Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-28
ON THE T-ANCHOR RANCH
WRITTEN FOR THE DISPATCH, ,

ginia She had taken old Jane, who hs'
cooked for Jack ever since the T-Ancho
was q ranch, because she couldn't 60 all tina
way alone, and Jack couldn't leave to g.
with her; and old Jane made an awkward
but very effective protectress and attend
ant
The heaequarters of the T-Anchor hat
never seemed dreary and forlorn as now
in those bachelor days, before Jack had fol
lowed pretty Louise Carpenter, who visited
friends in Amarillo, to her Virginia home
and brought her back his bride-it is BY
comparison that We measure things
The silence and neglect about thu
house, the mute piano, and all the
abandoned softness and pretty reinementi
he had procured for her with such loving
pains, were only sort of visible expires
sion of the desolate ache that had beer
growing in his heart for months as he saw
her shallow discomfort and restlessness, and
knew that she was as lonely beside him fol
the life of diversion to which she was
wonted, as he by her finding that the pretty
body did not hold what he needed and hun
gered for and thought to clasp in it; that
his generous alteration was accepted as a
matter of course. His unselfsh devotion
could never find in that small nature any
answering tenderness and faithful love on
which to rest
One day Jack was sitting at dinner at the
hotel in Amarillo, when the proprietor
came to him and said: "Belton, there's a
right nice, likely-looking young woman
here that's wanting awfully to find some
thing to do. She's got a baby about or 8
months old; her husbands a sickly sort of
feller, and she's willing to cook or do any
thing to help earn living. 1 thought you
might want her to cook out at headquarters
the man could help about the house, may
be. think they about starved out on a
idea is she won't 60 home nor ask her folks
for nothin', because she run away with this
poor trifiin' fellow against their will
They looked very poor, the young woman
and child; and Jack experienced little
shock of surprise when she raised to him a
delicate face out of which looked eyes so
darkly blue they appeared purple, and an
swered him in a low voice, whose accents
were unmistakably those of culture and
and intelligence. He saw the man out
side later and arranged to send over from
the ranch for them as soon as he got
back.
Once more the T-Anchor was the abode
of comfort as in old James days Again
the meals were good and regular, the
rooms clean and bright and inviting, the
little turkeys and chickens James especial
pride and care) were fed and nursed
home.
The baby was phenomenally good; her
little face was chubbier repetition of her
mother, with the same big, deep blue eyes
The BOYS all idolized her; she knew no
name but Sweetheart, and her baby pres
ence, her laughter and cooling, cunning ways
were the source of unending delight
1t very promptly became evident that
whisky was Hardy's disease. He was
quietly drunk as much of the time as he
could procure any means to be SO, and
though this had Away bseen sufficient cause
for discharge on the T-Anchor, nothing was
said, for poor Agnes sake.
But the child grew and thriyed, cut tooth
after tooth, to the unspeakable delight and
admiration of 'the boys" and was as
happy as . singing lark, and the girlish
young mother, housed and fed and treated
with gentle consideration by all the mascu-
line household, was happy with her, de-
spite the hopeless thing she was tied to.
As young and delicately bred as his wife
had been, Jack used to look at her about
the work of a servant-cooking, sweeping,
churning, feeding the chickens, and CHR
ruping to the baby-and wonder at her con-
tented happiness in the crumbs that Louise
despised. II came in one day and found
only Mrs Hardy and the baby at home,
the latter propped up in chair growing
with delight, while her mother played for
her a gay little waltz on the piano.
Then finding among the music something
to her taste she played on and on to herself,
while Sweetheart fell asleep. Her heart
seemed revealing itself while Jack stood on
the porch and listened; love, hope, grief,
despair, resignation, and, at the last gen.
tie, half plaintive hope again.
A half formulated thought clutched his
heart suddenly. If only Louise-if it were
his wife and child in there, ready to give
him back steadiast love for love, not to
neglect him and push him aside and desert
him, what possibilities life might holdl
And Just then she began to sing little
song she had found. about two children,
but the refrain only of which remained in
Jacks mind:
For the ways of man are narrow;
But the gates of death are wide.
As she rose, presently, to take the sleep
ing baby, Jack saw her eyes full of tears;
and he went awav toward the corral with
pain. After that she used to play and sing
otten-frst at Jacks request-for the baby,
for him, and for the boys, who sat on the
porch and listened.
Louise had gone home in April. At first
she wrote quite regularly, but soon her let
tiers became very inirequent; and finally al
most ceased.
Late in August all hands were over at the
camp, where cattle were being
gathered for shipment. Hardy was left with
his wife, at headquarters None of the OUT
fit had been there for three dayS The baby
was ailing with some childish complaint
when they left; and when, on the third day
a bitter norther blew up, Jack feeling un-
easy about them, left the Windmill camp
and started for headquarters. The norther
blew feariully, carrying clouds of sands and
dust along the road, and he finally reached
the house in a fierce storm of icy stinging
wind and hail. He got his poor frightened
pony under shelter and went into the house.
The silence struck upon him with pre-
At last, In the kitchen, beside
the stove, in which was little fire, he found
what he seemed to have confidently ex-
pected for the last hour, Agnes sitting with
he baby laying across her knees in q sort of
'tupor, her agonized eyes on its little face.
"Where is Hardy?" said Jack.
''In the room," she replied, "he-he went
% Amarillo yesterday.f
Jack could not leave her. alone with her
anguish and the dying baby, to bring some
woman to her, even if it had been likely he
,ould get any woman to try the journey in
hat storm-vhich it was not He made
Ter as comfortable as he could, then built
more fire, prepared some coffee and food,
md taking the baby from her in his own
lrms, told her that she must eat and drink.
And she obeyed him with a look half
,iteous, halt grateful.
And all night long while the wind
hrieked and howled outside, beating upon
he north of the house with powerful
hands, and dashIng the occasional
ain or hail terribly upon the windows, they
at with the hahv while IL -fourd it's little