Part 51 (1/2)

CHAPTER XXIII

The Fight in the Woods

I did not engage any one to fill Jake's place, for I felt that no man really could fill it In any case, with the approach of the intry weather, the work at Golden Crescent diminished I did not have the continuous supplies to make ready for the Camps, such as they deenerally took away enough to last theain, Jake had cut, sawn and stacked allbefore he took sick

Taking all these things into consideration, I decided I would go through the winter, at least, without fresh help

Mary Grant and Mrs Male over the way

Often I asked Mary,--al the storements so far

Not once, but h the reserve which she had hedged round herself ever since our evening in the lagoon after our first fishi+ng experience e had drawn so near in syetto be told, for soht lose her altogether

Rita's lessons went on apace Twice a week she cas for instruction She was quickly nearing the point where I would be of no further service, for I had i in the way of actual grammar

I hoped to be able to complete her course before Christmas came round

Then it would beone a wonderful change There were no slangy expressions now; no ”ain'ts” or ”I guess”; no plural nouns with singular verbs; no past participles for the past tense; no split infinitives To all intents and purposes, Rita Clark had taken a course of instruction at a good graenerally! Even her dress and her deport

It is always so The forward progress in any one direction ress in alh still iht have been proud to have for a wife

One rainy night, she and I were sitting by the stove in my front room

I was in an easy chair, with a book inin front of ainstA lance at her

She had turned and was staring toward theand her eyes were growing larger and larger every rew pale, while her lips parted and an expression, akin to fear, began to creep into her eyes

I turned my head hurriedly to the , but all was dark over there and the rain was pattering and splashi+ng against the glass

Still, Rita sat staring, although the look of fear had gone

I laid my hand on her shoulder

”Rita, Rita!--what in the world is wrong?”

”Oh, George,--I,--I saw Joe's face at theI never saw hihed

”Why!--you foolish little woman, I looked over there almost as soon as you did, but I saw no one”

”But he was there, I tell you,” she repeated

I rose to go to the door