The Opelousas courier., 1893-01-21

You ought 0 have a moving machine to
come a few days"
Mary couldn't tell him she aad no
money to pay for the hire of a machine,
even if she knew where to get one; she
only thanked him very nicely for his
timely assistance and DIusned IKE a wIIu
rose the while.
And still the young man fingered.
They spoke of the cutting of the wild
hay, of the weather, of anything ;neither
could have told afterwards just what
they had been talking about. But at
last, with d glance toward his distant
sheep, the young fellow laughed n
said:
''It is almost night, my poor dog will
grow tired I'm afraid. I will say good
by fer the present, but" with a meaning
glance, 'sit is only for the present"
Then with a bow he was off, and that
night he told Bob Smithers all about the
girl who was having such a hard battle
to fight.
"Pshaw!" said honest Bob; ''you
don't sayl An women folks that scarce
out here can't get a girl fur a dollar a
day nohow. I'll send Tom an the ma
chine to .morrer an I'll ride over myself
in the e%venin' an see the old a
Mary opened her blue eyes wide wnen
the click of the moving machine was
heard in their own section, but instantly
she seemed to divine from whence the
aid came and a sudden soft color rose to
her cheeks.
But when red-headed Bob put in an
appearance, she was a little startled.
"Evenin', miss, how's your father?
One of my cowboys told me about your
hay %cuttin', ha, ha, hal so I sent my
machine over ter give yer a lift, an ter
be a little neighborly, too"
ooh" said Mary, stupidity. 81 didn't
knew it was your machine"
'tD1dn't you" said Bob in astonish-
ment, ''why of course it was, an I'll see
you git a lift in gettin' in yer grass,
too
"Father's down with the rheumatism, ,
added the girl, the sweet color all gone
from her cheeks. "Piease to come in
and see him, he will thank you better
than I can"
The old man did thank him and urged
him to sscomefagain," a privilege Bob
was pretty apt to take advantage Of for
reasons of his own.
"He's the kindest, best fellow in the
whole country" said Mary's father some
weeks later. "He's not only had an
abundance of grass cut for usp, but he's
given us corn, an wheat, and helped US
so amazin' | rather guess neither US nof
the horses will starve till spring, and
he's even offered to pillow up some sod to
be ready fur spring plantin'. FBiess me,
/ never did see such a Teller; an it seems
to me, Marry, you treat him kinder
COOL"
81 wish you wouldn't LET him do SO
much for you, father, it s too bad"
"Wouldn't let him! Hear the childt
How in the nation was I goin' ter stop
him2 I'm tied to this here chair an he's
jist kept a dom an a dom; an really
see ned as if he wanted ter. You amt
very grateful [ guess, that's all, fur the
Teller jist pitied US, SEEM the fx we
wus in
But Mary sighed, and glanced out
over the long level plains to where she
saw a herd of sheep she fancied she re-
~cognized.
''Its been nearly a month since he
came to my aid" she thought, sand he
never came back. Isuppose he's forgot
all about me, but he was so kind and"
Just then Bob's loud knock was heard,
and she went to open the doc.
Bob had been sprucing up of late, he
wore a white shirt aud a good suit, and
had recently purchased a fine gold
watch. "Reckon l kin afford it," he
had said TO himself with a thuckle, tsif
| want to; same as some other things
other fellows have"
The Smithers ranch was undergoing
repairs, carpenters and painters were
busy all the day long, and the job was to
be all completed before Christmas.
Bob had told old man Keen all this
and fshed for an opinion from Mary in
regard to a number of things, but
Mary's invariable answer was s'she
didn't know"
"Whg she was the greatest child allus,
fiF fxin' up things SAID her father;
proudly, one night. "she can Just go
over with you ter, morrow; I'll go too,
an tell you what you want ter know,
it'll sorter pay you maybe"
Bob blushed and stammered m
thing about ttnot wantin' any pay,
though he'd be obliged if they would
60"
Mary cried herself to sleep that night,
but was compelled to don her one good
dress and climb into the spring wagon
that had been sent for them the next
day.
"You do look so pale and sick, child"
exclaimed her father in a voice Of irrita-
ton, 'sand SIGH d day, my! Now I'll git
TO see a ranch that is one, / suppose"
They were not disappointed in this re-
spect, certainly. Only those who have
seen the big ranches in the West can
form any idea of those fields and fields,
containing each more than a hundred
acres, and with thousands of dollars worth
of stock s%campering here and there.
Then the big wind-pumps that rose near
the corrals and the barns, that kept con-
on hand a goodly supply of nice,
fresh water in the long troughs. The
barrels Of salt placed in the racks where
1t was most convenient, and ever tempt
ready; aud last came the house
itself, set back 10 a lawn of twenty acres
with here and there groups of cotton
wood trees forming most luxuriant shade.