Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1892-10-01

lCStiJ anu warped
the skyline was curling the shakes atop
the shack and sending every breathing
thing on Alkali Flat, even to the lizards,
into the shade.
There were just three rooms in the
shack, and 'Lish's was the end one, next
to the kitchen. The little house was
closed as tight as drum to keep in
whatever of the nights GOODNESS re.
NAMED in 1t, which was little enough.
'Lish-the whole of it was Alicia-sat
III her room, and talked with her
mother, who was peeling potatoes in the
kitchen. Although in separate rooms,
their sharp, Mlssourian voices were clear
enough to each other. There was Just
one thing to talk about, and nearly
everything on earth that could be said
about it had been said, so they had been
going over 1t all again. 1t was pap's
big strike.
at amt dead sure, ye know, Lish,"
wound up the mother; "but it looks as
near like it as ono iack-rabbit looks like
ernother."
"Or pap's workin' awful hard ART
he, maw2"
AZ reckon he is"
'Lish looked out through the small
window. Her glance shot past the two
rails that gImmered under the angry
sun, down there by Alkali Flat Station,
past the two scurrying dust demons that
showed there was air in motion some
where, even though sporadically, and
away over to the blue buttes.
There was a notch in the far butte
Scrub Canon, they called it. Pap was
working there in that notch, under that
awful sun, in the restless way that pap
always worked. He was there alone,
digging his pick into the dry ground
and scanning each clod and broken rock
for the yellow specks that meant so
much to him, and that were to put
something peter than shake roof over
their heads.
She felt for him that horrible heat she
saw the drops of sweat trickle from his
brow and plash upon the rocks, making
their dark mark there for an instant aud
drying up in an other; she felt, as she
put 1t, "the spring goin' out of her, ="
Just as it was going out of col pap"
"But he wouldn't let me help him
never would, even eff he was a-workin'
his two hans off," she sighed.
Then she went and set the table for
dinner. They ate in silence, 'LIsh aud
"maw." There was no good talking it
all over again. 1t would not do to count
too much on it, anyway. Otter strikes
had been in promise. year after year, and
nothing had come of them, absolutely
nothing.
The afternoon wore on. The glare
had gone out of the day, Tney opened
the door to let in the growing GOODNESS
outside, watching for ''ol' pap's" dust
meantime, and wondering what news he
would bring. He was late; but he had
been late before. They sat on the door
ste and glued their eyes to the notch in
the butte, which had begun to blur as
the sun had gone to make an oven Of
some other part of the world.
There he comes" 'Lish would say
but it was only dust demon trying to
trick them.
Andsso the night grew on; but the
full horn of an early moon shown down,
and still they watched.
"Guess I'd better go over an see eff l
KANT raise him." said 'Lish Gan eff
he's a.goin' to stay out all night, he'll
need blanket. I'll take him one, an
come back with the news, whatever it is.
Git the blanket, out, NAV, an I'll go an
buckle the sheepskln onto or jim"
The desert night told its secrets to the
girl as she rode the slow mustang over