The Man Thou Gavest

ee. Be that as it may, she paused, for no reason whatever as far as she could tell, and carefully took one dozen eggs from the basket and hid them under some bushes by the road! Having done this s

hair by the rusty stove, in which a fire, prepar

rrivale?" Calvin s

l' Nella-Rose.

Nella-Rose almost said po'k-not quite! "And you must be mighty generous

'count o' yo' enjoyin' ways. But I can't make this out

ten pounds of pork

o Nella-Rose remembered! The red came t

ng close to the old man. "I

and then, what he thought was unde

Nella-Rose

no reply

n from behind, as it war. T'warnt so in my day, lil' Nella-Rose. When we-uns had a reckonin comin', we naterally went out an' shot our man; but these torn-down scoundrels like Jed Martin an' his kind they trap 'em an' send 'em to worse'n hell. Las' night"-and here Merrivale bent close to Nella-Rose-"my hen coop was 'tarnally gone through, an' a bag o' taters lif

es came slowly to

n extra dozen right so

n' keepin' a store widens yo' stretch o' vision. Now, watch out, lil' girl, an' don't take too much fo' g

lay hidden, then depositing in the safe shelter the home bundles Merrivale had so generously weighed, she pu

or storm to come and pass unchecked. The very stillness and calm were warnings of approaching di

and suddenly the girl's eyes became fixed upon it and her heart beat wildly. Something alive was crouching there, though none but a trained sense could have detected it! They waited-the hidden creature and the quivering girl! Then a

safe. How long ha

two w

g, and while she had played with Marg the hunt

weeks," Laws

irl's voice wa

t Lord! you can't eat a helpless old wo

er Merrivale hasn't forgot-the fever a

old hole, back of a deserted still-I can even have a bit of fi

Where,

'Twas you as brought me back-I had to

ar. No, no; I couldn't leave the hills-I

se? I'd run my chances with you! Night and day y

rstanding, drove Nella-

y out-then ask me again, Burke Lawson. I'm not going

to get Lawson awa

I'll come o

not after you to shoot you, Burke; J

the sneaki

he means to-to see fair play. Wait unti

-then, Ne

leaves glowed with a light that se

" (she counted them out), "I have a d

lla-Rose! Just let me

Jim White

peered out again and tried to decide which way she went, but his wits were confused-so he laughed that easy, fearless laugh of his and put in his hat the eggs

living day by day, hour by hour. Jim White she had accepted as a menace-but Burke never! She was no longer the girl Lawson had known, but how could she hope to make him understand that? Her tender, love-seeking nature had, in the past, accepted the best the mountains offered-an

oned just when she had

h, Nella-Rose clenched her small han

cism swayed her-"like I was going along the tracks in the dar

drooping lids she saw-Truedale! Quite vividly he materialized to her excited fa

r rather than an affirmation. "I'm going to follow like I

ing for White, and his plans were completed. He meant to confide everything to his only friend-for such Jim seemed in the hazy and desolated present-then he woul

oine free, in that she had never been enslaved. If one greater than he had put a soul in a statue, Truedale believed that he could awaken a child of nature and show her her own beautiful soul. He had outlined, a tim

reeze and it flippantly sent the ashes flying on the hearth and several sheets of paper broadcast in the room. Truedale spr

arrow escape," and he began to sort

-two. Now where in thund

made him spring to his fe

seemed like it c

la-R

ed, holding o

ve come? W

an extremely stern though kindly manner. He meant to set the child right; he meant to see only the child in her until White returned; he would ignore th

ere filled with sunlight it would be something like the mass of more or less loosened tendrils that crowned the girl's pretty head. Stern resolve began to melt before the girlish sweetness

se, you ought not t

t you glad

come?" This was risky. Tru

de'! You certainly

acity for bringing forth his happier, merr

r that, Nella-Rose!" Thi

gy face-then I'll t

ruedale smiled

ungry. I-I w

White, or one of the blood-an

t go, Ne

idiculous plaid shawl-"not till you give me a

ut note, as he often did, the daintiness with which she accomplished the task. Other women, as Truedale remembered, were not prepossessing when attacking food; but this girl made a gracious little ceremony of the affair. She placed the small dishes in orderly array before

that was associated with the trusty Kendall and his good example. She raised a bit of f

ting alone. I want to-share!

go"; instead, he leaned across his folded arms a

love

ed back. Her lids fell over the wide

to any one-el

This like a f

have told you-of love. Do

es

ow

r face deadly pale; her lips were so red that in

It seems like I've been coming all my life to it-a

I did not know-I was driven. I rebelled, because I did n

apt and dreamy. Truedale put his hands across

be-mine, N

like I

ive the rest of my life here in the hills-your hills. You once

t-but your folks-off ther

r for our love and-" He stopped short. Reality and conventions made a last vain appeal. "I don't want you ever again to go out of my sight. You're mine and nothing could make that different-but" (and this came quickly, desperately) "there must be a minister s

ld have had her in his a

aid of old Jim

ut the words brough

e explained to him I will come for you, but first let me hol

but clung to him for a moment and two tears rolled down her cheeks-

you thinking,

m not thinkin

ain Truedale presse

s sweetheart

oney-gal

till-"and always I shall see your face, now. It came to-day

erce through her ignorance and childishness to find the elusive woman that could meet and bear its part in w

said, "going till J

it-

out them while love had carried them beyond their depths. Then the rain began to fall-heavy, warning drops. The

oods, wise in mountain lore; she was bewitched and half mad with the bewildering emotions that,