Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1888-03-01

nerves, when I have talked with him q
little while; young and inexperienced as
he is, there is nothing insipid in his
youth"
The jaded mules crept by her door
with lumber and material for the new
house. She sat by the window dreaming,
vaguely. nearly the whole day.
Every day for a week. Bryon and his
friend hammered and sawed, and the /
house was complete. This day the little |
mules brought out different load-six
lady, and numerous trunks. |
THAT little house won't hold them all,
Sunnie thought, as she counted the ur-
chins. Monday morning Of the next
week she discovered new lumber and
men at work upon the quarter south of
hei. 81 shall soon be surrounded with
people; thought was to be a hermit
this winter" At noon Lee Byron came
to her door.
oMay come in2 and will You give me
a cup of tea? 1t is chilly day, and
was too tired to eat cold lunch in this
north wind"
She gave him cordial welcome, II
am thankful you gave me the pleasure OF
your company, and you shall share my
dinner, for want to ask you great
many questions"
IAN right--only they will set better on
a full stomach" he replied.
"Neyer fear, Mr.. Byron cannot cook
and talk at the same time, that is an ac-
complishment never acquired"
He sat in low, easy chair by the win
dow and watched her indolently, while
she sat the small table with beautiful
linen, silver and schiaa, equal to his
mothers best. She had only roast beef
and baked potatoes, with a warm apple
pie and bread and butter, besides the
cup of tee he had asked for, yet there
was flavor, dantiness about each dish
that seemed to have come from the grace
full delicacy of the fair cuisine.
This almost makes me homesick," he
said, as he seated himself at the table.
"Mother and have made duet at meal
time for great many years, and this re-
minds me of her table, tool am get
ting tired Of roughing it already; am
building me house across there, point
ing to the new lumber she had noticed
that morning.
care you, really? Then you do not in
tend giving up your scheme OF locating
in Dundee?"
mot much" he said with emphasis.
1--WE already ordered small stock of
groceries; couldn't wait to hear from a
letter, 80 telegraphed to irm that my
father dealt with years ago, one that is
rich enough 70 wait on me if do not
fetch up square every pay day, and not
suffer by my delay, and asked them to
set me up. They acquiesced promptly,
but advised small stock for the winter.
and larger one in the spring. That Is
sound advice, too, for many people 60
east to winter, and many have their win
teI's supply already paid for. l helped
Mr.. Fyber on his house, he is helping
me build one on my claim now, and then
we are to pnt up a small building in
town for my goods. ! shall come out to
my shanty on the claim every Sunday
and rest up. lam like an unbroken colt,
muscles soft, hate hold-baeks, and charge
ahead till throw myself, and then need
good feed and kind treatment"
"You shnll have good dinner each
sabbath day with me, if you will accept
my invitation" she interrupted.
Lets shake on that, Miss Banner,
reaching his hand across the table in
boyish fashion.
She took his band, laughing heartily;
co." she said, touching his palms with
her soft fingers. What have we herei
You brave boy! Busters and cailouses
cuts and scratches, and yet you work away
with the scars of veteran accommodating
on you. What would your mother say
to these labor stained hands2"
''She would think was just beginning
to be man, and put them up in banda
ges every night, taking them out in the
morning that might go to work again
She doesn't like soft listed men. She
says their brains are soft, too. Hour i:
up-must 20 to work, and he took his hal
hurriedly, will answer those other ques
tons to- morrow at dinner"
"Yes, you saucy boy; though you have
answered the most important ones al
ready; was only going to ask about
your own interests, and what you knew
of my neighbur with the six children.
"All right" and she heard him whist
ling on the way to the first stroke toward
home he had ever made, Before nignI
the Iittls house with its one roof MAS vi
and inclosed. The next day the carpen
ter work was finished. and the little
mules and their lazy driver turned Oyer
piece of sod near by, and Byron cut il
into lengths such as he could carry anC
banked the house up to the roof, sitting
in between the two tiers of sods, dry
earth to MI the crevices. The door anG
window On the south side were all thai
showed it to be dwelling. Dressed il
in mourning" he explained TO SuHnie
that day at dinner. Not handsome, bul
tight, you know. 1t cost less than one
fourth what yours did, and Pun trying tt
study economy. Mr.. Fyoer's house Is tc
10 decorated III like manner, but h,
thought the little wife might not like II
till she felt the necessity of it some morn
ing when the thermometer gets dowr
among the forties. 1t will be too late
then to fit frozen sod closely, so tolc
him We would put mine up right away
and perhaps she would take the hint anl
suggest It herself. they are without
means only as he earns money at work
aud both are proud. He is musics
man, star in one of the most popular
concert troupes of the east. but he wor
ships his family and prefers their society
to any other. He could not get HON,
with the money he saved in that bust
ness, and he was getting into habits O
dissipation that were bound to ruin him
He saw his danger and broke hose from
every social tie to make home and pro
tect his own morals"
"a Drawer man than we often meet
shall call on his wife if you think it ad
visable"
II wished to request you to do so, bu
hesitsted lest you would think it an i'm
pertinence."
Let us form compact, Mr.. Byron
since we are pioneer neighbors: l will