Part 25 (1/2)

”Say, if I'd located this thing and had done nothin'----” he began And she caught him up at once

”I'd have thanked you,” she said

But Seth saw the unreasonableness of her reply

”Now, Rosebud,” he said gently, ”you're talkin' foolish An' you know it

What I did was only right by you I'd 'a' been a skunk to have acted different I lit on the trail o' your folk, don't ht Now it's done An' I don't see wher' the hangin' coet quiet agin I don't take it she hates you a heap”

He spoke aluise what he really felt

He knew that with this girl's going all the light would pass out of his life He dared not speak in any other way or his resolve wouldto repress He would have given so to find excuse to leave the barn, but he made no effort to do so

When Rosebud answered hiht that it was due to the reasonableness of his own arguirl had read so the man's words which he had not intended to be there, and had no knowledge of having expressed Where a woman's affections are concerned a man is a simple study, especially if he perth at all times lay in his silence He was too honest for his speech not to betray hi,” she said, and her tone was half laughing and half crying, and wholly penitent ”That's just it, I a you trouble I am no help to you at all Even this fresh trouble with the Indians isAnd none of you ever blao away Oh, Seth, you don't knoant to stay! And you're packing hty child I ao” She finished up with that quick change to resentment so characteristic of her

The touch of resentment saved Seth He found it possible to answer her, which he did with an assumption of calmness he in no way felt It was a pathetic little face that looked up into his The girl's anger had brought a flush to her cheeks, but her beautiful eyes were as tearful as an April sky

”Guess we've all got to do a heap o' things we don't like, Rosie; aheap An' seeht for us to do Some folks calls it 'duty'”

”And you think it's o?”

Seth nodded

”My duty, the saot into soain, and was at once answered by that hollow little laugh which he found so jarring

”I hate duty! But, since I have had your splendid example beforeto be like you”

The girl's sarcasnored it

As she went on herwhile that oldso much,” she said slowly, ”how I shall miss Pa, and Ma, and old General And I can't bear the idea of leaving even the horses and cattle, and the grain fields I don't knohatever the little papooses at the Mission will do without me I wonder if all the people who do their duty feel like that about things? They can't really, or they wouldn't want to do it, and would just be natural and--and hu to leave all this beautiful sunshi+ne for the fog of London just for the sake of duty I begin to feel quite good Then, you see, when I'm rich I shall have so much to do with my money--so many duties--that I shall have no time to think of White River Farht, perhaps just before I go to sleep at night, it'll be such a co their duty You see nothing else irl's words pained hi, and he told himself that her bitterness would soon pass The pleasure of traveling, of seeing new places, the excite no reply Rosebud went on, and her bitterness htness which quite deceived her companion

”Yes,” she continued, ”after all it won't be so dreadful, will it? I can buy lots of nice things, and I shall have servants And I can go all over the world Noup And there'll be parties and dances And Mr

Irvine said so about estates I suppose I'll have a country house--like people in books Yes, and I'll marry some one with a title, and wear diamonds Do you think somebody with a title would marry me, Seth?”

”Maybe, if you asked hiits asked by fellers as has titles”

The dense Seth felt easier in his irl's tone, and in his clu