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"Good God! Sand," he ejaculated, "let me shut that sash down. The cold gets into your heart as if it were driven by some infernal machine." Sandy got up and pulled the glass down sharply, but he could not, thereby, bring comfort to Lans' conscience. "What do you mean by a case like this, Sand? No case between man and woman can be separated that way. Her need is my need; mine is hers!" "Is it?"
"There'll be a mighty big fortune some day for some one to inherit why not Lans?" she argued to herself and began her campaign. She had grown to love the boy in her vain, worldly way; she wanted him and the Markham money, and she cautiously felt her way through the years while the child was with her.
Work up there, son, as if God Almighty's eye alone was upon you. Men have forgotten the hill people, but God called you to lead them out of bondage." "It pays to advertise," Lans was remarking. "Yes," Sandy returned; "and Mr. Markham advertises in a most original and picturesque way."
Olive Treadwell was handsomer than ever, for her gray hair softened her features and the years had added just enough flesh to her bones to insure grace, not angularity. "I am going back on the six-two train, Mr. Markham, if you will permit your coachman to take me to the station. Lans and I have a very important engagement this evening." Levi gave the order and handed his visitor to a chair.
I told him you had not taken Cynthia; that she was ill with headache." "Now!" Cynthia laughed lightly; "you see we need not have done that silly thing at Sudley's Gap." Marcia Lowe began to cry softly. "Oh! dear," she faltered, "but Smith Crothers knows and Sandy Morley, too. Oh! I have been so blind, so foolish, and you have been such mad children." "I am going to Sandy at once," Lans explained.
I have much to learn; but I understand a mighty lot now. It came to me while I waited, for you to come back from her! My soul would never be clean again, Lans, if I forgot the little child hers and yours! God will be very kind to us-all, dear, if we do right. It's mighty puzzling but it will come straight. You once loved her?" "Yes, Cynthia yes!" "And you never loved me in that way, dear?"
They had breakfast together, after the visit to the missionary, and it was afternoon before they started for home. At last Cynthia grew very quiet the play had tired her; she was frightened and unhappy. How could what had happened secure Lans from the anger of The Hollow folks, if staying away were wrong? It was all very foolish. They could have gone to Sandy and explained.
The South is slow with us-all, dear, but up there in the North I awakened! I think it came the truth, dear, when she the girl, ran to Lans. In the mighty times of a woman's life she can only run that way to one man!
The fair, damp face was inframed by tendrils of light hair under a hood of dullish red; the long, coarse, brown coat clung to the slim figure, and the mouth of the girl was smiling. Treadwell had never seen a mouth smile so before. Sandy introduced his friend and then said: "Lans, make the ladies comfortable; I'll lend Greeley a hand." Lance Treadwell did not leave the mountains the next day.
Was she utterly devoid of moral sense? "Moral sense!" At that Lans Treadwell paused. The glory shining from Cynthia's eyes as she stood before him, made him shrink and drop his own. The strength and purity of the high places was upon her. She was lovely and tender, but primitively firm. The law of the cities she did not know; but the law of the secret places of the hills was hers.
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