Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-10-03
CHAPTER v.

Us
under the stress of that. hard life, like
summer flower before the frosts af
October. But Tom didn't see it; he
was often positively harsh and cruel to
her now; it made Jake's heart bleed
sometimes to hear how angrily and un-
kindly he spoke to her, and Jake firmly
resolved to take his brother to task for
this cruel treatment of Lucy the very
nrst chance that he should get. He
had not long to wait, for, some business
having called the two friends several
miles away from home, Jake took good
care that Tom didn't get away from
him and make the journey back alone.
He stuck close to the partner of manv
years, and after half q dozen attempts
to unlimber his tongue and get it into
talking order he succeeded in hurting
put; "Tcml"
Tom halted suddenly in his tracks
Ind gave surprised look at him. In
ell the years they had lived together
be had never heard him pronounce his
pame in just that tone before. The
ruth is, Jake himself was astounded
tt the way the name had sounded in
his own ears-so pleading, SO gentle, so
wOmanish-like. For an instant the
Two stood there staring each other in
the face, the one ashamed of his own
display of feeling, and the other won
aering in his mind what in the world
It all meant.
"TOm," repeated Jake, in tone lit
tie more like his usual one, 1--we lived
with We for many q long year and never
80 much as q cross word or an angry
look ever came betwixt us. It's true
we've never had very much to say to
each other, but t'wa'n't necessary; we
understood each other as two beavers
do when they want to throw q tree
across stream in a certain direction.
We lived so many years without talkin'
that when we fell in with Indians or
tfappers the words wouldn't come, and
they called US the silent pards, and
chuckled over our curious way Of get
tin on without fuss and feathers and
findin' fault with each other, but, Tom,
the times come when I've either got
to talk or kill ye."
Toms face flushed a little and he
glared at the speaker out of the corner
OF his dark eye, as he laid his hand on
his pistol, but he never said q word:
his lips seemed frozen together.
when ye brought that little woman
home" continued Jake, Il was as boy
would be if his father had trapped q
little fox, or little coon an had
fetched it home to him for a pet. I
felt she would do us both good. We
had lived too long alone, like two ami
mails in silence, with no thought, save
for our own work, nothin' to be glad
about except for a good catch and
nothin' to handle gently and kindly but
the bank-notes we saved up from our
fntc &41< <1,n< la
woman in our little home to keep us
wild animals some day, grizzled over
and stiff and helpless, one waitin' for
the other to go first and then follow
him; and, though didn't say much, for
somehow I'd forgotten how to talk, 1
felt my heart throbbin' away and
Ipoundin' agin my chest like q trip
hammer as I sot eyes on Lucy, with her
sweet face and little white hands and
almost childlike smile, 30 full Of con-
,fdence in you, more as II she were a
daughter Of yourn than a wife. Tom,
! was too full for words and so said
Inothin', but one day ye set knife in
my heart by turnin' away Lucy when
she tried to crawl into your arms and
go to sleep on your lap, for she was
Ilookin' pale and hollow-eyed. She
warnt herself, Tom. She ought to
have been in bed, but We didn't seem to
care; We let her shift for herself and
went about your business, and when ye
had gone out she sat down and began
to whimper, and I chased out, too, for
i couldn't set and see that little woman
,grieve without pityin' of her, and
knew I had no right to do that. I
knew it warnt my business, but all the
same I felt hard toward We, Tom, for
the first time in my life, real hard, too,
and If ye hadn't been my chum I'd laid
We out stiff on the floor to teach you
how to treat woman"
Toms right hand again slipped
around half instinctively and gripped
his pistol.
But, thinks l." continued Jake,
calmly and smoothly, with an ease that
was as astonishing to him as it was to
Tom, my partners out Of sorts about
somethin' an he'll be kinder to Lucy
next time; he'll think it over and be
sorry that he pushed her aside with
one hand while he put out the other
and petted the head OF one of his dogs.
But no, Tom, ye haven't improved.
Ye've gone from bad to worse, We don't
seem to think that it's necessary to be
No hAAu w AuOy 90 . Wv W. cAAo ~ yOeA
dogs, and from week to week and month
to month ye've hardened yerself agin
her as If she had done We some wrong,
rs if We wanted to punish her, and God
knows she's done nothin' but love We
and smile on We and try to make our
little home brighter and more COM
Portable
Here Jake's voice trembled so that
he was obliged to come to q full stop,
and the two friends walked along side
by side in silence broken only by the
creak Of tho ice crystals beneath their
snOw-shOes.
In q moment or so Jake's voice again
fell on his partners ear, and there was
more OF tremor in 1t than ever and
more OF softness.
tom, women amt like US men, per-
fectly satisfied whom the catches are
good and price high, and We get enough
TO eat and drink and clothes to wear
and q place to sleep. They are like
children; they've got to be coddled and
loved and petted, the way ye treat your
rovorifo do0 and fhev'va GOT tn be