OCR Text |
Show THAT GIRL oTjOIINSON'S B.K JEAJ KATE tUDtVM. A4kr "Al m iTo-fi Vrra." Mtt. Riii.ttd ArcMInt 10 Act o( Comma In lha Y.r lx bf Sin Smith, la lha (llnce ol Ilia Ubiaitan ot Coaaiua, al Waahlntioa, D. C. CHAPTER VI. Continued. Imitlnrtlvnly the glanced down toward t!w shop. The doors were ' open, bt no one was tlirre. The hens J coking around tho cliMim were tho j only visible i nf It To to her enx-km enx-km eyes. L'nconsrlousiy alio began Boiling tho strawberries with mo- ( haulcal hut stondy nnmi. "Times In dull 'nough, 'poara tn sae," tho woman proceeded. "KIrst kem there want o' rain with thor gyur-dlu' gyur-dlu' svdryln' up spite i' tho rare we gl et; then a though thet warn't wmigfc. hyar keins ther aec'il'iil tor Hue ware o' ther Jedgu's don. an' any o' ua likely to he kclc tied e( 'twarn't thot a'plclnn rc -la lu one direction apeotuj." U was coming. Dolores waited with hated hrcath. A heavy boiibhj of guilt Ml upon her; lt- could not moot the cum of the eyea hi-nt upon her. and she went on hulling the hnrrlim waiting In alienee tor what aho knew Diuat oumc. "An thorn aa knnwa aaya thyar'a a groat feolln' ower In ther town yan. "bout ther niBro." the wotnan'a volcfl sirui-k In on the girl's thoughts, "an "saya et 'penra ahe were worth a deal money, an' now noboily'd gov a ouppor for lier, nu' thoy'a workln' atcildy to flu' out who done ther deed, an" getlln' every one tlieya lion ter provo Uinr a'pirluiia c'reet o' a certain porerm." Dolores wn wnltlhg. It M com-lint com-lint now, ahe felt certain. She crushed crush-ed aoeio of the borrlca In her hand aa a anddon frenry. "Thoya hold In' court a'moat every day, an' workln' a though 'twere aoiun great thing thet a rrlttor'a rHio lamo. Hut thoya won't do noth-In' noth-In' with ther a'nlolonod feller tell shar'e mo' ground, aa theya rnlla et. ttuxigh young Oreon do feel pretty aartln who la ther guilty one. Uut thoya Rot ronald'rable proof, an' thorn's tor he a (treat time ter niornir. aa' they wanta yer feyther tor go ter pni thr a'plrlona c'reet." It waa out at loaf. Uolorea aeonied turned to atone; alio neither moved nor epoke; ahe ilnrod not lift her eyea from the red berries with which her fingers woro dyed, tier head waa whirl-In whirl-In K; there waa a din In her ear aa tkough a legion of aplrlta repeated awl atioutod In wild horror: "Thoya wanta yer feyther ter go ter . rrovo thuya wnutn yer feyther tor 4 ao thoy wanta yer foytlier yer foy-hor foy-hor llor eyea wore like thnae of a bunted bunt-ed animal, half hidden beneath their Iotik laahoa; her mind waa flileil with groat kinging to go to got away from tho tiny room out on tho mouu-' mouu-' tain undor tho quiet hoavena whero tfiu wind wero free from the wati-h-l lag oycu. Tho woman at tho other aide of tho tahln Krone with an Injured air. 8ho bad rnrolvod aenreely a word nf tjiiinka for her borrlca. acareely even a aliow of interest In her atory. 'Thyura them a take an Inl'reat Hi thynr follor crltfra. nn'thvnra tlioin I an don't," "he unld. tartly: "an' Uiynrn them aa hna thyar a'plvlon o' Oiltura." Dolorea wntrbod the woman's tall, gaunt flsiiro go down thn worn ptith, kar purple print ilriaH hrushlni; tho arant groaa with an Indignant swoop, tllo capo of her aunhonnot limp und applng over hor ahouldura. When atte dlanppi'arcd from view behind the ahrubuury of the road aide Doloroa ot away the diah of horrloa and put an her gray aunhonnot to go out. It waa early afternojn. The rooky road, like a yellow t'. r-'ad, wound In Waiting In Sllenca. and out among the aerubby buahea and tall plnea that murmured In the aruoae. To the ears of the girl they kept up their nionntonou aohblng ahiint her father aa though tbey were ! livliiK tlilnas. Khe waa listless no longer; ahe walked an ouo who had a purpose, aa one who had fur to go. Her eyea look ed alraluht before her, her lips wora But In a trnli.lit, atom Itne. She mot no one on hor way; there wnrt little travel on the mountain; the tlitlliiK town over on the ottior aldu hiKl onon,,',tiin with the world In another an-other ilii.etion. In ull the twenty yenri of her life IHilnri-n ha t never boon over the , niijniiiiun ; ivdnt lny tioyond it she did not know nei it from tho rumors that fritted into them from the men who Bad boon there-men who bad strayed l t In hunting, going around to the oppoe-Ito oppoe-Ito mouDtaln and returning acroas the town. Hometlmea when the atmosphere was heavy and tho wind In tho right dlrooHon, the atnoke from the tall factory fac-tory rhtinnoya drifted around to the aettloment and tangled In the plnci like gray apooters waving tholr ahod-owy ahod-owy bannors above the acatten.il honsoa down toward the valley. Many a tlmo Dolores had watched these smoke wreaths, and her mind had goro to the place from whence they rams, and aho wove from them fantastic fan-tastic ahadowa born of dreams, and ahe clothed them In gnrmenta of the living, and they bronchi her many many ram ies of the life pulsing Juat beyouil the piny ponka. Now her mind waa tilled with the on" auhjiet ao much discussed; ahe turned It over and over, viewing It on all aldoa; now reasoning with herself as to this or that possibility, thli or thai diielalon, hut eventually returning return-ing to the drat conclusion which was to her ao convincing that It sent her over the mountain to the town to dla-cover dla-cover If possible the truth, and at the court waa tho place to loam what ahe wished to know If thero wore any place to loam It uro tho wholo world should know. Ah ahe passed over the mountain and down on the other aide t';ic town I ii r out before her; a thriving town; smoke arose blnek from tho towering chlmneya. tho whir of nimhlncry, the rattle of waKoua and din on every day life wero borne up to her aa Bounds of a atrange land. The knowledge began be-gan to grow In her mind that tho life In the alow little settlement beyond tho mountain waa too narrow, too abut Into Itself, too lacking In energy and growth. Hut this waa a new world to her and ahe shrank from It, not from any foolish fooling of Inferiority; Inferi-ority; audi a thoimht rould hold no room In her mind, but aa a wild animal ani-mal Instinctively shrinks bark to Its natural world. Then tho fooling left her; the old thought drove evory fear, every other feeling away; ahe bad cmno for a purpose and aa yot It was not accomplished. Hhe paaaed steadily down the road looking neither to right nor left. The court house waa at the farther end ot thn town: she had heard them say so. A long, low, white building with wide ateps and a boll In the tower. At length she came to It; ahe knew aho waa right; a long, low, white building with wide steps and a bell In the tower. Hhe walked tip tho steps and turned the handle of the door, but could not open It. This ending of her journey hud not enterod her head. For a moment mo-ment she stood In doubt what to do. Pontile paanlng on the street looked curiously at her. A boy who wna sitting astride of the fence called to hor that the door wna locked; but If she wan toil tho lockup It waa down around the corner. Hho did not know he was laughing at hor: alio walked down the atcpa and Bioko to him. Bho asked him whom she could find tho Judge. She was looking at him with her BtralKht, level glnni o, and ho was disconcerted. Tho judiin, he anld, lived In tho house ou tho h in ; If ahe came down tho muln street sho must have passed It. Not a bit of ber resolution was gono nn she retraced her steps, but alio walked swiftly, for It was growing grow-ing Into. Sho found It without trouble; trou-ble; ahe mounted the stepa and knocked knock-ed at the hlg door. She dirt not know ahe should ring the bell. No one euino. Bho knocked again and loudor, then again she waited. No one came. If tho Judge wuro gono where ahould ahe find blmT A atep Bounded on the gravol at the side of the house; ahe turned and foeed the new-comer. "Uolorea!" exclaimed young Oreen, In aHtonlahmont. A red Mush crept In hor face. "I want to Bun the Judgo," she aald, gravely, and there was a wilfulness wil-fulness In tho large, dark eyes raised to his for an lnatant that cauaod hla heart to throb strangely while a flush also arose In hla own face. "My father? He la not at home. When the court adjourned at three he took the train to N . If you wish to see him I am aorry. Will not I do Instead? Come In, Mlsa Johnson; my mother would be pleased to meet you." She was unusod to being called "Mlsa Johnson." and scarcely beard the unfamiliar name. Ho opened the door, waiting for her to pass In. "I won't stay," she said. "The Judge la not at homo. I came to see the Judge. Bho turned down the stepa, and be closed the door, following her. "If you will not go Inside, may I walk with you, MIhb Johnson?" Bhe bowed hor head, nod they passed pass-ed up tli o airoet together In silence. Thai tho pisiplo they pasaed. und whom her companion greeted, turned and looked rurlousjy after them she did not know; hud she known It would hnvo nHoelod hor little. Khe cntno on an errand, and could not accomplish It; that thought was uppermost In her mind, blended aa It alwaya wua In thinking of It, with tho face and eyea of the young nuin beside hor. "Dolores, " ho said at last, when they woro climbing tho rough road beyond the town, unconsciously ualng mm mum i unim n inMaaa' f- the name. "Polores. why did fan wlah to see my father to-day f It mun ho something special or you would not have come. Could not 1 do as well?" ' Home way hla kindly heart waa aching for her with tho remembrance of that swift, wistful glance of the brown eyes Into hla own, and he would comfort her If he could. She did not look at him; ber gaie was fixed on the pines away on the mountain behind which the sun was setting. Hot he knew ahe hoard and would answer presently. "1 came to see alwiit the mnre," ahe aid, slowly, her eyes still fastened on the plnea upon the height. Then aud-ilenly, aud-ilenly, with a swiftness thst startled lilm, ahe added: "You know who did It? You have known from tho first? Everybody knows who did It It will bo proved to-morrow beyond a doubt." He Icikod at her, amazed at her vehemence. "We bono to prove It to-morrow," life: Ooloraa watched the woman. k. ..IA -W. h.n hrl n,ir lianlc. Ions from tho first, and now we think them well founded. We are depending depend-ing a good deal on your father; we have considerable evidence, but his will be conclusive." She knew nothing of law or Its forms; the words held terrible moaning for her. "It waa a dastardly deed," he went on, hla face darkening. "The fellow shall suffer the full penalty of the law for It. My beautiful mare that was almost human In Intelligence." Hor hands were clasped fiercely, her eyes burning when ahe turned toward him to make reply, and for the momeut be forgot all else but hot" face. "And It la right!" ahe cried; "It U right! What If his people do suffer for It? That the namo will cling to them forever? It la only right thst ho should suffer. It Is Just. It was a dastardly deed. Only only don't romo wun me any lannor. i naa rath or go alono." He obeyed; but followed at a distance. dis-tance. Tho road waa lonely; there wero no houses till ahe reached the settlement below. Tho sun had sot; In tho east above tho opposite mountain, moun-tain, tho full moon nolo. A soft bars nrot:o from the valley far beneath, filiated nud wavered nolselusbly up toward the moonllitht. Up on tho heights the young man stood motlonlosa watching tho girl pnnslng from him in tho moonlight. Tho light was full In hla faro. It was an earncat face and good; one to be trusted; never to provo treacherous He watched until the girl, dimly discerned dis-cerned down among the shadows, paused a moment on the threshold of the bare little house, and then entored. And to him aa he turned away, hla thoughts In a tumult, the mysterious mist and tiie moonlight seemed to havo swallowed her up, (To be continued.) |