The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-11-28

the yellower pumpkins that gathered
about his feet, and the far twitter of the
swallows in the caves of his red-roofed
hOme-that embraced even Kitty her.
self, half a mile away-Joe's heart was
full, and he got courage, and if he'd
only gone there and then asked Kitty,
all might have been well; but he must
needs 60 home and don his Sunday-go-
to-meeten' clothes for the occasion,
which took half the heart out of his re-
solve, and in the mean while a long,
limbed horse was making quick work OF
the road that led to Kitty's door and a
man who was easy in his Sunday clothes
every day in the week was bent
upon the same decision. The stiff collar
rasped JOe's neck as he went slowly to
the village; his coat was too tight in
the sleeves; he grew redder and redder,
till he knew that the doomed Thanks
giving turkey gobler's comb was nothing
to him; the perspiratiOn rolled from his
honest rubicund face, and he began to
wish he'd find Kitty out when he got
there: he could talk to her mother, and
she could talk to Kitty, and it would
come kind of easier somehow. And
suddenly he stepped aside; there was q
rush of wheels in his ears, high yellow
wheels, and a vision of somebody hail
ing him politely, somebody with an easy
way of wearing good clothes, and some
thing about him that would have per-
suaded Joe to take off his hat to him if
he hadn't been too mad and flustered
and curious and afraid. Joe went
modify on, and suddenly his scarlet
face grew pale and the blood in his veins
grew cold, when before Kitty's door he
saw the high-wheeled newly mended
wagon of the city fellow he had driven
to the railroad the other night, and his
long-lmbed newly shod horse paving
the ground before Kitty's gate; and
presently out came Kitty herself, shawled
and hooded, her eyes sparkling, her
cheeks glowing, and beside her was the
stranger, who nodded pleasantly to Joe.
Kitty nodded kindly too, he thought,
and it seemed to him Mrs. Benson called
to him to come in. Joe wouldn't be
certain about these things. His head
whirled around as Kitty drove away; it
seemed to him the whole world took
sOmersault, and left him sick and sore,
SO that he could just get strength to
crawl home to the farm, and dOff his
Sunday clothes, throw them in heap
on the bed, himself upon them, and
there lie through the long October af-
ternoon, the prey to a misery he had
never dreamed of.
The sun went down, the fowls went to
rOost, and an old hoary owl that might
have had more heart laughed mOcking-
ly at Joe through his bedroom window.
And then Joe, who dawdled so over the
asking for sweetheart, made up his
mind quickly enough to more rueful
work, for that very night when he went
down to supper, and never ate a mouth
full, he declared to the good folks assem-
bled there that he intended to 90 out
West to settle-he was sick of the land
hercabouts.
What the plaques the matter with
the land?" said his father. "It's the
same as twas yesterday, and then you
talked of plowin' up the meadow next
spring, and drainin' the gully, and the
Lord knows what and all. What's come
W YOU HOW, JOe!
Alas! what, indeed, had come to poor
Joe? He never made the least effort to
regain his footing with Kitty. He gave
up all hope of the sweet future that had
seemed to him his birthright. To marry
Kitty Benson, and settle down on the |
old homestead as his father and grand
father had done before him, seemed as
natural to Joe as seed-time and harvest. |
He never had the slightest desire to
swerve from the somewhat tame and |
life these people led from
vear to year. Even now his soul was
vearning for it, when it was full of re-
DelliOn and riot, and bent upon break
ng down every barrier that lay between
he big tumultuous waves within him
md those of the unknown world beyond.
The weary days went on, each of
them heavier and more desOlate. In
lair weather or foul Joe walked and
aimless, lstless and forlorn,
choosing the most desolate places, shun-
ling and forbidding all companionship
# man or beast.
"There's that roam colt" said old
Toe COmstOck, "that was like the apple
# his eye to Joe; it amt no more to
lin now than a polecat. And if twa'n't
or me the hull o. that ten-acre field
night ha' gone to thunder with rot and
mold. Don't talk to me o. Thank Civ
n; when ones own flesh and blood
urns agin you that way, what is there
o be thankful for?'
1t was well on in November, and the
was somewhat sere and worn.
he day was waning, and it seemed to
fr. Morton as they drove along that the
varmth had all fled from the scene .
bout them and nestled in Kitty's hair.
here was subdued and timid ex-
ression in her face that lent it an I'M !
sual charm. The curves about her !,
lOuth dropped like those of an ag-
rieved child, and she had not spoken a /.
ord for the last mile or two. Mr..
[orton could hesitate no longer. 1t
ould be an easy thing, he thought, to =
ear away the usual exuberant gayety q
lat detracted from Kitty's present =