Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-07-05

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upon them. and it sent q little thrill of fear
through Rob, as IL il were an omen Of failure.
As the girl remained silent, looking away, he
began, man-fashon, to desire her more and
more he feared to lose her. He put his hat
on the post again and took out his jack knife.
Her calico dress draped her supple and power
full figure simply but naturally. The stoop in
her shoulders, given by labor, disappeared ~
she partly leaned upon the fence. The curves
Of her muscular arms showed through her
sleeve,
Its ALFRED lonesome f'r me out there on
that claim and it amt no picnic fr you here.
Now, If you'll come out there with me, You
needn't do anything but cook fr me, and after
an I'll lath and plaster the house an put
little hell (elD in the rear" He smiled and SO
did she. He felt encouraged to say: AN there
we De, as snug as y please. We're close
boomtown, an we can 60 down there to church
sociables an things, and they're . jolly lot
there
The girl was still silent. but the mans simple
enthusiasm came to her charged with passion
ands sort Of romance such as her hard life had
known little of. There was something enticing
about this trip to the west
"What'l my folks say?" she said at last
virtual surrender, but Rob was not acute
enough to see it. He pressed on eagerly:
II don't care; do you? They'll jest keep y
piowin' corn and mikin' cows till the day Of
Judgment. Come. Julyie, amt got no time
to fool away. I've got & get back { that grain.
It's whoopin' old crop, sure's y'r born, an
that means sompin purity assumptions in fur
niture this fall. Come, now" He approached
her and laid his hand on her shoulder very
much as he would have touched Albert Sea-
graves or any other comrade. "Whaddy v say?"
She neither started nor shrunk nor looked at
him. She simply moved step away. They'd
never let me CO." she replied bitterly. I'm
too cheap hand. 1 do a mans work an get
no pay at ALL"
you'll have half o. all 1 en- make" he put
in.
How long en- you waltz" she asked, looking
down at her dress
Just two minutes" he said. pulling out his
watch. 1T amt no use { wait The old man'll
be jest as mad a week from now as he 10 today
Why not go now?"
I'm of age day after tomorrow" she unused,
wavering. calculating
''You en- be of age tonight if you'll jest call
on old Square Hatfield with me-
AN right, Rob, the girl said turning and
holding out her hand.
That's the talkn' he exclaimed. seizing it
AN, now kiss, to bind the bargain, as the
felah says"
II guess we en- get along without that"
NO, we can't 1t won't seem like an engage
ment without it"
1T amt goin' to seem much like one any
way, she answered, with a sudden realization
OF how far from her dreams of courtship this
reality was.
Say, now, Julyie, that amt fair; that's
5 sar.y tough en-. @ You don't seem to un-
Rob was carried quite out Of himself by the
time, the place, and the girl He had said
very moving thing.
The tears sprang involuntarily to the girls
eyes. do you mean it? If ~ do. you may"
She was trembling with emotion for the first
time. The sincerity of the mans voice had
gone deep.
He put his arm around her almost timidly
and kissed her on the cheek great love for
her springing up in his heart. ''rhat settles it,"
he said. Don't cry, Julyie. You'll never be
sorry for 1t. Don't cry. 1t kind o. hurts me to
see it."
He didn't understand her feelings. He was
only aware that she was crying and tried in a
bungling way to soothe her. But now that she
had given way, she sat down on the grass and
wept bitterly.
'.Yulyie" yelled the old Norwegian, like
distant fog-horn.
The girl sprang up-the habit Of obediens
was strong.
mo; you set right there, and I'll go round"
he said "Ottol'
The boy came scrambling out Of the wood
half dressed. Rob tossed him upon the horse,
snafched Julia's sun bonnet, put his own hat
on her head and moved off down the corn rows
leaving the girl smiling through her tears as he
whlstled and chirped to the horse. Farmer
Peterson, seeing the familiar sun bonnet above
tue corn rows, went back to his work with q
sentence OF Norwegian trailing after him like
the tail of a kite-something about lazy girls
who didn't earn the crust of their bread, &c.
= Hon wasSdkdzweo1 delight -''Git up there,
you keep your mouth shet il it puts money in
your pocket"
tie scamp.
"Well, you keep quiet about my being here
this afternoon, and I'll put a dollar on y'r
tOnQna-hayo-wb hat
SHOW me y'r dollar, said the boy, turning
about and showing his tongue.
talkin to me-"
Rob went over the whole situation on his way
oack and when he got in sight of the girl his
plan was made. She stood waiting for him
with a new look on her face Her sullenness
mad given way to peculiar eagerness and
anxiety to believe in him. She was already
living that free life in far-off wonderful coun-
mother force her to tasks which she hated
Shed be member Of new firm. She'd work,
OF course, but it would be because she wanted
to and not because she was forced to. The in
dependence and the love promised grew more
and more attractive. She laughed back with a
softer light in her eyes when she saw the smil-
ing face of Rob looking at her from her sun
bonnet.
Now, you mustn't do any more o. this" he
said. You go back to the house an tell y'r
mother you're too lame to plough any more to-
day, and it's too late, anyhow. Tonight" he
whispered, quickly. ELEVEN! Herer'
The girls heart leaped with fear. I'm
afraid"
"Not Of me, are yeh2'
mo, I'm not afraid Of you, Rob-"
SIN glad o. that. IL want you to-to like
me, Julyie; won't you?"
'Tll try" she answered. with a smile.
Tonight, then" he said, as she moved away.
"Tonight Goodbye"
Goodbye"
He stood and watched her till her tall figure
was lost among the dropping corn leaves. There
was q singular choking feeling in his throat.
The girls voice and face had brought up so
many memories of parties and picnics and ex-
cursions on far-of holidays, and at the same
time such suggestions OF the future. He al
ready felt that it was going to be an uncon-
scionably long time before II o'clock.
He saw her 60 to the house, and then he
turned and walked slowly up the dusty road.
Out Of the May weed the grasshoppers
sprang. buzzing and swapping their dull red
wings. Butterflies, yellow and white dut-
tered around moist places in the ditch, and
slender-striped water snakes glided across the
stagnant pools at sound Of footsteps
But the mind of the man was far away on
his claim, building new house, with q woman's
advice and presence.
1t was a MINDLESS night The katydids and
an occasional cricket were the only sounds
Rob could hear as he stood beside his team
and strained his ear to listen. At long inter-
walls q little breeze ran through the corn like
q swift serpent, bringing to the nostrils the
sappy smell OF the growing corn. The horses
stamped uneasily az the mosquitoes settled on