River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-07-05

| Point next eek, aud strike OH from there"
You can't chop, said Raldy, contemptu-
ously
yes. / eau, too
well, then, 20" Raldy spoke crustily.
] Sine would not give the pceping neighbors any
| Cnance to accuse her OF spending soft words
| on Sim PEBBLES. Yet truth 10 saw she no
| longer held him in the low respect which she
| had expressed II the screed delivered TO hef
| gossiping neighbors, and which her LANGUAGE
/ to him would see:1 60 indicate. In these long,
quiet weeks since she had come to live IN his
| humble cabin, she had detected in the lonely,
| saddened man qualities which had softened
| he' -.eare toward him. He loved his children
and though lie knew little enough how to care
/ Tor them, he yet minded them devoiedly in
| his own rough way. Then Sim Pebbles almost
Womanish face was yet handsome aud attrac-
| tYe--Ehen 1t was clean and shaver; aud ouC
| day Raldy had come Unexpectedly upon him
| WITH his eyes wet with tears, gazing upon a
picture, which her quick vision noted before he
| couli put II away, as q likeness OF his old
mother
"Humphi7 said Raldy to herself quite angry
at little secret tenderness which the sight had
! evoked in her "Slm PEBBLES puts on consider
] able about lis mother bnt I notice he didn't
i get her new dress while she was here, and il
| she had enough TO eat it was because she hoed
! the clearing aud dug the potatoes.
| STILL It was fact, and Rudy, in q dim, un-
| willing way. knew it. that she was daily grow
ing 70 SET higher value uDOn sim PEBBLES
tnau he deserved, and she felt this more def
| nitely than before when he told her that he was
| going ''up in the pines. There was in her a
| strange, an uureasouing aversion to having
| him 90, glad as she was to see him developing
something Of the courage OF q man.
| She had repealed so fereeIy the young men
| who, won to admiration by her spirit and good
| looks. had dared to make her any overtures,
/ that Raldy had never vet had regular love
affair, and, as ie usually the case with a st rong
| and relf-reiiant woman, weakness had won
where force had failed shC could not help
| acting little more tender and apprOachabIe
| than her wont as the day drew near for Sim
| PEBBLES to go; and Sm-poor sim, who had
come To worship the YeTy ground that Raldy
| trod-Sim fe!. It, bat he did not dare to speak,
lie was to start On Monday ana fialdy had
patched and daTned lis clothes till he was I'll
to 80 sunday rro,:iing she went, as usual to
the little lutheran chapel the only place of
I worship s. hlch Dearborn City afforded ami
who're her mother had been ono Of tho most
devout attendants, and, having come home
again, she got the dinner and fed the children
Then she turned them ont to play in the clear
ing, aud leaving the door ajaT--fur it was one
u the mildest aud pleasautest DAYS of early
wiuter-she went singing about her WcrE 5im
Peebles watched her - sic moved here and
there and Ralc~ Independent ana imperious
a. st2e vas, stole now and then a turtye glance
al him
Giles handsome, she thought, dreamiIv. as
she gave a casual glance at Sims waving hair
aud large brown eyes "but," coming 50 her
self little. Chow shftess lie is But he's
klud, wandering OF again, land he's done
some brave dccds-Dut no pride, no ambition
But he's honest" thought Raldy again; s'no-
.3dy ever said Sim PEBBLES wasn't honest:
th res nothing mean about sim PEBBLES, and
that's ono reason, eZcusIugiy, ''Why he's so
poor.' and then her thoughts drifted off to
what Mrs Jenks aud Mrs Smith, Ler hateful
ueighJors, would say. if she should happen.
by chance-of course she wouidu't even if
sim should ask her-but what would they all
say, what would Mart say If she should ever
happen to marry Sim PEBBLES?
Here 3ady checked herself, for she was
Standing absently, with plate of butter in her
hand, the butter IN great danger of slipping,
and her song quite still. She had been singing
the old revival hvn,.
Aud when pass from here TO thee,
Dear Lord dear Lord, remember me"
Sim saw his opportunity, and s5ized il, and
as she hurried into Re little pantry and ont
again he spoke quietly and earnestly:
THAT'S what I've been thinking Raldy-
something like, mean. When I'm gone away,
remember me.
'sTm not likely to forget Won, with the young
steers under my feet all day." retorted Raldy,
With asperity.
You have been very kind to me and rhine,
continued Sim, with = choice &c words which
proclaimed an early raining greatly superior
10 that OF the rough mon around him. Raldy
recognized This superiority 1t was, indeed,
one ef SIMS strongest claims upon her favor.
But she was not to be tempted from her role.
Il didn't suppose you had noticed it, she
said taUtly.
Noticed it, Why, Galdy!" in a tone of deep
reproach. "Aud you can't Think wanted to
tell you before | went awsy--you can't think,
Rady how it kind of spurs me mp to try and
be somebody JHat's what makes me want to
| In
want But here Sim PEBBLES choked up
His courage had given ont Raldy feit hers
oozing out, too
q guess m go hona5 iii supper, she said,
and she derfe1 away
After supper she put the children to bed,
hud then brushed mp the hearth aud put the
little cabin to rights, Sim meanwhile deYo,1r-
ing her, "a usual, with Ills eyes Haldy had
captured him. soul and tY8d' and the nearer
be came to tie r-hiilne sacrifice which he
felt he WIS., making for her sake the more
e5iafletcly his passion dominated him Raldv
moved for her hat and shawl, aud murmured
something IN manner strangely UnliSe Ter
self, abOut going home Ia Mart, when Sim
PEBBLES caught he' h3ui-uo man had ever
dared 20 touch haldy SCOTS person before
and begged her 70 sit down for moment with
him by the fire.
'You know" Sim said, brokouly, and with a
face like ashes, its my last night. Raldv.
With all his love, he stood III absolute terror
IF her
Raid, sat own with strange docility, but
Sim could speak after all, and they sat Tor
sever j moments IN silence.
~ III, " said ltaldy, At last getting up IN her
Did arrogant way, Il guess III go"
say first said Sin, swallowing hard, and
Ralds 'hsa Snaybe when come home, if do
we'll, Raldy. and turn ont better, that" He
par ed
hat whats1 questioned RaIdy, il so gontlo
a tone that Sim took heart wonderfully,
II hat maybe you'll you'll marry me, and
i've here always, and see to the children"
IL was all ont now, and Sim drew deep sigh
he turned his hssIsome, effemnate face,
almost strong in its expression Of intense love,
rull upon the strangely hesitating woman
Raldy dropped into her seat again. and buried
her face in hpF hands Then she let them fall
slowly and said with a serious and deliberate
air which would have dauntod a less persistent
suttor
''You're an honest fellow, Sim-and you
know that's a good deal 10 me-and you're
good looking. but | declare / don't know of
any other earthly reason why should marry
YOU 1on couldn't support nie How yOu have
had to lily around to get enough for ms TO eat
since ! have been herel Aud what wages have
son paid
sna fairly covered before her; put. with
goman's peryersty, RaIdy SCOTS love only
burned the more tierceiy
Its ali true he sad, mOuTfully ''hHt
Iou't you see, Raldy, I'm turning over new
leaf I'm going To work, and I'm going T.
how yoH, and the rest Of them, that ] can b.
ike other men"
As RalIy looked at him tear glittered in her
syg.
wall. =" She said, rising, aud with no hint in
her voice OF the tear, when sou come back'n
te time enough to see"
'0h, but, Raldy, cried poor sim, who had
reached Just the point where despair sub
lines 10 power won't yen tell me that Won
love me-just a l.tle2n He fell ON the floor at
her feet and buried his face in her dress
Haven't You any tGaaght about me- he
went 90, piteousiy. 'only tcat I'm p worthless
fellow
''sin, you fool. said Ral3y, raising him up
S5th more {, tnistEess Than her words would
have Yea 80 on this wayli | hadn't? Good
los SIM aud slipping away before lie could stop
her, I;aluy left HIM with such consolation as he
sJuld gather from her last remark.
sim aid not go hll 8 o'clock uJ 1t morning.
au1 meant TO nave s few more words with I,ai&y
before he left; but she was cold and incisiye a.
usual. when she came in At dayhreak and size
went about her work ia q way that proeiuGed
further conversation. Once she coiored violel Z
Is when Sim caught her eye, aud some tender
words rose 70 his lips at the sight; but
10 4ked at him again so stsrnly that he was :
- withdraw into himself at once, aud dared n
plead his case further.
The days Of the winter wore slowly awAv,
wAi3e Baldv did her self-appointed task. and
bore uDfiin hingly the slurs of the gossips, snd
the Thousand little rbsome trials Of her POSI-
ton At last the intense cold began to vie.
March gllded into April Tho ice in the river
thawad, and daily among its floating masses
came down great RATS OF legs, guided by sturdy
jumberulen, whose crtes echoed and re-echaai