| Show HOSTILE VALLEY Jy Copyright v by Ben Dea Ames AW U I BEN 11 L lL l A M Ie S WI W I L L I A M S t. t y SYNOPSIS At a gathering of at cronies In fn the vil vil- village village village lage of at Liberty Maine Mane Jim Jm listens to the history h of at the neighbor neighbor- neighboring Ing Ins Hostile Valley Its Valley Its past put tragedies Its ftc superb fishing streams ami and above all the mysterious enticing Huldy wife of ot Will Forrin FerrIn Interested he drives to the Valley for tor a days day's fishing though admitting to himself his chief desire is to see the glamorous Huldy Ferrin Old Marm Pierce and her Jenny year old granddaughter live in the Valley Since Sinco childhood Jenny has hns deeply loved young Will VIII Ferrin older than she ahe and who re regards re- re regards regards gards her as still a child Will leaves to take employment In nearby Augusta Ills fathers father death brings Will back to the Valley but he returns to Au Au- Augusta Augusts gusta gusts still unconscious of ot Jennys Jenny's womanhood and love Neighbors of ot the Pierces are hart Dart and Amy Carey brother and sister Bart Dart unmarried and something of ot a well neer Is at attracted at- at attracted attracted by Jenny The girl repulses him definitely Learning that Will Willis Willis III is coming corning home Jenny exulting sots sets his long empty house to rights and has dinner ready for tor him He comes comes- comes comes- bringing his wife Huldy The girls girl's I world collapses Huldy becomes the subject of ot unfavorable gossip in the Valley CHAPTER III III-Continued III Continued 6 6 Leaving the house she had set out at random toward the deep shade of or orthe the woods She came came to the brook be- be below below helow low Wills Hills farm and stayed there by bythe it II the stream a while leaning against a tree her hands behind her her eyes shadowed deep In long thoughts thou of or of him and presently she crossed the stream where gave ave a footing Above her a rocky precipice rose fifty or sixty feet abruptly from the head of or the grout gro t pile that sloped down to the brook but to one side there was a path she knew where by a steep scram scram- scramble scramble scramble ble she might ml ht come to the gentler slopes above And it occurred oc to her that going oln cautiously she might have some far glimpse of or Will wm busy In his fields The thought thou ht drew her irresistibly irresistIbly irresistibly she began to climb She meant not Dot to speak to Will wm or show herself h to him yet to see him even from far off would be happiness The troll trail was steep and she was warm and panting At the top of or the therise therise therise rise the path swung to the right where broken ledges es served like Ille a flight of stairs to debouch at last upon a smooth ledge like an epaulet on this shoulder of ot the hill hm Below the ledge there was a straight fall for sixty slaty feet or more and the ledge looked out across the lower trees across the time sweep of ot valley Jenny knew the spot of or old and loved it too But when she came there today Huldy was before her Jenny saw her herin herIn herin in a confused Impression of or naked flesh golden from the sun Huldy lay layat layat at length on a mossy moss bank at nt the head bend bendot of ot the ledge where low Junipers served as a screen on the side toward the house honse and she must have heard Jen Jen- Jenny's Jennys Jenny Jennys Jenny's nys ny's panting approach for as the girl appeared she half-covered half herself with witha a garment caught up quickly Yet did not rise but still lay there looking at Jenny with that smile the girl found so disquieting Jenny for Cor a moment could not speak she stared at Huldy and stared all allaround allaround allaround around and Huldy said In amused derision Theres nobody here only me 1 Somebody might come along Jen Jen- Jenny Jenny Jenny ny protested her cheek crimson with shame for the other woman You hadn't ought to lay there like that They'll see s you I Huldy's dark eyes e es widened What If they did she countered smiling And Jenny found no answer that could be uttered calmly Then Huldy spoke again I r guess yore looking for Will Wiil she said mockingly Hes lIes in the upper field Deep color stained Jennys Jenny's cheek and brow and drained away and left her white and still She shook her head No No she said huskily No I Youve trailed around after him hima plenty a a Huldy insisted In compla compla- complacent complacent complacent cent scorn If you ou wanted him why wh y didn't you yott O Oget get him Jenny Jenny had no weapons adequate for fo r this encounter she site could not hope hope hope- or wish wish wish-to to meet the other woman on o n even terms Yet there lay In n her that tha t long devotion to Will which was like a rock of or strength upon which she sh e could lean and she found suddenly y ey that she knew many things she had hadnot hadnot ha hanot d not guessed before Id not want what you want from froma fro m a man she said steadily Nor bait bat t him the way you do s eyes ees narrowed In dry anger Nor you ou wouldn't get him either cither she retorted But ut if Ir I r did Id I'd know how bow to keep him Jenny countered And that's one thing you'll never know I 1 And she turned on her heel beel so swift swift- swiftly I ly Iy that she left Huldy In a sort of or frenzy of ot rage rag Jenny dropping down the trail to the brook again heard the theother's theother's theother's others other's harsh strangling lIng hideous In the sunned beauty of ot the afternoon till the sweet brook song filled Ailed her ears drowning ugly sounds And from that day lIay Jenny under under- understood stood Huldy completely and without word from Maim Marna fierce or from Amy or from any other at all Yet she went ia no more to the time brook brool or up the scram- scram scramMing scrambling Ming bling trail Between her and Will there u was as a barrier hanler raised which she could coult never seek ENI to pass or set aside and ami she accepted this fact and found away a away away way to cloak her grief and sorrow Only her heart brooded over Will In Inan Inan inan an agony of longing to protect him from the hurt she knew must some someday someday someday day come After that day In June when he and Huldy returned to the tile little house inthe in inthe Inthe the Valley VaHey Jenny Jenn did dill not see Will till October Fall that year came early with a n swift frost stroke that brushed color all across the hills till they were clad In gold and crimson glory Then followed days of sun and nOlI breathless airs Ordinarily by the third week In October the alders and the birch sap sap- saplings saplings lings s are stripped the oaks and beeches beechs are losing losing- their topmost leaves Rut nut this year the first deep frost trost was followed by hy no rain nor wind to tear the bright leaves from their tenuous hold till In the last week of or October frost gripped the land again a aln It settles set set- settled settled heavy in n the Valley alley and when the sun rose the leaves were locked In an Icy clasp held In place by the very frost that was their destruction Then as as' the sun climbed higher hl her and the day warmed the frost melted and at first by ones and twos and then by dozens and by scores the leaves came down falling silently like a bright rain of or color through the woods Jenny at morning mid-morning left lert the house and went past the barn toward the young oung second growth of or birch and beech at the side meadow-side to watch this silent falling rain of or bright leaves and she was there sitting slUing on the stonewall stone stonewall wall wan warm In the sun when she saw sawa a movement In the deeper shadows of or orthe the black growth some two hundred yards away Saw a man running I Her TIer heart swelled with the quick perception that this was Will lIe He came at speed his hands clenched and pounding at his sides his head forward for for- forward ward as though reaching out to fill fin his ils lungs with air and she thought he came to seek her and thus thinking she rose to her feet and stood waiting In n a tender readiness to receive and comfort him But he be emerged from the spruce sprucewood sprucewood wood and without pause swung to the left eft and disappeared again She understood after a moment that he le had gone toward the steam mill down the Valley and he was In such sucha a haste of or passion that even efen from this distance she seemed to fee feel the fury In n the man It could not be fear that drove him I Will would not thus run In fear It must be anger then and swift conjecture con- con conjecture jecture lecture lashed her with biting strokes while she went slowly like one dazed across the open to the thc house and Into the kitchen there Marm alarm Pierce at her coming looked up and saw her countenance the he matter Jen den she site asked sharply wrong with you ou 1 Will the girl whispered What about Will Wm He Ill came running along the path and went down toward the steam mill Jenny fenny said Running Bunning like he lie was awful aw aw- awful awful ful mad Silence for a long moment and Marm Harm Pierce nodded in slow compre- compre hension Well We it was bound to come she said half hair to herself Hes found out somehow about Seth Humphreys But Granny Cranny Jenny Jenn cried I Marm Warm Pierce shook her head Nought Sought to do child she said gently Nought but set and wait walt Wills Will's found out hes he's made a bad trade but hes he's the only one can get him out of or It It And she came to the girl Irl and put her arm around Jennys Jenny's shoulder Rest nest test you ou Jen Jena she said Its the hard part parta a woman has to stay quiet while her herman's hermans hermans herman's hermans herman's mans man's In danger but theres there's no other way 1 I I CHAPTER IV It would be a long time before Jen Jen- Jenny Jenny Jenny ny knew the full tale of or that days day's events The latter part of or the drama she witnessed and had In it a part but the beginning was hidden from herfor her herfor herfor for the time If It during these months since he lie brought Huldy home his hla wife had bad be be- become become come a n byword word In the Valley and find In Inthe Inthe inthe the wide region roundabout Will as Will as asIs Is apt to be the case was case was the last to know v this tills Yet he was not wholly in ignorance He lie might not admit even eren evento evento to himself doubt or misgiving for fo r there was in this man a tine fine loyalty 10 nevertheless he was ryas not witless no nor r wholly blind nor could any man ruan loving g Huldy as Intensely as he lie did be unconscious unconscious scions of or those withdrawals and eva eva- evasions evasions and scornful mockeries which she offered him behind the screen of or her arrogantly yielding smile He never ne even shaped doubt of her herIn herIn herIn In his thoughts yet et Just as one walk walk- walkIng Ing alone through a deep wood may be conscious of a movement behind him so 50 Will was conscious of or many things that happened Just beyond his sight or ken He lie was thus In some degree pre pre- prepared prepared pared for what occurred this day It was not that he had known anything before but rather ruther that with a sixth sl th sense he felt certain things and was brought Into a frame of mind where full Cu comprehension and belief were made easy where It needed no more than one tangible peg In n order for Cor him to pick up and hang upon it the whole web of ot his wife's deceptions He lie had been all the long summer very busy about the farm The fields and meadows untended for one sum sum- summer summer summer mer season had already begun to sur sur- surrender surrender surrender render to the seduction of or the forestall forest forestall foresta all a about permitting the encroach encroach- encroachments encroachments ments of or small shoots and seedlIngs which must now be grubbed back hack and cut away Will had worked steadily and dusk each day found him bone bone- tired so that he might nod at the supper table tahle and presently thereafter go quick and heavily lly to bed and sleep till dawn He Be loved Huldy but after the first rapture of possession passed be he loved also this farm of his fathers father's and with an almost equal ardor serving It with the full measure of or his strength th and energy At night he was hungry only for sleep and he rose to work again a at dawn But Huldy needed no more sleep than a cat Sometimes Will drowsing In his chair after supper waked to find her watching him with a disquiet disquiet- disquieting ing eye e e and more than once on sum summer mer finer nights she had roused him slink shako shaking ing him by the shoulder a hot fury In her tones demanding that he prove himself something more than a dor dor- dormouse dormouse dormouse mouse of a man mm So when the time did come he was prepared for tor comprehension There had been many visitors at the farm that summer Will at first discovered In these visits no more than the natural curiosity of or his neighbors to see this bride of ot whom he lie was so proud Bart Carey came carne and old Win Haven lIa not Infrequently and then Seth Humpheys Humphe s 's whom Will Will and and Huldy had had known in Augusta brought brou ht his ills steam mill to the Valley Also others who had known Huldy In Augusta AtI usta came to lodge at nt Barts Bart's and fish the brook below al al- although althou although though thou h they had never come before Will when he lie wooed Huldy knew her popularity yet et he was IS continually being reminded of it now He might return from the fields at dusk to find k lI I I T c Somebody Might Come Along some stranger sitting with her In the kitchen In an easy familiarity and andon andon andon on his arrival the stranger and Huldy were apt to fall silent and the man presently to take himself away On this day when Jenny saw Will run toward Seth Humphreys Humphrey's mill he had planned to go to Liberty to get some lumber for a piece of or repair work on the barn some sonic studding and a bundle of or shingles He Ile set out in the farm wagon wn on behind his slow team Huldy asked whether he would be he home In time for dinner Will thought not Dont have me on your our mind Ill I'll pick up a bite when I get back he said He lie took the steep road up the hill and a little above the house he be met Seth Humphreys' Humphreys s big bl truck Seth at nt the wheel descending Will Rill lifted a hand to the other man as ns they passed by Seth was hauling his sawed lumber to North Fraternity but the easier ealer road back to the mill would have brought him to the Valley alle at nt Its foot three or four miles lower down Will was mildly surprised that Seth should have ha come conic this way Yet the matter stayed stared not long in his mind lIe He thought casual casna casually that Seth might mean to stop at Bart fart Careys Care s sIlls Ills His horses plodded slowly up the thc steep grade he breathed them twice and so came to the ridge e road and turned south toward Liberty was or twenty minutes from the house when the right rear wheel of his wagon dropped off and alII Will alighting to Investigate found that he had lost the thc nut which held heM the wheel In place The Tiie Incident might have ha e provoked a less composed man manto manto to Irritation but Will accepted It calmly enough He lie walked back along the road searching In the ditch and by the time roadside for the lost nut but the weeds were tall in the ditch and und the nut escaped ed his search earch It was always possible that he might have dropped It a considerable time before the wheel slowly revolving worked off the axle and let go In lu the end as ns the quicker way Will 1 decided to cut down through the time woods to his farm where he could find flud a spare nut among the miscellaneous litter JItter of or hard hard- hardware hardware hardware ware |
