The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1889-05-23
A GLACIAL PERIOD.

II OIAOlAL ILhlOD.
Which Is Followed by Decided
and Satisfactory Thaw.
seHere i am, mother. / found all
the doors open, SO walked straight up
to my old room. A fellow doesn't
stand on ceremony when he hasn't
seen his maternal relative for year.
Here's your boy, mother.
Ralph Wakefield threw his valise in
corner, and walked quickly toward
an elderly woman who was standing
just inside the door Of a pretty mid
die chamber.
Ralph Wakefield! How you do
: like to surprise folks. Two days soon
er than you promised! Well, well!
Now your pa sofll be set up.
just this, and a hearty handshake.
Nothing more. Doubtless, Mother
Wakefield's heart would have thrilled
with a new joy had she fallen on the
neck OF that handsome, manly son.
=and covered his face with Kisses; but
then-she would have thought the act
'.rather silly On Ralph,s part, had
such a salute been offered, he would
have returned it with. interest; but
there would have crossed his mind
dim suspicion That "mother was be-
ginning 10 fin flsaa-za-=ss- -
They lived in Connecticut.
PAS in the field, and Ruth is woods
ing somewhere. You are going to
have the spare room and be made COM
pany of. Ruth has taken yours. = -
''Who, pray, is Ruthp''
Ruth Wise. l wrote yous about
her." ].
$50 you did, mother, SO you did,
But | thought the visit would be
ended before came. An overworked
school-teacher, the daughter of an old
girl-friend of yours; come here for
rest and change. wish she hadn't!
Mother, I'm disappointed; Pm vexed.
feel frustrated. I've worked hard
= over those old faw-books in the dingy
city for more than a year, without
a play day; and now that I'm fairly
llcluC bilc JAR, anu ID uTSb-CldoS part
nership awaiting me in September, l
wanted to have the strain let up on
me entirely. l wanted you and father
and the old farm all to myself this
vacation.
She'll not be in your way, Ralph.
She almost lives out O. doors.
But why did YOU give her my
roomp"
Because she said the spare room
was too nice to dry ferns in, and to
keep MOSES and rocks and toad-stools
in. Fungi, she calls them. So gave
her your old quarters, that are used
to such things Take a peep at her
books. She thinks the world and all
ofthem ewTbooks."
20 Mother Wakefield, what have
you done?" t='s7
Ralph, whose innate sense of pro-
priety~had restrained his eyes from
wandering about the reem- no longer
his own now allowed them to rove
over the titles of the volumes neatly
arranged in. the small bookcase.
Something between a sigh and a
whistle was his first comment.
Climatic Theories! Buckle, Mill,
.Rerue Scieatifque,' Deep Sea Ex-
plorations, .Spenser on the Uncondi-
toned, Darwin's Expression in AMI
fmalk. Great Egypt, what a list! Wise
by name and wise by nature. per-
( ceiveS Mother, one thing is settled; |
shan't like her"
Nonsense, Ralph! Iou read all
these things; why shouldn't she?
mo reason. OF course. Only don't
prefer masculine tastes Ia a woman. y
..She's no masculine tastes, Ralph.
She's bright and capable, and full Of
fun. And she's as handy to help in
the kitchen as If she'd always lived on
farm. And she likes to talk about
dress as wel1Sas any girl.
Talk! Oh, you haven't heard her
talk yet. Science is her vocation, and
metaphysics her recreation. Philology,s
entomology and the cosmos for break
fast, prehistoric man for dinner, and
the survival of the fittest for supper!
Mother, wanted u good time |
wanted to work with father in the hay
field, and to eat my dinner without a
coat, If felt like it. wanted to eat
pie between meals sometimes, and to
go to sleep afternoons on the lounge.
i think I'll spend most of my time in
the barn; take my meals on the back
porch; baked apples and milk, beans,
any thing you may have to spare.
can't face a young. lady who prefers
cave-dwellers to ordinary people, and
who will look whole Glacial Period
at me across the table. I"
.sRalph. you ought to have more
sense than TO talk SO. Folks might
think you were afraid her learnin'
would put yours in the shade, sug-
gested Ralph's mother, wickedly.
Then she reminded him that 1t was
two hours yet till fenstime. and that
there was berry pie Sc1s-i the pam
try, along with some nice root-beer
made by Ruth's own hands.
..Root.beer! All. Sanscrit roots,
suppose. ~ - = = !
/ Try IT. You'll taste dandelion
and burdock plain enough. I'll war
rant. They went downstairs 20