Tess of the Storm Country

t in them is, with the myriads of fish, the toads, the snakes and afterward man. Then to grace

eople would call a careless, worthless jade. She shamefully neglected her father, but covered the fact to him by the wild, willful worship which she bestowed upon him. If he uttered a word of disapprobation she would

appy through it all, for the brown-eyed girl brought back to his mind the slip of a fishermaid who had died when Tessibel was born. True, there was more copper in the girl's hair and eyes than there had been in the mother's-more of the bright burnishing like that of a polished old-fa

bit. She loved every crawling, hateful thing, such as all honest people despised, and she once fought with the son of an uphill farmer for r

erel, as they flopped painfully upon the sands; or who but Tess would mind the squeaking of the mother-bird calling for her own. It was something of this "mollygrub" feeling that hastened her dirt-caked feet, as she rounded the mud c

to the hole in the end of the log

gone. Ben Letts has took him, damn his

in her skirt. Tenderly she took the reptile in her fingers, for she loved this warted monster who seemed by the turn of his head to re

huntin' flies, wasn't ye, Frederick? Don't never stay long or ye'll git hit with a spear. Ezry Longman don't like ye nuther, 'cause I kisses ye, an

is short hair looked as if it had passed through the fingers of a prison barber. His blue-jean breeches were held up by a rope fasten

expostulated, without waiting for the girl to greet him, althoug

three, four, five, six, seven, eight long weeping willow leaves which had died that day and had fallen to the ground.

ye could be made into a woman if ye hadn't got batty with birds and things. She says as how when ye sing to the brat tha

, or a place in the world. Tess loved the babe because there was an expression in its eyes that she had on

ng him deep down into his cavity, for the sun was going down

y spok

t stop runnin' wild ye'll be

ck the fisherman with a swiftness and force that took h

ruther marry my toad or a man as ugly as him than

quint eyes were almost closed, only a glint of the gray

ad after the student of Minister Graves? Just 'cause he wears nice clothes and don't do no hones

. Then the dirty young face flooded with crimson which tinted the rounded neck and colored the low forehead, and Tess dropped down beside the log and covered her

he door with a bang. She slipped the leather fastening into its place and dazedly adjusted the iron peg in the opening to hold it.

ing after her, his gray eyes gathered into an incomprehensive squint. Had Tess again cuffed his ears, he would have been secretly delighted; but thi

t hear. He limped away not knowing that she had passed as effectually o