The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-11-13


Sun nor storm may stay my feet.
Let me whisper. youth, TO thee.
Seasons all belong 10 me-
Lucy Randolph Fleming in HarpeT's Basar.
my JOHN"
A Story or Prairie Fires and Pa
rental Forgiveness.
II think 1t Is smoke"
'And think you are wrong
The first speaker was . young woman
with sweet face, expressive OF much
silent resoluteness and great self-con-
troll. The second speaker was IN old
man. whose faded brown eyes had .
startled look as II suspecting that peo-
pie were about to bring him trouble, or
else asserting that they had already
brought it.
The old man was known among the
ranchmen IS old John Blasland. He
owned great ranch. The young woman
was called Hannah. Il don't know
what her tother name is" the old man
would have told ques,ioner. "She
came from the East somewhere, wanted
to help my housekeeper, Mira Tuth-
erly, and l didn't care. That's all !
name lie. am leetle 'spishus Of what
she wants; they all want something
1t was the mystery enwrapping Han
nah like an atmosphere. snd It was the
old mans suspicion Of her motives and
purposes, that made her presence an
annos ance to him in spite Of any words
to the contrary. When he now had told
her that any sign OF smoke about the
prairie.region Was mistake. she simply
replied: If young John were here. he
could tell us"
The faded brown eyes began to dash.
The husky voice trembled with petu-
lance. young John!' he snaried. Il
guess IL old John don't know, you won't
pick up any information from that yoang
man."
1t might have seemed as il he were
angry with young John" No-with
the young woman who mentioned his
name.
Il know, KNOW he silently said, as
he turned away. "She cares mcre for
young John than old John. Too mIcn
going on between those young people.
Next thing there will be marriage.
don't want her meddlin' with that
young man."
This other young persoE. like Han.
nah. came from the East, had proted
very acceptable to the old ranchman,
and was great favorite with him. The
ranchm in the neighborhood, to dis
tinguish the two. called one Old John
and the other Young John. People
sometimes thought they were father
and son. No. there was son At the
East who had offended his father, and
had been forbidden to come or even to
write to him. The old man wondered
sometimes whether he did not trace
familiar features in this young ad-
venturcr from the East Any fAncicd
resemblance was not pleasant to the
thoughts as he would drive cloud OF
mosquitoes from his house.
And Hannah, she still fingered back
Of the barn, watching that smoky stain
on the blue Of the sky. 1t was Sunday
morning The great prairie was always
still and always secluded, though in
reality any thing but shut in. 1t had
such an openness to the wide, wide sky.
There was no senblance Of fence or wall
in any direction until, in the west one
saw fold Of blush color along the
prairie's rim. That meant the Rocky
Mountains.
Il think it is growingr' she mur-
| INJURED. THAT smoke-clOud Is rolling
up bigger. What il it should come this
way, and sweep over the ranch! And
yet he does not think it is smoke. l
wish John were here! When will be
come? He said ne would be home on
his pony early this morning and 80
with Us to church."
"Hannah" II was old John calling
''Come! Mrs. Tutherly says il we are
| a-goin' to church, we ought to he gittin'
ready. Come! Watchin' that sky won't
git you ready
Hannah made no reply. It was Of no
use to notice all his fault-fnding or any
OF it. She had shown rare self-control
in her steadfast silence. She now
turned and went into the house, while
the old ranchman shuffied feebly to the
barn and began to harness the horse
into tho wagon.
Il have horses in abundance. but they
are all Of with the men wa.chin' the
CATTLE" he murmured. land so, Jim.
you must pull US to church. Humph!
s'pose she will say we cant go-that
there is Are out on the prairie Non
sense! II my John WAS here. he could
tell about that sm0ke!"
He dropped the harness IS II hand
ling the coils Of . snake. What had he
said? my joint" That was the name
also Of the offending son in tho East
The father never knowingly mentioned
this form Of name. NY john" Lift.
ing the harness again, he now arrayed
Jim in it
What do l smell?" he asked.
Young. John would have told him
''Smoke," but he WAS not willing to
smell any thing Of the kind.
In the meantime Hannah had given
occasional glances at the suspicious
northern sky. From window she
chanced to look toward the east Ii
alarm, astonishment, terror, she dropped
. bonnet whose green trimming would
have set of her fair face even IS an
apple trees emerald foliage sets OF it.
pinkish white blossoms.
sOh-Oh-Oh! ] did not look tha,
way 1T all. and here 1t 10 right upon Us
The wind must have shifted" she OK
claimed.
Over at the right was large. tower
ing cloud Of dun brown color, witl
ragged. Almy edHeA compact In th,