Part 19 (1/2)

The rooue shadows about, and these two estive picture The woman's placid and now inscrutable face was in eful thoughts passing behind it His overshot jaere clenched as closely as was physically possible, while his pallid eyes were ht than Wanaha had ever seen the his thuered him

”I don't see how he could have found them,” he said at last, more to himself than to her But she answered hi why it was necessary

”She only think,” she said

”But he iven her some cause to think,” he said testily ”I'ht”

Wanaha turned away His words had caused her pain, but he did not heed

Suddenly his face cleared, and he laughed a little harshly

”Never h that”

The auity of his reh and needed no an to clear the table, while Nevil stood in the open doorway and gazed out into the night

Standing there, his face hidden frohts And froh, or at least satisfactory to him, which was all he could reasonably expect

His face was directed toward White River Far chiefly of Seth, a er reason than his own loss of caste, his own degeneracy, while the other remained an honest man The deepest hatreds often are founded on one's own failings, one's own obvious inferiority to another He was thinking of that love which Wanaha had assured hilad that he forgot st theood woman And honesty never yet blended satisfactorily with rascality

CHAPTER XIV

THE WARNING

”Ma,” exclai and unusual silence while she ashi+ng up the breakfast things, and Mrs Sa at the other side of the kitchen, ”do you ever get tired of your work here? Your life, IAlready the heat in the kitchen was intense Ma looked hot, but then she was stooping and polishi+ng, and the flies were provoking Rosebud, in linen overall, still looked cool Her face was serious enough, which seeht Ma suddenly stopped working to look up, and waved a protesting hand at the swar steadily into hers There was an earnestness in their depths as unusual as the seriousness of her face The old woed her h such a contingency were out of all reason ”It's all ours, I guess It's jest ours to make or mar Ther'

isn't a stick on this farm that we haven't seen set ther', Rube an' me

Tired of it? Guess the only tire I'll feel'll coth to kindle a stove or scrub a floor

Tired? No, child What fixed you to get askin' that?”

The plates clattered under Rosebud's hands as she went on with her work

Ma eyed the stack of dishes in soirl being a little tired of domestic duties She often wondered about this Yet she had never heard Rosebud coht in the back of her head about the girl's feelings toward at least one of their little fairl said at last Then she added quickly, feeling, of a sudden, that her question had suggested so over sohed a little uncertainly ”It's Seth He's always harping onof the time when ht I was tired of the farood to ht, in a mistaken way, believe I'd be happier in--well, with those people who have forgotten my very existence I love the faro away”

Ma turned again to her ith a wise little s eyes

”Seth's a far-seein' boy, an' a good boy in ' wholehearted affection; ”but he's like s which it is given to men to understand Ef I wus a it boostin' his nose into places not built fer a nose like his Seein' I'erin' out what's good fer wimminfolk”

”That's just what I think,” exclairy soet me off the farirl's seriousness had passed, and she spoke lightly enough now

”Men-folk do rile you some,” nodded Ma But the twinkle had not left her eyes ”But, ood reason An' it ain't to do with his personal feelin's”

Rosebud went on with her washi+ng without speaking She was thinking of that picnic she had taken with Seth and General nearly three weeks ago It had almost developed into a serious quarrel It would have done so, only Seth refused to quarrel