Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-25

| man of her acquaintance-young old or
| middle-aged-gave her was that she was,
in spite of her bravery in carrying on
alone, for twenty years, the trying work
OF a ranch, SO thoroughly woman.
| The slender store of accomplishments
| acquired in her girlhood were not thrown
aside because she sometimes had to ride
the range, gun in hand, looking for timber
| wolves
There wasn't a young fellow in the
| neighborhood who didn't make a conf
dante of her about his love affairs-par-
ticularly if they CHANGED to go wrong.
She was always ready to give an hour to
listening to their woes, giving them good
advice or playing Smiths March or Maid
ems Prayer for them on the wheeZy little
melodeon
| she could sing, too, in a thin, sweet old
voice, songs that the boys loved and whose
| choruses they could join in, such as Roll
on, Silver Moon" and "Arabys Daughter"
Her own boy, her only son, had turned
out, as widows only sons seem prone to
do. not exactly bad, but trifiing.
| Perhaps she loved him too well or
| humored him too much, but it is sure that
| her little court of admirers was wrathy
| more than once over reports of the hard
| ships wrought for his mother by Wade
| Moore's neglect.
| People had seen her out on the range in
| bad weather doing a mans work, and
been told in hasty apology that Wade was
| sick at home, but these seizures never kept
| him from town of an evening, if there was
any fun on hand.
He wasn't popular with the boys who
adored Mrs. Moore, and the- would have
been glad to let him see it in some mark
| cd kn hat
| aimed at him must strike her gentle heart
| first.
Finally, some time along in the summer,
| he went to Kansas City with cattle, and
| his mother had been running the Bar 6
| alone for nearly five months.
Her friends had not neglected her in that
| time. Tom Andrews, the young fellow
who was manager of the Three C's ranch,
her next neighbor to the south, and one
OF her best friends, rode over nearly every
day to see how she was getting on, and
whether there was anything he could do
| for her.
This fine crisp November morning, the
day before Thanksgiving, he found her Sit
ting despondently on her porch, with no
work touched and her hands in her lap,
and in answer to his anxious inquiry sne
told MIN she was troubled about Wade.
Nv orrying because you want him homer"
asked Tom. Where is Wade now"
AS he glanced at Mrs. Moore he saw the
vulsively together. her head was bent
and Tom thought she was crying. Il don't
know" she said, in a voice scarcely above
a whisper
Tom sat down on the porch edge speech
less with establishment Haven't you
heard from him. he said.
Il haven't heard word since he left"
she replied, land I've got SO anxious and
worried I've got to tell somebody"
Il should think so'' said Tom. why,
its"
Five months" filed in Mrs. Moore; but
| wasn't uneasy until after the fair closed
l was sure he was there. He had plenty
of money from the cattle to so all right
and stay till ii closed, and somehow 1 was
sure that was what he meant to do"
why, Mrs Moore said Tom he'd
never run off and leave you that way;
you were intending to go together when
the cattle were sold, weren't your"
1t was a cruel question. and Tom re-
regretted it the moment 1t was out The
red roses in the wrinkled cheeks before
him faded till they looked like withered
rose leaves
did. l know Wade better than you do
Tom doubted that-"hes young and likes
to make a good appearance and maybe
he didn't care to have an old-fashioned
woman like me around with him every
where"
AN old-fashioned angel" muttered Tom
to his boots; amy decent man would be
only too proud of such mother-there
now; I've made you cry again, when L was
trying to say something pleasant"
NO, said Mrs. Moore, raising a resoute
face full of cheerful courage. NO. I'm
not going to let it worry me any more
I've divided my trouble with you now by
telling of 1t, and I'm going to put it out of
my mind.
I'm not going to spoil you boys Thanks
giving dinner by being dull or depressed
either"
80, the Thanksgiving dinner" said Tom
ut was an annual institution with Mrs
/ 'hnrn TON
know of-did you get the turkeys?"
Yes" she answered, fine ones, and my
pumpkins turned out so well this year
Teo1lo fixed up a plan for irrigating the
garden. We won't have the canned stuff
like we had last"
We'll" said Tom. rising to CO. II
wouldn't worry about Wade He'll be
home all right when his money gives ouT
You must be ready TO play and sing for las
tomorrow. You know boys expect
plenty of music when we come here"
Il will" cheerfully, land I'll go in and
start those pies right now. Tell the bows
to bring any poor fellow they know that's
away from home and has no place to eat
Thanksgiving dinner
Tom rode away, and the last word from
him, oddly enough as Mrs. Moore thought.
was faint hail sent back
"Mind-we-expect-mu
Thanksgiving morning Mrs Moore baked
her pies. goodly row. The turkeys were
in the oven. the other dishes baking, sim
mering or stewing, best suited them
when the windmill at the back of the ranch
house stopped pumping. That meant, since
the store was already low, a cutting off
of the water supply before night
Il might as well fix it before / change
my dress" she reflected, and catching
up heavy hammer she went out 10 the
tower.
Forty feet seems a rather extraordinary
climb for a woman of her age the ladder
too was wooden, old and unsafe. as Tom
Andrews had warned her a week or two
ago, but old Teofilo was gone; she was as
fearless as an urchin. and UP she went
laughing little. A tap from her big ham,
mer set things right, and the wheel began
revolving, but the first turn struck the
hammer out of her hand and down il fell
knocking off three rungs of the ricketv
ladder as ii went.
Well, she was finely caught!
Visions of the Thanksgiving dinner burn
ing up while she was imprisoned SO fitted
through her mind.
Locking about for aid she saw a pony
and rider approaching the front of the
house cautiously. 1t was Tom Andrews:
but how curiously he was acting. He dis
mounted tied his pony in a bunch of mes
quite and came up to the house almost on
tlptoe looked in at every window tried
some Of the doors, and then standing on
the porch, called her name very softly
She laughed she looked at him No
she wouldn't answer. Shed rather any
bCdy but Tom Andrews should help her
down He had seemed so Mortified at the
idea that she should ever go nm ON wind