And no one else must know."
Lois Ann had torn the cawl from Nella-Rose's baby face--had felt, in her
superstitious heart, that the child was mysteriously destined to see
wide and far; and now, with agony that she struggled to conceal, she
knew that to her was given the task of drawing the veil from the soul of
the girl at her feet in order that she might indeed see far and wide
into the kingdom of suffering women.
For a moment the woman fenced, she would put the cup from her if she
could, like all humans who understand.
"You--are yo' lying to me?" she asked faintly, and oh, but she would
have given much to hear the girl's impish laugh of assent. Instead, she
saw Nella-Rose's eyes grow deadly serious.
"It's no lie, Miss Lois Ann; it's a right beautiful truth."
"And for days and nights you stayed alone with this man?"
The lean hand, with unrelenting strength, now gripped the drooping face
and held it firmly while the firelight played full upon it, meanwhile
the keen old eyes bored into Nella-Rose's very soul.
"But he--he is my man! You forget the--marrying on the hill, Miss Lois
Ann!"
The voice was raised a bit and the colour left the trembling lips.
"Your man!" And a bitter laugh rang out wildly.
"Stop, Miss Lois Ann! Yo' shall not look at me like that!"
The vision was dulled--Nella-Rose shivered.
"You shall not look at me like that; God would not--why should you?"
"God!"--the cracked voice spoke the word bitterly.
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