Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-10-19
At THE wOOL.PICKING.

"Good-evenin'. Mis- Hornish."
why, Is that YOU, Mis- ManlyP
Come I'm, won't you? / wouldn't n
knOwed YOU, but for your voice, secin'
MS your bonnet is So fur over your face.
an this ham a-fryin' does make scch
fumes around my head"
Mis- Manly stood i'm the doorway.
10 was dusk. She wore n long gray
bonnet OF the kind known rs Shaker
with VOlumnOus skirt that wrapped
her figure like n comfortable mantle. If
YOU could have pecpcd like star within
that bonnet, you would have seen n
very tired, worn face. and eyes that
looked with something like envy into
the comfortable kitchen where Mis-
Hornish WIS frying bacon for "his"
supper. (In this Western country. the
shy matrons always speak of their hus-
bands ~ "hc.')
" It's so late I cant stop" said Mis-
Manly. 81 Just dropped round to saw
was tryin' To git up u wool-pickin' for
tomorrow an To see It YOU an Deb
would come"
Dcbby Hornish was busy ut the iron.
tng.tablc, pressing out u white dress
with an oycrskirt and three runics; but
she stopped moment. pushing back
the little black rings Of hair from her
rOsy brow, to say;
why. Mis- Manly. what pityi I'd
have helped you with all the pleasure in
life; hut there's the picnic! Whatever
possessed you To- have the wool-pickin
tho same day?"
." Amt IL Just my luck2" cried the
widow. You see. I've been Kind a.
slack about my wool: an ycstiddy
moruiu' MIR Simllns said il I'll have Il
ready agin Thursday. that he'd take il
In 10 Mulkytown an sell IL for me. It's
the only chance III get a. send il of.
AMI wool Is up now to fifty cents i'm
money. and iifty-hve in trade; So | lust
felt as II ! must gee il out tomorrow.
como what might
How many have promised to
como9"
well. YOU see, this picnic spoils
everything. I could a-got fifteen or
twenty, and we could n FINISHED IL mn
before noon. But everybody was plum
crazy about this picnic. | Amt rot the
promise Of norm five ladies, an YOU
know that Amt no show NJ all To- pick
uut the wool Of twelve sheep; an il
seems like my sheep was always the
dirticst shccp-an' the fondcst o. bram-
blcs aud bricr-hcdgcs-of any in the
country"
Hero Miss Manly let few tears fall.
mild rs the rain ut n drilling day, and
quite rs depressing
"lt.s too bad for anything" cried
Mrs. Hornish, with hearty sympathy.
"I'll come over. Of course; but Deb
You know, couldn't give up tho pic
mic"
Law no, IL couldn't be expected: I'm
powerful glad To have you. You'll come
early. won't yOuP"
'T'll be bound that ret over before
you have your dishes done up.r said
Mrs. HOrnish. with Jolly laugh.
Tho Widow Manly took her sad face
home, the supper was dishcd: che
came in from the whcathcld; and the
white dress was fin shed and flutcd: but
somehow Dobby Hornish did not feel
quite happy.
"She did look so pitiful. she thought.
recalling the pinched little face under
The sun-bonnct. III should have been
80 glad To have helped her"
In truth, the poor. complaining little
woman needed help good many times
I'm the course OF the year. "Ho' had
been killed In mill where he worked
some five years before. leaving TO his
wife four children, n small farm. few
sheep and COW; all Of which she man.
aged as we'll as her load of fears. agita-
lions and chills allowed. They all had
chills. poor things; they had given up
the doctor as vain luxury. but they
bought quinine and calomel by the
pound. and worked on dismaliy be-
tween the shakes. A wool-picking was
one Of tho hardest ''chores" of the
year.
Are there any Of my city-bred young
folks who don't know what a WOOL
picking Tsp II Is n careful picking over
Of the wool after Il has been sheared 10
tree Il from burrs. brambles, berries,
5panish-needles. dry mud and dead in
,ects that lively sheep will collect in
his rambles through the world. Further
north the sheep are taken TO sparkling.
running stream. and well washed be-
lore taoy are clipped; but In the stag
nant. ooffeo-colored creeks Of the West
this would be q useless ceremony.
mot half dozen In the county 10