Show w VS R aci an 1 cn B n 0 S cr gyug I 1 L L L williams copyright by ben ames ame williams william bm den ames ArTieS LUl L service P a SYNOPSIS at is gathering of cronies in tho the saga of liberty maine jim saladine listens to the th history of the neighbor ine inc hostile valley its ats past tragedies its superb fishing streams and nd above all the mysterious enticing huldy hulay wife of will farrin interested he drive a to the valley tor for a days foshin flati lne though admitting to himself his chief desire to ll to see the glamorous huldy corria old marm pierce and her nineteen year old granddaughter jenny live tit in the valley since childhood jenny nn has deeply loved young will ferrin older than she and who regards her its as still a child will leaves to take employment la in nearby augusta Auff usta his fathers death brings brines will back to the valley but he returns to augusta still unconscious of jennys jenny womanhood and love neighbors of the pierces are bart and amy carey brother and of sister ster bart unmarried and something of a neer d do owell o well Is attracted by jenny the girl repulses him definitely learning that will lip in coming home jonny jenny exulting sets his long empty house to rights and has dinner ready for h him CHAPTER II 11 continued 5 its me will she said come in alls ready for you here welcome home Jef jenny ty he be cried why jen I 1 take this neighborly of you folks wheres granny home she told him you ton do all this he asked delightedly light edly 1 I want you comin coming 9 to a cold empty house she said suppers all ready or it can be in ten minutes chicken stew and doughnuts and blueberry pie and there are biscuits ready to bake and the ovens hot she moved toward him finding he her r limbs at last answering her will come in III 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 deor a woman had bad appeared jenny saw her and the she stared and the woman smiled then rhen will perceiving by jennys countenance what had happened turned and nd took this woman gently by the firm and drew her into the kitchen to stand there beside him jenny he be said proudly this aeres acres my wife this Is huldy dreadful aching agony of emptiness strength draining sickeningly away huldy said will gentles jennies JenT les come ind and made all ready for us I 1 told you that folks was friendly here huldy smiled something in her faint mirth at once insolent and pro at once arrogant and acquiescent she looks mighty friendly to you yon will she said a barb in the words why she is 19 11 will declared blindly content always was she want but a young one when I 1 see her the last time the time pa died ile he turned to jenny yore real grown up now jenny he said eald the word somehow lent jenny strength her alne spine stiffened and her pulse slowed and her tone was calm you ton come in and seta set mis ferran the said equably 1 I guess yore yere tired you rou make yourself to home and ill iret get supper on but bat when this task was done she bhe would not stay to eat with them valor would not sustain her so BO tar far its late will she explained if come coq earlier I 1 might stay and wash dishes but bat granny will be wondering about me now and when supper was on the table jenny bade them both good in barong steady tones and took herself way away out through the barn down 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 dow CHAPTER ill III when jenny struggling figh the deep woods her eyes burning for the anodyne of tears emerged at last into the open meadow land and saw the dim bulk of the barn ahead she ran in haste to come home to warm marm pierce and the old womans comans understanding der arms she rounded the burn barn and saw a light in the kitchen but the saw too a team here la the yard and so BO was warned that her grandmother was not alone and had bad ioime time to steady herself before she came to the kitchen door bart was here lie ile had been in liberty village tillage when will drove through had bad balled will and heard an answering call but will did not halt so bart had not seen huldy yet he had bad seen been dimly the form of it a woman in the seat beside will and before jenny arrived now he be had bad told this much to old warm alarm pierce sitting bitting by the stove before the open oven door brought some one to keep house for him like as not was the opinion he be hazarded but warm harm pierce knew misgivings even before befaro jenny appeared jenny came in composedly enough but her countenance was a haggard mask eloquent of torment and of pain and marm pierce rose quickly Y and came between the girl and bart to shield jenny from his eyes ile he come finally did he jen benl she see asked yore vore late enough he only just got there jenny explained P pla ined 1 I stayed to put the supper on maras vierce nodded and she b told jenny bart see will go through the village lie ile says as how there was waa a woman with him bilm in tile the car jenny said in husky tones yes tea granny its his wife wills got married tier her voice was terribly steady as rigid as steel warm maria pierce fierce was shocked motionless and even bart could in this moment read jennys secret in her eyes before the old woman could move he stood up and came toward the girl why jen he said warmly az 1 I guessed you liked will pretty well yore own self you he chuckled yet not in a fashion to cause her any pain 1 I alimus had a notion you did lie fie confessed 1 I knew with him around there want a chance for 1 e but when he went away I 1 kind of thought and he urged dont you grieve tor for will jen jeal I 1 theres men enough not as fine as him maybe but marm pierce said harshly bart you shut your mouth let the child alone dart bart protested ll 31 aam nam im sony for her I 1 want to kind of comfort her id marry jen in a minute it if shed have me guess she knows it too well she wont the old woman told him dont you see she wants to cry now you go eo along and get out of here and she bundled him unceremoniously through the door bart outside climbing into his buggy wondered at the sudden flooding ardor which had made him speak so openly ile he had no least mind to marry bad not contemplated doing go eo yet there had been in jennys eyes just now something so broken with longing and deep hunger that he had been swept into a folly of words into an unaccustomed forgetfulness ful ness eager to assuage her grief will he be thought was blind and dumb and blamable he had a quixotic impulse to go thrash the other man for falling to see that jenny loved him for falling to understand but before he be came home he began to be curious about this wife of wills ile he would want to see her by and by jenny alone with her grandmother wept long weary tears till she slept at last from very pain and deep fatigue and old warm marm pierce sat by her long that night bio brooding over the hurt child child tender and fond already she hated huldy ferrin for hurting jenny so BO but when jenny woke in the morning it was composedly she was older older even to her grandmothers grandmother ts accustomed cus tomed eyes but there was no longer any panic of bereavement in her nor any vehemence of outcry at the blow that had struck so BO shrewdly home her world might lie ile broken at her feet but her head bead still was high she went calmly about the common dally daily tasks which can so BO often by their familiar monotony bring comfort to a distracted mind and she and warm marm pierce spoke not at all of will that day or the next when they did at last it was harm alarm pierce who asked the question jenny who answered her iles married granny she said in a tone of fin finality allty all there Is to it or ever can be I 1 grow up soon enough for him alli all I 1 and she reflected with a surprising wisdom like enough theres 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 have a main of men to pick and choose from jenny alarm pierce told her stoutly any man with sense jenny smiled faintly like bartl bart she suggested amused well therell be others the older woman insisted walt wait and see so they spoke no more of will for a while thereafter but a week after wills on a sunday afternoon the old car in which he had bad returned from augusta came bouncing in from the road and stopped in the yard by the doorstep and auldy and then will descended marm harm pierce and jenny were in the kitchen and the old woman would have protected jenny from this encounter but the girl went bravely to the door and opened it and stepped out upon the porch to greet them Aft noon ills Ferr ferruti lii she said hello will its ita neighborly of 0 you to come over granny and me wed have come to see gee you before now but granny cant walk so BO far huldy smiled a slow deep smile with slumber lidded eyes will said we come to say much obliged to you jenny tor for fixing up the house and all he touched huldis arm proudly Util dys a housekeeper her own self but she aint found a speck of dust anywhere come la in and set bet old warm alarm pierce invited briskly and they did come in huldy moved indifferent to her surroundings roun dings yet even jenny was conscious that there was a powerful disturbance tur bance to la the very air about this woman she had bad note not the other night seen huldy clearly she saw now that wills wife was beyond question beautiful as a flame dame Is beautiful hair black as ink and black eyes halt half veiled yet bright and warm and nd her hei cheek a fine brown from long acquaint ance with the sun jenny could wonder at the others b beauty ea ity and at the same tine time fear it an and d shrink from it with an instinctive alarm without knowing why the she wished d to draw away from huldy and as though in proof to herself that she had no such desire she ehe spoke to the theroman woman take off your coati coat she said you and will have to stay and visit stay to supper huldy smiled with faint amusement yet obeyed and will sat down and he be talked in the old friendly fashion for a while of his long absence and hla his work in augusta 1 I done well there he said saved good money nut but im glad to be back just the same ile he looked at huldy proudly huldy 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 quicks kuicks I 1 could dunno how I 1 ever got her but I 1 aim to keep her now warm harm pierce made a noncommittal sound and jenny said politely 1 I hope like here ills bits huldy looked at her husband id like being anywhere with will she said in slow deep tones 01 1 I like big men I 1 the two other women were uncomfortable for table but will was not ile he beamed and talked on contentedly but auldy in the end would not stay to supper ive got beans on the stove she reminded will wed best get along and as aa they said goodby good by she explained to jenny you sou cant blame me for gol going on home im still a bride and id T like to have will all it to 0 myself I 1 guess you know how that ast 1st and led will like a captive away when they were gone jenny was silent hurt without knowing how she had bad been hurt wounded without being 4 she looks look mighty friendly to you will able to put her finger on oil the wound but warm marm pierce was not tn in the least mystified ashes a hussy she exclaimed wills cut him off a bigger piece than he can chew shell make him dance a pretty tune jenny turned to the stove to set the kettle on unable to speak and marm alarm pierce added indignantly ive seen women before with them sleepy eyes like they want moren halt awake but will the dumb fool la Is blind as a bat bal shell put a ring in his shell bring him up with his toes adi a di alg aing I 1 jenny whirled toward the older woman if ashes not good to him ill kill herl she cried so warm marm pierce perceived the girls distress and sought to ease her there jen she said quickly dont you mind I 1 theres nought to do for will now you go red read the book of proverbs I 1 find a heap of wisdom there wormwood will be his bis dish soon or late maybe if hied hed read his bible hed have hae knowel better than to marry her but I 1 dunno many a mans let it a woman take him with he her r eyelids like the bible says pore will ill ill jenny whispered no and you wont the old woman interrupted stoutly tt outly she shook her head nought you can do but would make it worse for will and for you too jen jea stay away from him from the both of them let tire fire burn jen it will come to ashes by and by and jenny was hushed bushed and silenced and the wise old woman went to get the supper on summer was upon them now and during the months that followed jenny saw will not at all there was a stir of new activity in the valley which served in some degree as a distraction in july a man named seth humphrey humphreys from augusta set up a steam mill not far below warm marm pierces Pl erces farm they could hear bear unless the wind were wrong the whine of the saw and now and nd then some one of the men who worked therewith a in minor I 1 nor cut or wound came to ask if marm arm alere to heal beal his hurt for him she hd had a salve salv with virtue which were farno farnolz fx inous uz and she could minister to the lesser physical ailments which sometimes attacked them when one of these men appeared jenny stayed usually in the background but they were a harmless lot rough and strong and spending their days in hard physical toll yet toward a woman gentle and shy sometimes she saw one or two of them slipping through the open land between the house and the woods toward the brook A path from the mill cut through the woods direct to careys carels bridge going up to sample cart bart careys carels rum alarm marm pierce guessed with a grim disapproval jen you rou keep away from them stay out of the woods down that way none of em to hurt you they was drunk but I 1 never did believe in putting edees into a mans head you stay away she had in fact some reasons for concern which she did not explain to jenny people were apt to confide in this wise old woman and she heard beard things jenny did not hear amy carey barts sister came one afternoon when jenny had bad gone toward the brook so that the old did woman was alone and amy was troubled the mill crew around the house all the time she explained and bart hes had a couple men staying there from Au augusta I 1 usta that let on they come to fish but they dont bring home any trout they go off down the brook every day and come back at night and no fish to tr fr and they never come before her eyes were uneasy its that woman she said ive heard beard em cm talk about her they knowel her in augusta angusta and seth humphreys he be did too one of ern em said the other night the only reason seth come and put a mill in here sos to be handy to her ile he was hot after her to hear their tell before will come along and married her maria alarm pierce said assenting ly 1 I ed cd see the kind she was first time I 1 laid eyes on her bart says she aint moren halt decent to will amy reported he says ashes always taking a dig at him and him too blind to see fart cart says hed like to take a hoop boop pole to her the way she treats will him and will was always friendly the older woman oman nodded will hell go along blind about so long iong and then hell wake up she predicted when he does the furs bound to fly the ferrins ferries was always slow to get mad but it aint safe to face eni em when they got their dander up man or woman it aint wise to make too big a tool fool of will and she added impatiently not that anybody cd make a bigger fool of him than he made of himself when he e married her bart says he be acts like she was 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