J peas
I —— -
Bellefonte, Pa., December 20, 1912.
——
— —— —— —— —— 5;
A GIRL
OF THE
LIMBERLOST
GENE STRATTON-PORTER
Copyright, 1909, by Doubleday, Page
& On
Ro
SYNOPSIS
Althougn a good scholar, Elnora Com-
stock, entering high school, is abashed by
her country dress. She needs $20 for
books and tuition fees. Her mother is
unsympathetic, and Elnora tells her trou-
bles to Wesley Sinton, an old neighbor.
When Elnora was born her father was
drowned in a swamp, embittering her
mother's life. Elnora determines to raise
money by gathering forest specimens.
The Sintons buy clothes for her.
Elnora, getting her books cheaply, finds
@ market with the Bird Woman for but-
terflies, Indian relics, ete. ;
Mrs. Comstock’s devotion to her hus-
band's memory will not permit her to
sell trees or have oil wells dug on her
land. The
clothing.
Elnora is delighted with her outfit. Her
mother says she must pay for it. Wes-
Jey and Margaret Sinton discuss the girl's
Sintons bring BElnora new
Pete Corson, a Limberlost frequenter,
warns Elnora not to visit the Limberlost
at night or go far into the swamp at any
Billy, a bright but untrained little chap,
with a shiftless father and hungry broth-
er and sister, gets Einora's luncheon.
Wesley, troubled by Corson's warning, in-
vestigates
Sinton finds some one has been spying
on Elnora. The girl feeds Billy again.
She is “taken up” by the high school
girls.
[Continued from last week.)
CHAPTER Vil |
Wherein Mrs. Comstock Induiges In
“Frills” and Billy Reappears,
T was Wesley Sinton who really
wrestled with the problem as
he drove about his business.
He did not have to ask himself
what it meant; he knew. The old Cor-
son gang was still holding together.
Elder members who bad escaped the
law had been joined by a younger
brother of Jack's. and they met in the
thickest of the few remaining fast
places of the swamp to drink, gamble
and loaf. ‘Then. suddenly, there would
be a robbery in some country house
where a farmer that day had sold his
wheat or corn and not paid a visit
to the bank. or in some neighboring
village.
The home of Mrs. Comstock and EI-
nora adjoined the swamp. Sinton's
land lay next. and not another resi
dence or man easy to reach in case of
trouble. Whoever wrote that note had
some human kindness in his breast.
but the fact stood revealed that he
feared his strength if Elnora was de-
livered into his bands. Where had he
been the previous night when he heard
that prayer? Was that the first time
he had been in such proximity? Sinton
drove fast. for he wished to reach the
swamp before Elnora and the Bird
Woman would go there for more
moths.
At almost 4 he came to the case,
and dropping on his knees studied the
ground, every sense alert. He found
two or three little heel prints. Those
were made by Elnora or the Bird
Woman. What Sinton wanted to learn
was whether all the rest were the
footprints of one man. It was easily
seen they were not. There were deep.
even tracks made by fairly new shoes,
and others where a well worn heel
cut deeper on the inside of the print
than at the outer edge. Undoubtedly
some of Corson's old gang were watch-
ing the case and the visits of the
women to it. There was no danger that '
anyone would attack the Bird Woman. |
She never went to the swamp at night, |
and on her trips in the daytime every !
one knew that she carried a revolver, |
understood how to use it and pursued
her work in a fearless manner.
Sinton was afraid for Elnora, yet he
did not want to add the burden of fear |
to Katharine Comstock’s trouble or to
disturl; the joy of Elnora in her work.
He stopped at the cabin and slowly
went up thre walk. Mrs. Comstock was |
sitting on the front step with some
sewing. She dropped her work on her
lap, laid her hands on it and looked
into his face with a sneer. i
“You didn’t let any grass grow under
your feet,” she said.
Sinton ssw her white, drawn face
“You said you were going to prose-
Bemorralits atc |
heard there was a man here last night
|
|
|
|
this opening of the ditch, Kate.”
|
“Broke the lock?
“No. Used a duplicate key. Today |
| 1 want to nese around a little.”
Sinton went to the east end of the
eabin and looked up at the window.
' There was no way any one could have
reached it without a ladder, for the
logs were hewed and mortar filled the
cracks even. Then he went to the
west end. The willow faced him as he
turned the corner. He examined the
trunk carefully. There was no mistake
sbout small particles of black swamp
muck adhering to the sides of the
tree. He reached the low branches and
climbed the willow. There was earth
on the large limb crossing Elnora's
window. He stood on it, holding the
branch as had been done the night be-
fore, and looked into the room. He
could see very little, but he knew that
if it bad been dark outside and suffi-
clently light for Elnora to study inside
he could have seen vividly. He brought
his face close to the netting, and he
could see the bed with its head to the
| east, at its foot the table with the
candles and the chair before it, and
then he knew where the man had been
who had heard Elnora’s prayer.
Mrs. Comstock had followed around
, the corner and stood watching him.
! “Do you think some slinking hulk was
up there peekin' in at Elnora?" she
demanded indignantly.
“There is muck on the trunk and
plenty on the limb” said Sinton.
“Hadn't you better get a saw and let
me take this branch off 7
“No, I hadn't,” said Mrs. Comstock.
“First place. Elnora’s climbed from
that window on that limb ali her life,
and it's hers; second place, no one gets
ahead of me after I've had warning.
Any crow that perches on that roost
again will get its feathers somewhat
scattered. Look along the fence there
and see if you can find where he came
in."
The place was easy to find as was a
trail leading for some distance west of
the eabin.
“You just go home and don’t fret
yourself,” said Mrs. Comsteck. “I'll
take care of this. If you should hear
the dinner bell at any time in the night
you come down. But I wouldn't say
anything to Binora. She best keep ber
mind on her studies if she's going to
, school.”
When the work was finished that
night Elnora took her books and went
to her room to prepare some lessons,
but every few minutes she looked to-
ward the swamp to see if there were
lights near the case. Mrs. Comstock
raked together the coals in the cooking
stove, got out the lunch box, and, sit-
ting down, she studied it grimly. At
last she arose.
“Wonder how it would do to show
Mag Sinton a frill or two,” she mur-
wmured.
Mrs. Comstock was up early and
without a word handed Elnora the
luncheon case as she left the next
morning.
“Thank you, mother,” said Elnora
and went on her way.
She walked down the road, looking
straight ahead until she came to the
corner, where she usually entered the
swamp. She paused, glanced that way
and smiled. Then she turned and look-
ed back. There was no one coming in
any direction. She kept to the road un-
tit well around the corner, then she
stopped and sat on a grassy spot, laid
her books beside her and opened the
lunch box. She scarcely could believe
her senses. Half the bread compart-
ment was filled with dainty sandwich-
es of bread and butter sprinkled with
the yolk of egg and the rest with three
large slices of the most fragrant spice
cake imaginable. The meat dish con-
tained shaved cold ham, of which she
knew the quality; the salad was toma-
toes and celery, and the cup held pre-
served pear, clear as amber. There
was milk in the bottle, two tissue
wrapped cucumber pickles in the fold-
ing drinking cup and a fresh napkin in
the ring. No lunch was ever daintier
or more palatable. Of that Elnora was
perfectly sure. And her mother had
prepared it for her,
She glanced around her and then to
her old refuge, the sky. “She does love
me!" cried the happy girl. “Sure as
you're born she loves me: she just
hasn't found it out yet!"
She was to go to the Bird Woman's
after school for the last load from the
case. Saturday she would take the ar-
row points and specimens to the bank.
That would exhaust her present sup-
plies and give her enough money
ahead to pay for books, tuition and
clothes for at least two years. She
would work early and late gathering
nuts. In October she would sell all the
ferns she could find. She must collect
specimens of all tree leaves before they
nests and cocoons later and
wide open for anything
Id use. She would see
that night about
to the ward
must be ahead of
wanted to furnish
fey
il
:
ib
i
g
her with a confident smile.
brought you something!” he an-
i}
“Good gracious, Kate!” cried Sinton. nounced without greeting. “This is
*Is that what you have been thinking
all day? I told you before I left yes-
terday that I weuld not need do that.
I want to ask you if you ever see any-
thing about the swamp that makes
you think the old Corson gang is still
Jimmy and Belle—ard we brought you
Jou a present.”
He offered s parcel wrapped in brown
paper.
“Why, how lovely of you!" said El
1
| nora.
|
alive?” | me when you ran away so fast yester-
“Can't say that [ do,” sai@ Mrs, Com-
stock. “There's kind of dancing lights
there sometimes, but I supposed it was
just people passing along the road
with lanterns.”
“Kate, I have got to tell you some-
thing. Elnora stopped at the case this
morning. and somebody had been into
it in the night.”
”
.
“Naw, I didn't forget you,” said the
, boy. “I wouldn't forget you, not ever!
Why, I was ist a-hurrying to take
| things to Jimmy and Belle. My.
| they was glad!”
| Elnora glanced at the children. They
sat on the edge of the bridge, obviously
' clad In a garment each, very dirty and
:
about seven and nine. Einora's heart
began to ache.
“Say.” said the boy. “ain't you going
to look what we have gave vou?”
“I thought 1t wasn't polite to 100K
before people.” answered Elnora. “Of
course I will if you would like to have |
me." i
i
i
unkempt, a little boy and a girl of |
Elnora opened the package.
had been presented with a quarter of
a stale loaf of baker's bread and a
big piece of ancient bologna.
“But don't you want this your
selves?” she asked in surprise.
“Gosh, no! I mean ist plain no,” |
said the boy. “We always have it. |
We got stacks this morning. Pa's |
come out of it now. and he's so sorry |
he got more "an ever we can eat. Have
you had any before?”
“No,” said Elnora, “I never did.”
The boy's eyes brightened and the
girl moved restlessly.
“We thought maybe you hadn't,”
sald the boy. “First you ever have,
you like it real well. but when you,
don't have anything else for a long;
time, years an’ years. you git so tired.”
He hitched at the string which held!
his trousers and eyed Elnora specula-
tively.
“1 don't s’pose you'd trade what you
got in that box for ist old bread and |
bologna now, would you? Mebby,
you'd like it! And I know, I ist know,
what you got would taste like heaven
to Jimmy and Belle. They never had
nothing like that. Not even Belle, and
she's most ten. No, sir-ee, they never
tasted things like you got.” :
Elnora knelt on the bridge, opened
the box and divided her lunch into
three equal parts, the smaller boy get-
ting most of the milk. Then she told
them it was school time and she must
poy 1
“Why don't you put your bread and)
bologna in the nice box?" asked the
boy.
“Of course.” said Elnora. “I didn't
think.”
When the box was arranged to the
children’s satisfaction all of them ac-
companied Elnora to the corner where
she turned toward the high school.
Elnora and Billy led the way, Jimmy
and Belle followed.
“Billy,” said Elnora, “I would like
you much better if you were cleaner.
Surely you have water. Can't you
children get some soap and wash your-
selves? Gentlemen are never dirty.
You want to be a gentleman, don't
you?
“Is being clean all you have to do to
be a gentleman?"
“No,” said Elnora. “You must not
say bad words and you must be kind
and polite to your sister.”
“Must Belle be kind and polite to
me, else she ain't a lady?"
|
“Yes.”
“Then Belle's no lady!" said Billy
succinctly.
Elnora could say nothing more just
then, and she bade them goodby and
started them home. |
“The poor little souls!” she mused.
“I think the Almighty put them in
my way to show me real trouble, I
won't be likely to spend much time
pitying myself while I can see them.”
[Continued on page 7. Col. 1.1
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