THE HACKBERRY TREE TELLS HIS STORY 75 



After walking around quite a while, going to the 

 north some distance, he returned to his horse, now 

 fully rested. After adjusting the saddle and 

 affectionately patting him on the neck, he mounted 

 and rode away in the direction from which he had 

 come. 



"A few days later, one beautiful afternoon the 

 same man on the big bay horse returned and with 

 him was a young woman mounted on a wonderful 

 black mare, whose glossy coat shone like ebony. 

 The two young people seemed to be very much 

 attached to each other, and also to be intensely 

 interested in the new and beautiful country. They 

 rode all around, looking the country over from 

 different points, and just before leaving they stopped 

 directly where you are now planted. There in the 

 light of the October sunset, as the golden and crim- 

 son rays filtered through the leaves of the hard 

 maple tree and lighted up the gorgeous brown hair 

 of the young woman, whose poke bonnet had fallen 

 to her shoulders, the young man rode to her side and, 

 placing his arm around her, drew her to hun in a 

 long, loving embrace. At the same time the big 

 bay horse and the beautiful black mare affection- 

 ately rubbed their noses together with a mutual 

 understanding. Only a few days elapsed when sev- 



