Jasper County Democrat, Volume 9, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1906 — Best of All [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Best of All

By HONORE WILLSIE

Copuriuht. isoe, by E. C. PareeUr

The aisles of pines stretched in every direction, on and on, until the white of the snow flood blended with the white and green of snow laden boughs In dim, shadowy blacks. The silence of the afternoon was unbroken. Even the snow birds were not to be heard, and there was not a breath of wind to disturb the white drapery that covered the pines. Rose, gliding along on her snowshoes, seemed part and parcel of the quiet beauty of the winter forest. Her Blender strength and easy grace seemed strangely in harmony with the flue straightness of the pines. But for the first time in her life Rose was only vaguely conscious of the loveliness of the woods. She sped on swiftly, untiringly, guiding her course with now and then a mechanical glauce at the ax cuts on the pine tree trunks. In her mind she was reviewing over and over the scene of the morning. Again she saw the tense face of her husband, with the expressionless faces of the two guides behind him. The cause of the quarrel had been trivial enough. Rose scarcely recalled it now. The main point was that her husband, with his English instincts, could not understand that his wife, with her American instincts, could be led, but not driven.

“The Hon. Hugh Boynton,” Rose had stormed at him across the campfire, “can bullyrag his mother and his slaters, but his wife is just plain American and she will not be ordered as if she were one of his pointers’" The Hon. Hugh had straightened his stalwart figure into lines of adamantine stiffness. “I thought my request was for your own good. Rose,” he had said. “Request!’? Rose had repeated indignantly, “It was not a request. It was an order. I would do anything on earth that you asked me to do, but I won’t be

ordered to do things ‘for my best good!’ Hugh, what do you know about these Wisconsin pines? I was born and bred in them.” Hugh had looked at her In utter bewilderment. The subtle difference between requesting and ordering the same thing was quite lost on him. He knew that he loved the beautiful, stormy girl before him, but something in his English blood made him feel that If he came to her point of view he would belittle himself. So he had merely turned his back on his wife, saying In his Oxford drawl: “I’m sure I don’t care to discuss the matter further.” Rose had stared at him In utter amassment as he made the preparations for the day’s hunt Never In all her spoiled young life had she been so outraged and ignored. Without a word she pulled her soft cap down over her ears, turned up the collar of her great white sweater, slipped her moccaslned

feet under the tnongs of her snowshoes and made off to the south through the clear morning air. "I am going back to Westhaven,” she had said to herself. “I can stop at Levant’s lumber camp for supper, and from there take the main road and reach Westhaven by midnight I’ve not been alone In the woods at night but I guess I won’t be afraid.” Bo all the bright winter day she had kept her course, her anger and resentment increasing as she drew farther from the bunting lodge. "Why did I ever suggest this hunting trip?” she thought bitterly. "I wish we were back in London! But—this was bound to come anyhow, so perhaps It Is as well to have things end here as there. For I will not go back to him and his domineering.” The stillness gradually grew oppressive. As the shadows in the distance darkened and closed nearer, there stole through Rose’s anger the consciousness that she had had no luncheon and that there was no hope of her reaching Levant’s before darkness set in. She half paused. “Goodness!” she thought. "What shall I do if it gets dark before I reach Levant’s? I had forgotten that possibility. And when I get there what excuse shall I make for being there?’ Twilight was deepening, coming with no gorgeousness of sunset or afterglow, for the overhanging boughs, with their snowy covering, were all but impenetrable. Little by little the tree trunks turned from green and brown to black. Little by little the,snow took a bluish hue that darkened into the purple of the drooping boughs, and the air grew raw and sharp with a little night breeze that made Rose shiver as the glow of heavy exercise departed with her first weariness. Her course was now more difficult. As darkness seemed assured she constantly stumbled, but caught herself each time. But the straining told on the thongs of her snowshoes. Suddenly, she could not tell how, the fastenings on one shoe gave way, and she was thrown violently forward. Had the fall taken place In the soft snow Rose would have been unharmed, but she had just arrived at the brow of a slight slope almost wind swept of snow. As the girl scrambled to her feet her left arm dangled uselessly at her side. With a little moan she slipped her other foot from Its snowshoe, then stood for a moment, pain and terror of the darkness rendering her weak and helpless. Then her courage returned to her. “Nonsense!” she thought. “I’ve been in the woods alone before. I mustn’t get frightened even if it is dark and I don’t know where I am.”

She took from the pocket of her skirt a tiny oilskin packet. John, the guide, allowed no one in the lodge to be without matches. “I’ll light a fire,” she said, “and camp right here for the night.” Dizzy with pain and hunger, she painfully gathered together some dead branches and, kindling a cheerful blaze, sat down before it. The pain in her arm was very great, and she rolled back her sleeve and plied soft handfuls of snow on the flesh. The whispering of the night through the pines seemed very sad and lonely to Rose. It was only by watching the beauty of the scarlet fire glow on snow and sweeping branches and murmuring over and over to herself that she was not afraid that the girl kept herself from screaming with terror.

Then from out the darkness behind her came the soft fluff fluff of hurrying snowshoes, and Hugh, hot and breathless, stood before her. “Rose!” he cried. “Rose! I thought I had lost you”’ Rose looked up at him In amazement. “How did you find me, Hugh?” "Find you! Why, I’ve been following you ever since you left the lodge. But just at dusk my snowshoe broke, and before I could patch It up you were out of sight.” Rose put another handful of snow on her arm. Hugh threw himself down beside her. “Oh, Rose,” he cried, “what have you done to yourself?” Rose looked up at him. Suddenly she realized how she had been belittling a great thing in satisfying her foolish pride. Suddenly she saw that this was best of all; not that she keep her girlish vanities, but that their love held true no matter who ordered or who obeyed. Suddenly she felt as If she wanted things as they had been at any cost.

"Hugh,” she said, “I don’t mind. Order me about all you want to; only take care of me and don’t let me go away again.” Again the little bewildered look came Into Hugh’s face as he gathered her close. "I don’t want to order you. Rosie.” he satd. ‘1 was stubborn, and you know what Is for your own best good anyhow. All I want is you, and for the rest you may do as you please.’’

"ROSE!" HE CRIED “I THOUGHT I HAD LOST YOU!”