Show JL as el ew AL w M jr 41 VAL VALLEY EY hy copyright by b den ben amu amen williams sort ear lee ice BEN EN AMES WILLIAMS SYNOPSIS at a gathering of cronies in the village of 0 liberty maine alaine jim saladine ill listens to the history ot of the neighbor ing hostile valley its past tragedies its superb fishing streams and above all the mysterious enticing huldy wife of will ferrin interested he drives to the valley for a days fishing though admitting to himself his chief desire Is to see the glamorous huldy ferrin old marm pier pierce c a and her nineteen year old granddaughter jenny live jive in the valley since childhood jenny has deeply loved y ou ng will ferrin older than the she and w who ho regards her as still a child will leaves to take employment in nearby augusta ilia his fathers death brings brines will back bach to the valley but he returns to augusta still unconscious of jennys womanhood and love neighbors of the pierces are bart and amy carey brother and sister eart bart unmarried and arul something of a neer do well Is attracted by jenny the girl repulses him bim definitely learning that will Is coming home jenny exulting sets his big long empty house to rights and has dinner ready for him lie comes bringing his big wife huldy the girls world collapses becomes the subject of unfavorable gossip in the valley entering his homo home unlooked unlocked tor for will finds seemingly damning evidence ot of his cifes unfaithfulness as a man he knows Is seth humphreys breaks from the house will avill overtakes him and chokes him to death although humphreys shatters his leg with a bullet at marm pierces house the leg Is amputated jenny goes to break the news to huldy and finds her with bart carey huldy makes a mock of jennys sympathy declaring she he has no use for halt half a man and Is 13 leaving will Is legally exonerated and with it a home homemade made artif artificial iclal leg carries on hiring a helper zeke dace months later huldy comes back will accepts her presence as her right two years go by zeke and bart carey engage in a fist light fight the trouble arising as all know over huldy amy carey commits suicide zeke dace had been showing her attention but has completely succumbed to the wiles of huldy saladine Salad lne comes to the valley bad roads cause him to stop at ferrins farm where he meets huldy he leaves to fish an adjacent stream CHAPTER VI continued 12 over that side she assented 1 if I yore still a mind to gol so and she urged almost cajolingly you tou wont take any trout today brooks too high 1 he would not argue with her likely not he agreed put hut ito im a mind to see the brook he found the steep path at one side what did you come here for anyway she demanded and her mouth was sullen almost angry challenging to fish he said uncomfortably to see hostile valley we aint all hostile here she said she was smiling again if you want in such a hurry burryl 1 he took one step down 1 I 1 ml might ht come along with you the she proposed if you asked me pretty I 1 ed cd show you the best holes saladine Salad lne was a man sober and contained but no man could escape the disturbing force she rhe emanated ills his tenses swam and his cheek was brick red ill find en em he blurted and plunged down the steep path toward the brook like one who breaks away from detaining hands from the toot foot of the pr precipice he looked up and back his eye drawn irresistibly she stood poised on the very mar margin in of the ledge leanen leaning a little over to wat watch chhim him and he be heard beard her laugh softly then he turned into the woods relieved to be away lie he supposed she would go back to the house but so far is as saladine Salad lne ever knew she did not return to the house again before she died CHAPTER VII jenny went down brook that morning to domard do marm Il IS erces bidding in the tn matter of the lily illy root and as she passed quietly through the woods wooda there was a stir of new life in the forest about her the girl made her way to a pool she knew with a rip of singing water at the head jenny crawled out on a log and lay at len length lb reaching deep into the water with a heavy kitchen knife to loose one of the roots from the mucky bottom saladine Salad lne came upon her while she was thus engaged along any well fished stream there Is sure to be a trail that wilk win lead even a stranger to the most addan ta tadeous bous spots from which to try each pool saladine was quick to discover such a path here when lie first found it lie he saw a boot track in the muck and knew that another angler had gone down brook this same morning he thought re regretfully gre trully that if the other man had fished the pools the troit would be not so readily responsive now low and am a he went on he be beean an to wonder about tills this in man who had gone downstream before him and to watch alertly waiting to overtake the other but it was not dot a man whom pros pres antly lie he encountered but a woman lying along a log extended into one of the pools with will lower r than her heels her ankles crossed and 4 her beals toward him while he chehena in his tracks still and she brought bron glit up out ol of the water an object which ne lecog blaed one of the fleshy root r toki stok of the water lily illy she washer y it cleab and then she rose to hei hands and luces knees on the log and sat back on ner heels and so came to her feet and turned to face jim on the bank behind her here her dark eyes widened nt at sight of him and jim looked ed at her with a pleasurable appreciation the beauty which slie she wore was not a simple matter of hair and lips and eyes of coloring in 1 and conformation she was saladine thought illumined and made radiant by some inward glory lie ile told her 1 I look to run into anyone this far from the road its not far to where I 1 live she said sini simply ply and she asked done anything not much mach he be said apologetically someone fished down through shead ahead of me thard scare the trout I 1 see ills his tracks likely he passed you theres it a steam mill working down below she reflected likely it was one of the men from there she was clearly uneasy ive got to go she decided find and before he could speak to detain her she was gone she vanished among the trees and he had an impression of an almost musical harmony as she moved the girl set out for home swiftly disturbed by this encounter her eyes witch watchful ful of the woods around she came back to the house and marm alarm pierce saw her uneasiness and asked what happened jenny see someone odeal A man down brook jenny explained pla ined fishing he was she hesitated late d lie ile bother me she said ile he was kind of like will big and steady alarm pierce chuckled kind of like will she repeated derisively all you can think of mill man was he but jenny shook her head no she added ile he bother me but he said hed seen tracks all down the brook along the path I 1 know who might be around this man did he look like be might be from augusta jenny shook her head no more like folks around here she declared but no one I 1 ever see before they exhausted the subject presently I 1 y and must by and by have hare forgotten it but a little before noon when he was done fishing saladine Salad lne mistaking will perrins directions and seeking the road to careys carels Ca reys took the way in to alarm pierces farm instead and so came to the house divided marm alarm pierce and jenny were in the dining room when rain suddenly began to fall jenny rose to close a window and as she did so saladine Salad lne came running around the house to take shelter on the porch and jenny called over her shoulder granny heres that man I 1 see down brook I 1 they saw him pass the windows and go toward the kitchen door nl n ini l fl tirl irl made haste to open to him there liioi thus saw jenny again he was surprised afresh at her beauty and amused at this second encounter the rain had bad wetted him come in and set jenny invited him till the rains done yore soaked through 1 she pushed the screen door wide ill drip on your floors saladine Salad lne pointed out and its not cold ill stay here on the porch till it passes then you can put me on the way to careys carels Ca reys come in come in marm alarm pierce insisted water wont hurt the floors and catch your death out there I 1 so he be leaned the loose sections of his disjointed rod against the weather boarded wall and stepped into the kitchen 1 I fished down brook after I 1 saw you he be said to the girl its all a bo bog below there I 1 got enough of that and cut hack back up to the road will perrin told me to take the first road right when lie he spoke that name the girls pulse caught then pounded in a quicker beat to think suddenly of will could always shake her long composure she stepped back into the shadowed end of the kitchen by the sink aint but marm alarm pierce she had put aside her knitting came out from the dining room and said briskly chunk up the fire jenny and to jim you get up tip close and dry jenny obeyed glad of this pretext for activity and saladine Salad lne told t them bent his name and errand here the road in here fooled me he be explained 1 I thought bring me to careys carels Ca reys it looks like a traveled road she nodded with clucking chuckle she agreed A lot of people came in here take it by and largel large why her little black eyes twinkled at him if you lived anywhere around here have heard of maria alarm pierce she told him it a crotchety pride in her tones folks come to me for doctoring and simples ive healed a pile of hurts burts in my day A real doctor cant make a living here so they come to me and pay me with help in hay time or they get my wood in and do the chores too heavy for jenny it must be hard for just the two of you he hazarded marm alarm alerce eyed him ahre shrewdly adly now yore wishing you dast ask questions eions she bhe guessed youve got eyes in your bead to see bee the looks of this house and youve got a head on you to wonder about the why of it itt I 1 she related almost proudly her ancient stubborn quarrel with her brother ile he said amused looks to me you cut off your own nose to spite your bacel folks get so they hanker banker for a fight around here marm alarm pierce declared quarreling with your kin comes natural in hostile valley I 1 take a heap of satisfaction out of seeing the win side of this house go to rot and ruin serves him right I 1 cayll he around saladine asked ile he sneaks back doncet in so often to see tot im letting things alone she said or he says her tone was dry with scorn then old warm marm pierce asked you say you yon come in by wills and at his assent she said wills a one fine mani man he deserves better saladine Salad lne explained 1 I left my car at wills MW mis perrin showed me the path down to alie brook marni alarm pierces tone was suddenly unfriendly guess likely you visited with her for a spell saladine Salad lne shook 64 I 1 1 I wd show you the best holes ills head and the other said tartly its a wonder she let you get awall away I 1 there seemed no reply to this but saladine Salad lne standing by the stove was deeply uncomfortable ile he had caught one toot foot between two boulders bowl ders an and d had felt a sharp burning pain in his ankle moving a step away from the stove just now that hurt reminded him of its existence with a pain so sharp that he be winced and limped the old woman looked at him shrewdly your tour foot hurt she asked 1 I twisted it he confessed and she came to her feet with a spry alacrity isea high time you was me she said 1 I can tend that for you set down and take ot off your shoe she began to heat something in a saucepan on the stove wormwood boiled in vinegar and rubbed on hot hol ta take e out the pain in no time acid fumes arose from the mixture she was stirring howd you do it she asked he said with a smile at his bis own clumsiness A fool thing all down brook today I 1 kept feeling as if someone was watching me so I 1 kept looking back and naturally I 1 stepped into a hole and he said watching her this valleys a gloomy place for a stranger maame she nodded it Is that she agreed and for folks that live here too I 1 could tell you tales and then suddenly she became motionless her head cocked listening heavy foot acom a com ing she said softly and looked toward the outer door saladine Salad lne seated did not immediately ris ri seand epand marm alarm pierce was busy so it was jenny who crossed to the door she ivas was thus the first to see bart striding toward the house bouse through the rain lie he bore a burden to in his arms a woman her head hung down over his elbow and her upturned face streamed with rain huldy perrin limp and still and broken that dark red garment site she wore was drenched and shapeless now jenny instinctively recoiled but warm marm pierce came to fling the door wide bart stepped up on the porch panting ile he crossed the threshold and his bis dripping burden stained the clean scrubbed floor boor for an instant none spoke jenny like one poised for light flight backed into the dining room there was a hideous ringing in her ears and she stared at huldy with blank glazed eyes even marm alarm pierce was startled into silence then bart told them in explosive ejaculation she fell off if the ledge back of wills I 1 fetched her here case you could do anything so marm alarm pierce recovered her wits aad took quick command carry her in here she ande and led the way into the dining room jenny moved aside and bart deposited fluddy upon the couch against the further wall jenny taw saw that he was curiously disheveled a dead stub which he had brushed in hla his go through the wood hid had three deep scratches Bc on oa his bl cheek and the shoulder of his shirt was torn ilia his garments garment all were soaked save that across the front of him where he had carried auldy in his arms the faded blue of his overalls was of a lighter line hue than elsewhere her body pressed against his had kept the denim there save for two thin trickles completely dry and jenny remembered that ledge where she had seen hillda lying to in the sun on a day long ago and she remembered ibe the steep declivity below then bart was speaking still panting a little 1 I was fishing he said down below wills place heard her let out a screech and then a kind of thump and I 1 scrabbled up there to the foot of the ledge and there she was ile he stood back bach while marm pierce bent above the still form 1 I low sites dead and done for ho confessed but I 1 never took time to think of that marro alarm pierce nodded aye done for finally she said in low almost triumphant tones 1 I lugged her home up the hill bart admitted but its steep and I 1 thought you might do something its some further over here than up to wills but its easier going looked to me I 1 could get her here as quick as there 1 he was rubbing his right hand with his left and jenny saw that the right was bruised and swollen a split across one knuckle you hurt your hand she suggested huskily fell on it fell and landed on a rock bart agreed the girl turned toward the couchi couch she stood beside it her back against the wall her hands spread at her sides and her palms pressing against the plaster she looked down at the hurt woman over her shoulder sidewise with wide eyes her lips were white and still bart stood in the middle of the room and while he spoke he be scrubbed with his palm at some dark stain on his sleeve his palm was stained when he was done and he stared at it and rubbed it against his overalls 1 I thought first off she was alive he repeated marm pierce said softly to herself like ille an old crone mumbling some mystic charm the blood still runs runal she darted out to the kitchen lightly swiftly moving like a shadow she returned with some white stuff in her hand and clapped this against a wound on huldy ferrins neck from which a thin stream |