Western Kansas world., 1885-04-18

"Afraid?" he answered. Such thing
az fear. was almost unknown to Kate
Wilde.
She clasped her arms around his neck
whispered into his ear, her cheeks flush.
ing brightly, then sat down in the rocker
and cried as if her heart would break
Rube stood the gun in the corner, threw
aside the leggings and cried too.
The next morning when the Winter
sun beamed upon the cabin the little log
shelter held three souls instead of two
| A wee stranger had come in the night,
a bright-eyed baby girl. Her weak cry
seemed to move all the better part OF
the husbands nature, and his wife
looked on with q newborn confidence
in her face. After q week, when Kate
was able to SIT up, Rube went to relate
the happy event to his grandparents.
It was the first time he had visited them
| for months. Very early in the morning
he started, and when the afternoon
shadows began to lengthen Kate looked
out eagerly for his return. It was to-
ward daybreak when he appeared, bis
hands and feet almost frozen and his
senses stupeied by liquor. The wlfe's
new hopes were destined to be short,
lived. Freshly made promises, marked
the morrow, but days went by only to
see them unfulflled. Now there was a
new torture. Rube had forsaken Wash
burns and made his visits to Pineville
| instead, where Kate's father and mother
lived. It was almost more than the wo-
mans nature could bear to know that
her parents were the frequent witnesses
of her husbands disgrace. This was a
sort of thing which she could not and
would not long brook.
Little Kate, the baby, was month old
to day when Rube made preparations
one morning for trip to Pineville. Kate
looked on silently for few moments
and then said:
"Where are you going?'.
"Only to Pineville."
"What fOr?"
"To see about some powder and stuff. 7"
"That is untrue. You are going to
spend the day with worthless COM
panions, and you will come back stupid
with liquor. Rube, listen to me. l have
stood all it is possible for me to endure.
L
abandon habit which has disgraced us
both. My pleadings have brought
nothing. l cannot and will not have our
child grow up to know father who is a
drunkard. If you refuse to stay at home
l have said my last say. Go to Pine
vile if you insist upon doing 80, but if
you are not here sober by sunset l shall
60 with the baby to fathers, and in this
house shall never set my foot again"
That's all talk" Rube answered in q
rough, joking, half serious fashion.
why, it's fifteen miles to Pineville."
"No matter" was the firm rejoinder.
"I will make the start if the child and l
freeze to death by the way"
"Look out for the wolves" Rube laugh
ed again. 'There has been half a dozen
seen lately. 1t has been hard Winter
for them, and they're most starved"
evolves or no wolves" muttered Kate,
"I'l CO."
Rube hung about the house uneasily
for an hour or SO, then rugged himself
out, leggings, buffalo coat, gun and all.
Kate worked away and said never word.
He opened the door and without looking
back remarked:
"Tll be here by sunset"
"See that you are," was the reply. eff
you come here later the house will be
empty"
The wife watched his form across the
clearingand saw it disappear in the heavy
timber which circled the cabin. She
turned to her household duties, but had
no heart for them. Well she knew that
Rube Wexford would break his last prom
ise as he had broken others before it. If
so he must abide by the result. She was
determined.
The day went by at snail's pace, and
the afternoon seemed never ending.
Kate fondled the baby, listened to her
crow and cry, and fed her dozen times.
Then she prepared supper, and sunset
came when it was completed. But it
brought no Rube. So the moments
passed until the clock struck ten. The
baby was fast asleep. Kate rose from a
chair at the cradles side, look Of firm
determination on her face, and opening
the cabin door she peered across the
clearing. Not soul was visible. She
closed the door, went to the chest and
took from it a pair of old-fashioned
skates, whose steel runners cleaned in
the fre-light. She laid them ready for
use, and proceeded to wrap herself as
warmly as possible. Then she bundled
the baby in the same manner, lifting her
tenderly in her arms, and with the
ekates slung over her shoulder started
across the clearing. After reaching the
timber she left the beaten path and
made for the river. It was coated
heavily with ice, and the wind had blown
it almost free from snow leaving q near
ly naked surface. Kate laid the baby
down for few moments while she fast
ened or her skates. Then she lifted her
baby once more and started for Pine
vile, fifteen miles away.
Rube Wexford sat by the warm fire
which was surrounded by q dozen men
besides himself. He had been there for |
hours listening to anecdotes of hunters