The Forester's Daughter

is days at college, when dozens of just such misses lent grace and humor and romance to the tennis court and to the football field. She carried with her the a

thinks she is a grand campaigner; but I am wondering how she would stand such a trip as that you took l

tle of Berrie's humor. "I reckon those brown boots of

g up there in the forest this minute. Nothing but your indomitable spirit kep

t night. It was perfectly useless. It would have been better for us

at at the time. We acted for the best, and we mus

im to resume the lover's tone, while he, oppressed by the sense of his own shortcomings and weakness, was planning an escape

again while she set to work preparing dinner. "There is no telling when father wi

he slept he could not tell, but he was awakened by the voice of the ranger,

intelligence. At the end of a brief explanation Berrie said, with an air of authority: "Now you

"All right, Miss Berrie, but perh

"Oh no, I am not sick. I'm a little lam

ll enough for that. Get up your horses, Tony,

rrie," replied the

n his way to the pasture, when Ber

upervisor, as he came zigzagging down the steep hill to the east, w

He'll be tired out, and absolutely starved. Wahoo!" she

the rider to whom hunger, fatigue, windfalls, and snowslides were all a part of the day's work; and when he reined in before the door

ut what about you? W

The blamed cayuses kept ju

nd on top of tha

ound by Lost Lake, and to cap all, Old Baldy took a notion not to lead. Oh, I

trail. He and Alec Belden a

m I hungry? Sister, I am a wolf. Norcro

e started down here late yesterday afternoon. It was raining and horribly muddy, and I took

guess I made a mistake, Supervisor; I'

pitchfork you into the forest life quite so suddenly,"

aid Berrie. "He'll l

eving that Berrie wished to be alon

said: "You stayed in camp till

expecting you

s to remark upon. "Di

tle; it mos

ike a January blizzard. When d

o'clock thi

hem. What about the outfit? T

's camp, don't say too much about what has happened. Don't tell them just

y n

rs. Belden is. I don't want her to know. She's an awful talker, and

wed and his face darkened. "That's so. The old rip could make a whole lot of capital out of your being left in camp that way. At the same

wn the valley

ther piece of bad luck, too. How muc

ing a

e cross-ex

s things. She'll know all about it sooner or later. She's great at p

will be plumb crazy if

ddy. I don't care what he thinks or do

do seem to be terribly in

st man I ever

, daughter. He's a nice clean boy, but he's different. He don't be

I like him." After a pause she added: "Nobody could have been nic

her. "Has he said anything to you

hink he-likes me. But do you know who he is? He's th

ted. "How do y

t Moore girl changed her tune the moment he admitted that. She'd been very free with him up to that time; but when sh

the more certain that he don't belong to our world

help fixing he

"You used to like Cliff. You liked him

d; but I des

re out when he finds another fellow cutting in ahead of him. Why, here you

at's di

all that has kept them from open war has been Cliff's relationship to you. They'll take a keen delight in making the worst of all this camping bus

with your plans. I'll stay here with you. It won't take you bu

usiness between you and Norcross a

m, he has no

usiness, and it's my fault. I should never

ows me will understand how little there is in-in old lady Belden's gab. I've

hould Belden find it to his advantage to slander these young people, and to read into their action the lawlessness of his own youth, Berea's reputation, high as it was, would suffer, and her mother's heart be rent with anxiety. In his growing pain and

e leaning over the rail, list

onotone. "Mr. Norcross," he began, with candid inflection, "I am very sorr

of us foresaw any such complication as this, but now that we are snarled up in it

is Seth Belden's report-Berrie has cut loose from Cliff, and he's red-headed already. When he drops onto this story, when he learns that I had to chase back after the horses, and that you and Berrie w

I do?" ask

ff Marm Belden, and I'll have a talk wi

nother tale-bearer. Moore

d Lord! we are in for it. There's

dn't do it. Something rose in his throat which prevented speech. A strange repugnance, a kind of sullen resentment at

know your daughter will not listen for an instant to

uation like this. Berrie's been brought up to take care of herself, and she's kept clear of criticism so far; but with Cliff on edge and thi

t make? I have nothing to do with my father's busine

h Berrie. She mightn't have been so free with you at the start, if she'd known wh

t to think that her kindness and your friendship should bring all this trouble and suspicion upon h

" responded the older man. "I'm going up to

lp it? They'll

ance of the subject of marriage hurt him. He did not perceive, as Norcross did, that to make an announcement of his daughter's engagement at

am in a trap. I can neither help Berrie nor help myself. Nothing rem

with Berrie, as in ages upon ages of other times, the maiden must bear the burden of reproach. "In me i

om the camp, and something in his manner, as well as in Ber

of one night; but they know that you were here last night. Of course, they were re

e ranger's books, for the Supervisor continued to plan for Wayland's stay at

and went to the corral, and Berrie insisted

aid: "Let her alone. She's better able t

would gladly have taken her place beside the stove. It seemed pitifully unjust