa so high above him, she had never a thought of love, ahe had never even known what love waa aa others knew It In the home life. And there waa a tonderncaa In the thought of bow he he, the first one In the world to ahow her what love might bo would prove to ber the depth of Its tenderness and hollnoss. At sunset the third day the rain ceased, and the mist dragged Itself brokenly across the peaks of tho mountains; the hills wore loud Willi the cry of the swollen river in the valley, and the cascades shouted aloud aa they leaped tho riven sides of the mountains to J In the river and eat at the worn old brldgo at the foot of the roadway. Tbe rain had ceased at last, and IT. Dunwlddle, who sat at the hodsldo, hla eyoa Intent on tho fueu of the girl, ao grave and quiet In tho light of t'js ' sunset, had raised the tiny window to let la the cool wind from the west. The clouds Just above the distant peaks parted In sudden relenting after three daya and nights of Interminable raining, and through the rent the aot- Dolores slowly raised her head, ting sun flooded the summit with a 1 radiant glory that was dazzling. ' Dolores, as though roused by the audden rush of the Riinlwuns. slowly ralsod her head anil looked up tu tho ' radiant mountain. Her m 1, dark eyes grew softer nnd de-nor In color, and her lips set close A3 In sorrow, slowly parted In ono of her rare smiles. As , ahe turned her head I mh nn old-fashioned old-fashioned torl:;!-i -' i ll I I' ll l.ii.l been ' hor mother's suili'.oMy slipped fn m f the heavy coll of hoi l-.i'.- whlili. n Iloosorod, fell In a l;ia-i:. of lioiuty, glinting, lustrous, uhoii! her. The nurse softly np tied Cm door at that moment, bringing the doctor'a supper, sup-per, and a half balerul glitter appeared In hor eyoa an sho kbw tbe two utterly iitwonm Ions of Iter presence. Iir. Iiunwlddle suddenly sat erect, with his usual quiet dignity: the girl hud startled him out of himself; he had fntgotton everything but her. Her gravo face, with He solemn eyes. Iiiui l ed by the sunset, framed by the heavy tresses of loosened hnlr, was llko an exquisite Madonna, and he held his breath In admiration and mute wonder. As he nm lied Mrs. Allen, however, ho regnlned his composure, while Dolores gathered up her hair slowly, and stooped to pic k up hor comb. It had snnptied In two. You two are excellent nurses," Mra. Allen said, softly, a smile on her lips aa she motioned with her head toward tha bivl. Dr. Dunwlddle turned at once with a alight oxclamatlon, and Doloros "Your father will recover." arose with the comb In bor hand, her hair falling around her, bor eyea dark aa though tears were In them, her llpa shut close. Aa she turned ber eyea toward the bed ahe mot full In hora the weak gaxe of her father. Only for a moment, howovor, for the eyoa closed almost Immediately aa though the light hurt faem. but In that moment Dolores once more face, hla aoul with here. Once more her father opened hla eyea and looked first at tbe doctor, then at her. At the doctor'! suggestion sugges-tion ahe speke to him. "Father," ahe said, slowly, tbat he might understand. "Father." Ilut the eyea resting on her face had no gleam of pleasure at seeing her there; rather It might be aald there waa a flash of hatred there as In the old daya. Then they drooped again and closed, and presently his breathing breath-ing tndlcntcd Hint he slept. "Miss JohiiHon," Dr. Dunwlddle said, by and by, as he tuit by the window eutlng the supper Mrs. Allen had brought him. "1 told you the other day that It was possible your father would not recover; ilo yon remember?" Mie bowed her head In ucquloacence but did not speak. "My deur Mlsa Johnson," the doctor'! doc-tor'! voice waa grave, but thero was a ring In It, a hidden note that atruek hor ear as unusual. "My dear Miss Johnson, I believe 1 am safe In saying that your father will sleep through the night a natural, quiet slumber, without the aid of opiate"? and If be dooa ho will recover, lie will be lame always; ho will not have quite hla old strength, but he will live and be much hla old solt again." Tbe grave, attentive face at the head of the bed changed not at all, though the drawn expression disappeared disap-peared from around the mouth, and the eyoi were clear and level In their gaxe. For a moment Dr. Dunwlddle was uncertain whether or not the girl was glad of tho nows. She gavo no algn, and said not a word, but stood grave, and stutoly, and womanly, with tho shallows of the night gathering around her, stealing along the bed, across tho face of tho sleeper, and up and up toward hor face. Suddenly they clutched at her throat, tightening their hold, like Iron hands, ever contracting, growing firmer, unyielding; a thousand Iron hands wcro on her, a thousand elfish voices, shrill and wild and weird, filled the corners of the room, the house; filled the dnrknoss, crowding It upon her. till it seemed aa though she wore suffocating, till It loemed as though she would die. Loud and weird and terrible they were to her, filling her enra, shouting of tho ovll that had como through hatred and malice, and of what would follow upon so evil a deed. The hands were tightening their hold, they wore struggling one with another for the mastery; a dozen hand! were torn from hor throat only to he Instantly replaced by others strorgor and firmer. She caught at them, and struggled, she fought apiilnst them, hut sho dared not cry for help. Tills (hut sho waa suffering no one mimt know; they would know soon enough every ono. The volres grew wilder about her; (ley shouted lii eliMi gco; their words ran In together unmeaningly o.veont one or two Hose to her ear, that whlpered. with deadly meaning: "When your father Is well enough to provo to prove " Then slowly she ennio out of this habal of noises; they grew fslntrc and fainter, nnd dle.1 awny among the pines; the bands nlsiut her throat relax, re-lax, d She ioiil eil around to see. If h were fafe; she was dned. bewildered, bewil-dered, but her one thought was that no one must know. Some one sisike to her. nnd she looked up steadily, crowding down the dumb terror In her heart. Dr. Diinwldlle was standing stand-ing beside her with his hsnd on her arm. "Mrs. Allen." he said, quietly, "you will take my place for a few minutes. Miss Johnson must breathe some of this pure, sweet air afier the storm." He opened tho door and stopped down on tbe ilisir-sione, with Dolores standing listlessly In the doorway, never showing thn! he had seen the Hilling expression of was It triumph? on tho woman's fine as sho passed Into the silent bedroom. "How tilensnnt everything la after tho storm," stud Dr. Diinwlil.lle. with a smile, as ho entered the house a few minutes later. Adding to himself aa he reentered the room beyond; "It was overfatigue, nnd shall not happen again Ami I think you will henr watching, as well as somo others. Mra. Allen." CHAPTER XVII. , The Frsaka of a Woman. The sunlight flooded the mountain! and the quiet settlement; the sky was' deeply blue; the pines along the bank beside Dolores' window stirred eoftly In the low wind that stole down from tho summit laden with spicy odors. Down In the valley the river ran riot, shouting Its Jubilate aa It swirled under un-der the rotten bridge and whirled In mad eddies up the coarse grass along Ita hanks. Dr. Dunwlddle, standing In the door of the tavern, Inhaling deep draughts of the odorous, piny air, watched Do-lore! Do-lore! with gravo. intent eyes until ahe turned from the doorway and entered the quiet house; then he turned away and no one ever know of what he waa thinking, or the thonghte that would come of his friend over In the town who was leaving this girl In his care with the utmost confidence the girl, he well know, whom Charlie loved. And should he betray his trust to hla friend? Should he prove a traitor? fihould ho let this kindly feeling for tills brave, beautiful, womanly girl grow Into more than merely friendly fouling, knowing of his friend's thought of Die girl? Could he be capable of that? She was, to be sure, a wonderful wonder-ful girl, shut In by her surroundings, but growing mentally thousand! of miles beyond them. She waa a woman a man should be proud to own aa a friend and moro In spite of her strange, unfriendly llfo In the stolid little mountain settlement. Hut and there waa a graver line of thought, a sudden deepening of the lines of nobility no-bility around tho aot mouth under the black mustache wvurd the lore ol oven such a woman atone In any degree de-gree for tho loss of manhood, the stain or a traitor? Charllo had left In his hands the care of the girl he loved, and be would never he straightened himself up to his full height In the low doorway and unconsciously clenched hla bands he would never betray hla friend. Charlie was worthy even Doloros Johnson, and he would never be guilty of even an attempt to come between him and the woman ho loved, be ahe though she might, a woman with tho strength and depth and nobility of character which the daughter of this mountain blacksmith possessed. Then he turned, and the face was as gravo, aa apparently unconcerned as usual, as Clnthy called him to Join the family at the table. Jones said among hla comrades that Johnson's 111 luck had brought good luck to him, for during the years he bad lived there, never before had so many such men ai now aought bis lodging. (To be continued.) |
