Part 11 (1/2)

Early that morning she had looked, as she did every day, from the hill behind the house and she had seen but one thin curl of smoke from the clearing! If White had not returned the night before the chances were that he would make another day of it! Nella-Rose often wondered why others did not note the tell-tale smoke--a clue which often played a vital part in the news of the hills. Only because thoughts were focussed on the Hollow and on White's absence, was Truedale secure in his privacy.

”I'll hurry mighty fast to the Centre,” Nella-Rose concluded, after escaping from Marg's disturbed gaze, ”then I'll hide the things by the big road and I'll--go to his cabin. I'll--I'll surprise him!”

Truedale had told her the day before, in a moment of caution, that he would have to work hard for a time in order to make ready for White's return. The fact was he had now got to that point in his story when he longed for Jim as he might have longed for safety on a troubled sea.

With Jim back and fully informed--everything on ahead would be safe.

”I'll surprise him!” murmured Nella-Rose, with the dimples in full play at the corners of her mouth; ”old Jim White can't keep me away. I'll watch out--it's just for a minute; I'll be back by sundown; it will be only to say 'how-de?'”

Something argued with the girl as she ran on--something quite new and uncontrolled. Heretofore no law but that of the wilds had entered into her calculations. To get what she could of happiness and life--to make as little fuss as possible--that had been her code; but now, the same restraint that had held Marg from going to the Hollow awhile back, when she thought that, with night, Burke Lawson might disclose his whereabouts, held Nella-Rose! So insistent was the rising argument that it angered the girl. ”Why? Why?” her longings and desires cried.

”Because! Because!” was the stern response, and the _woman_ in Nella-Rose thrilled and throbbed and trembled, while the girlish spirit pleaded for the excitement of joy and sweetness that was making the grim stretches of her narrow existence radiant and full of meaning.

On she went doggedly. The dimples disappeared; the mouth fell into the pathetic, drooping lines that by and by, unless something saved Nella-Rose, would become permanent and mark her as a hill-woman--one to whom soul visions were denied.

CHAPTER VI

Wisdom had all but conquered Nella-Rose's folly when she came in sight of Calvin Merrivale's store. But--who knows?--perhaps the girl's story had been written long since, and she was not entirely free. 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 she went forward so blithely and lightly that one might have thought her load had been considerably eased. She appeared before Calvin Merrivale, presently, like a refres.h.i.+ng apparition from vacancy. It was high noon and Merrivale was dozing in a chair by the rusty stove, in which a fire, prepared against the evening chill, was already burning.

”How-de, Mister Merrivale?” Calvin sprang to his feet.

”If it ain't lil' Nella-Rose. How'se you-all?”

”Right smart. I've brought you three dozen eggs and ten pounds of pork.”

Nella-Rose almost said po'k--not quite! ”And you must be mighty generous with me when you weigh out--let me see!--oh, yes, pepper, salt, and sugar.”

”I'll lay a siftin' more in the scale, Nella-Rose, on 'count o' yo'

enjoyin' ways. But I can't make this out”--he was counting the eggs--”yo' said three dozen aigs?”

”Three dozen, and ten pounds of pork!” This very firmly.

Merrivale counted again and as he did so Nella-Rose remembered! The red came to her face--the tears to her ashamed eyes.

”Stop!” she said softly, going close to the old man. ”I forgot. I took one dozen out!”

Merrivale stood and looked at her and then, what he thought was understanding, came to his a.s.sistance.

”Who fo', Nella-Rose, who fo'?”

There was no reply to this.

”Yo' needn't be afraid to open yo' mind ter me, Nella-Rose. Keeping sto'

is a mighty help in gettin' an all-around knowin' o' things. Folks jest naterally come here an' talk an' jest naterally I listen, an' 'twixt Jim White, the sheriff, an' old Merrivale, there ain't much choosin', jedgmatically speakin'. I know White's off an' plannin' ter round up Burke Lawson 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 h.e.l.l. Las' night”--and here Merrivale bent close to Nella-Rose--”my hen coop was 'tarnally gone through, an' a bag o' taters lifted. I ain't makin' no cry-out. I ain't forgot the year o' the fever an'--an'--well, yo' know who--took care o'

me day an' night till I saw faces an' knew 'em! What's a matter o' a hen o' two an' a sack o' taters when lined up agin that fever spell? I tell yo', Nella-Rose, if _yo'_ say thar war three dozen aigs, thar _war_ three dozen aigs, an' we'll bargain accordin'!”