Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-04-07

way.-a great gaunt man, with long,
long legs, a stoopin his shoulders, and
q swaying movement Of his body and
arms when he walked, as if he had a
load on his back and Il long way to
go; a man with a black fell on the
back OF his hands, a dark beard
growing high upon his cheek
bones, and a great bush OF
iron-gray hair sticking out all round
his head, and a iore!ock sticking down
over his eye One could see nothing
OF his features but Il long red nose and
deep-set beady black eyes. His fuStian
Jacket was worn to rags atthe elbows,
and so was mine, as for that--split
in the ans between the shoulders
with the constant strain OF the labor
ing arms. Once upon Il time his top
boots had been black, but now they
We're all the same yellow clay color
with the trousers that were tucked
into them, and Just as badly in need
OF repair.
followed with Van Hoeck. He
held my arm, not FOR support, but for
guidance, because he was stone blind.
He was thirty or Whereabouts, | be-
lievc; but he looked twenty Years
older than /, who am now but
twenty-six. Though he was Dutch by
birth he looked like an Asiatic, being a
small, dark jew, with all the charac-
teristics OF his people; while |, with
my fair skin, light hair, and large
frame, am pretty truein appearanceto
my Northern race He was better dress
ed than any OF us, for though he had
accompanied US, and roughed it so
far as board and lodging were concern
ed, he had taken only a financial
part in the enterprise, his blindness
naturally debarrins him from a lab
orious part. His clothes retained
something OF their original appear
ance. Albeit he had worn them day
after day for eighteen months at the
least; whereas mine, what with
exposure to the sun, the sweat
OF work, rough usage, and the
strange devices employed in repairing
them, were scarcely recognizable as
Christian clothing. His face gave
more sign OF strain and fatigue than
either the Judges or mine, which
might well be, seeing how great a re-
lief to the mind physical labor is.
There was furrow between his brows,
deep lines descending from the inner
angle OF the eyes, 4 pnched look about
the nostrils and ile>heSs cheeks, that
gave fearful, strenuous eagerneSs to
the weird expression OF his face. And
that expression was wierd, nay, even
repulsive, though his features were
not i'll shaped, and it was due chiefly
to the peculai,ity OF his eyes. Most
people OF dark complexion like
1,ic irIs ho
but his OF q stcely gray, and
was the iris and nothing else; there
was no pupil -nothing but that gray
patch upon the yellowish ball OF the
eye. He kept his eyes open when his
mind was pre-occupied. Often when
he was sitting near me while worked,
have changed my position that
might not see those ghostly eyes wide
open to an African sun, yet uncon-
scious OF its glare. There was some
thing terrible in his blindness.
Our rear was brought up by the
"Kid." The name by constant use
and familiarity had long ceased to be
slangy to my ear.
Poor little Lola. she was the rag
gedest and most disreputable OF the
lot, though it MAS not for that reason
she walked behind us; indeed, had
she suspected that to follow implied
in eriority, she would nave marched
ahead OF her own father. That was
her character.
The child wore ragged red flannel
Detticoat. a camisole that had once
been white, and a coored landler-
chief tieG loosely round her neck. She
had string OF coIored beads upon her
wrist, but neither hat on her head nor
shoe on her foot. Her purple black
hair grew low down on her temple
and broke into curl over the ears, at
the nape Of her neck, and wherever it
was uncontrolled; it Was matted to-
gether in thick. loose plait that fell
down TO her waist, and tied at the
end with strip OF red flannel
torn from her petticOat. She
had the prettiest little hands and
feet, q dark olive skin, a large but
beautifully shaped mouth, with the
finest teeth ever seen, and pair OF
glorious black eyes. full of audacity,
and betraying only too faithfully her
wild and ungovernable disposition.
Properly dressed land washed), she
might have passed Tor Il Spanish
princess; in herpresent condition there
was no mistaking herfor anything but
the sef-wlled little savage she was.
The Kid had given us a deal Of
troube,-had we foreseen how much,
I do not think Van Hoeck or | would
have put in that postscript to the agree.
ment which her father, the Judge, in
duced rs TO subscribe.
''1'he Kid has eyes in her head to see
with, the Judge said in urging her cai m
upon our future consideration. lend
she can use 'em as well as us in look
in for stones. end likewise, bein' a
female she kin cook our meals for us;
she kin wash our shuts, end she kin
sew US up, end keep us nice and tidy -
Whether she was capable Of helping
lis in these matters, l can not say; all
/ know is, that she didn't. "What
kin you expect?' asked her father in
extenuation; cher mother was the