THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 11755, 20 July 1916, Page 4

THE FIFTH COMMANDMENT.

Mrs Edgerton Hunter came out among the young peoplo she and old Edgea'ton had assembld to celebrate their grandson's graduation from medical school.

a lt ought not to take Edge an hour to walk over to old John Knox's house and bring that waist I expect to ,wear to-night!"

Kenneth Parker laughed. " Edge is under a tree studying out thirtyse!ven different methods of setting a bone, mother, the world, including his best girl, forgotten." The old couple who had brought up young Hunter, and were inordinately proud of his charm o£ manner and. his talent, had selected young Frances Gale, an old friend's daughter, as a suitable wife for him. , _ Frances, in full accord with their wishes, flushed, vexed at Kenneth's last words.'

Edgerton wa3 indeed beneath a Golden Sweet apple tree on the farm of Augustus Rogers, the biggest tobacco grower, ne'xt to Edgerton Hunter, in that section of the State. Ho was watching Lizzie Knox and her mother paro apples, drinking in the daughter's beauty, her slender height, her gracefully poised' head, with its wonderful red-brown hair, and her soft hazel eyea. The first sight of the girl had sent a thrill of delight through Edgerton. He had not taken his eyes off her, and Lizzie, embarrassed, had at last reminded her mother Mrs Hunter s waist must be pressed and had gone indoors. Then the simple, friendly old mother had told him their history. They were mountain people who had come down into the blue grass years before. John had taken to raising tobacco. Ho was weakly, but Lizzie helped him m their small crop. „ "None of the other women folk hereabouts works in • the crops," she went on in her soft drawl, encouraged by her attentive listener, '' but Lizzie, she's powerful'good to her pappy. Tain't as if Lizzie hadn't no chance o schoolin' ner nothin''. Mrs Rogers, she's paid her way at college in town fer three year. Lizzie, she's gom to grauuate; then she's goin' to teach and let her pappy kind o' take it "The reason.you ham't. never seen us before, I reckon, is we've lived on Mr Roger's t'other place, t other side o' town, until this year." Edgerton went away in another world from that in which he had come. . ihe touch of Lizzie's fingers when she Handed the bundle had made him tmglo. Only a mighty effort kept his tongue from telling her thsn and tucio that he loved her. But his eyes spoke. _ Lizzie looked after .her heart beating suffocatingly. "lie ought not to have looked at me like that!" she thought, troubled but strangely happy. Tnat evening Edgerton unwillingly dressed for the Rogers dance, given in honour of his guests. She, the daughter of a tobacco tenant, would not be there 1 But at ten o'clock, when he led Frances Gale—a dazzling thing in pale blue silk, her pale gold hair piled high on her head—to the dining-room, he saw his new-found goddess in a simple white dress, a red rose pinned upon her bodice and with her shining hair low on her white neck, moving deftly about, serving the cakes and ices Later he saw her in the ballroom, modestly watching the dancei-3. Hor delicate colour forsook her at his glance, her eyes dropped and presently she slipped out of the room. Before the next dance Edgerton left the dancers and made a hasty survoy of the dining-room, the long porches and the grounds. In a little hol'.ow in the hillside yard, quite hidde-i from the driveway, was a

rustic bench. Edgerton's eager eyes saw a white-clad figure flitting like a moth toward this seat.

" Sweetheart," he said softly, when ho stood beside her.

" Please go away,"' she faltered. " You'd no right to follow me out here." lie took _ the protesting hand she raised. She could feel that he was shaking and that his heart was beating like one that had been running. "I love you, Lizzie," lie breathed. " I love you !" The blood left her face. " You can't mean that!" she gasped. "You can't mean that I I—my people are pooi working people and yours are rich and proud I And you—you never saw me before to-day I You insult me saying those things I'' His eyes flashed. "God forbid I" His voice was hoarse with earnestness. " When I first saw you this afternoon, beautiful and unselfish and good, I loved vou I _ I lcve you! believe me, Lizzie I Give me a little time and I will make you " But the girl had fled and Edgerton saw her no more that evening. # Late the next afternoon Lizzie, sitting, pale and troubled, in the long grass at the edge of her father's tobacco "patch," saw a well-set r up figure in white flannels coming toward her. Without invitation, Edgerton threw himself down beside her and looked at her with clear, honest eyes. "Oh, Lizzie, my dear," he said softly, "tell me you believe I love you." The girl picked uneasily at" a wild purple cockle in the grass. "0," she murmured reproachfully, " you know your people don't mingle with tobacco people! What would your grandfather say if he heard you?" Edgerton's head went up. " Grandfather married the woman he loved and so shall I, if I can make her love me!

You sre asking me to marry you?" she breathed, a starry light in hereyes that died instantly when she caught sight of a dusty figure in the next field, stolidly hoeing its unobserving way toward them.

Oh) go away!" she cried, "before old Nathan Russell sees you. I can't have people thinking and saying wrong things about you. Please go!" Ldgerton's pulses quickened. He wanted to stay, to tell her a thousand things, but fear trembled in her voice. He stepped quickly over the low fenco fiiid was gone. At home a telegram awaited him. A brother physician required his immediate presence in another town. A week later he boarded a home-ward-bound train. "I'll stop on the way home and see her and make her answer me," he thought. But twenty-five miles from home the tram was wrecked. Edgerton, unhurt, worked for hours over the injured before he remembered to send his parents c telegram of his safety. Then he took another train.

Half-way across Rogers's pasture field be carne upon Lizzie, standing beside an old elm, her hands over bar wh.to face. She gave a glad cry at aur * n ext instant he nad her against his breast; •' I heard about the wreck," she sobbed. "I thought you were dead. O, <7™ TOn ' you were dead!" Then you do love me!" he exulted, bssmg h e j, press-ng her close in his « T U Ve Let- me go." she pleaded. " J can't marry you Edgerton; never. I can't ta.ve you from your people. They look << r>° n fatller an<3 mother." ,s oin £ tome and talk to grandfather, Edgerton went on as though he did not hear her. "It's enough that you love me." consent to your marriage to this Knox girl," the old man said at last, if she agrees to one condition, l wiJI go down to see her now. and if shos refined and unselfish, as you think 111 be able to see. No, Edge, I will go alone."

"My grandson wishes to marry you, ha said abruptly to Lizzie, S® stood in the' Knox shabby little living rom, " and my wife assures me you will not be a- discredit to us, but I do*not wish my grandchildren—should I have any—to have to call a pair of poor working folks their mother's parents. I consent to the marriage on one condition. I will buy your parents a homo in another State and v/ili arrange to make an investment that wj'i .give them a small living income, but after your marring.? yon must have nothing further to do with them, neither by visit nor correspondence. " "i ou will have all that 1 can give my son—a good name and finally all my property. My wife and I will, treat ycu as a daughter. "Will you agree to the condition?" The girl stood straight and proud before the old Southerner. Iny hazel eyes soft no longer, but blazing- 1 thank you. no!" she said. Her mother touched her. '''Honey," eho -answered, "we ccrrt do nothin' for ycj an.' we want ye t-o have tile best. Tell 'im yes—hit.'il be all right with me and pappy!" Lir.zie looked at her father. Agree to hit. honey!" he ochoed tremulously. The girl turned to old TvJ;>;erton < r ,r;ain. " You see, they would let you trample their hearts for me," she fcaul. I don't know Hdgerton very well—hut T love him, and it will be like death to give him up. but I will keep them! If it kills me to give him up I will breathe my last on my mother's breast, with my father bending over raeV A strange pmile spread itself over old Hmurr'ji face. '' Good night," he said gently. Edgier con mot him at the door. " Well, grandfather?" " You can go down and tell your girl I-agree to your marriage without any condition whatsoever. You can tell her for ir»c, Edjerton, that she has stood my test—that die young woman who holds to the litvh Commandment is the granddaughter I desire!"