The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1893-07-01
A WESTERN STORY.

'toN Az w HcT AitNNt 'iI'Ai- ~ II w
Clare, as she stood in the doorway of
their adobe cottage and gazed sadly off
toward the northwest, where u herd of
sheep could be seen.
"How can they live on the dry grass,
and how can Charlie even pretendtolike
it, the horrible, lonely life in such desc
lation and isolation! Hush, baby, dear.
am coming. How the mosquitoes and
flies tease and torment him, poor little
whitening blossom-for even he has felt
the blight"
The sun rose higher; the wind blew
harder, and it seemed to have a touch of
fire.
Il wonder why baby's cheeks are SO
red; can lie be seriously i'll? Papa won't
be in until evening. darling: mamma
will do the best she can"
Charlie Dean wondered why no wife
was visible as he approached home;
wondered more why no smoke issued
from the chimney, as was usual 1T sup
per time. Had anything happened, he
wondered, fastening his naturally slow
steps.
The scene that met his gaze as he en-
tered his home was Il never to be for
gotten.
His wife-his pretty little girlish wife
he had brought from her city home--lay
back in the wooden rocker white ana
still, while the baby, the little six
m~onths-old Walter, was motionless
within her arms. and the sweet face
wore a look the Mortified father under
stood.
Glare! Clare!' he cried brokcnly,
''Baby-oh, my loved ones!'
Then Clare opened her eyes and per-
mitted him to place the child in its era
dle-a cradle he had made out OF a
wooden box.
In a voice he scarcely recognized she
said:
You knew the life I was to share out
here; why did you not tell me"
But he seemed well this morning
we'll as he has been lately, | mean. Oh,
l never expected this!, The ranch is nc
~lonelier than hundreds OF others. Tneve,
thought
Nv, biu va iitlF t-ttNi " iiIiLiA "
He died an hour ago. l could not leave
him to seek you-it did not matter after
: that. I'll never forgive you for bringing
: me out to this"
Glare! You knew I owned the ranch
You knew | was poor"
II never guessed what it would be, es
+ pecially in a case like this" pointing tC
her child. 81 little realized what it wa.
to be a woman"
LET her sulk," he said, "she enjoys it
Anyway, I'll find other friends"
And he did. He secured the service
of a boy in whose care he left the sheep
and went off almost daily to a littl
town, a pleasant ride for him of only fl
teen miles. When there, his place o
lounging can be easily guessed.
cts Clare's doings," he unused; "wo
men like to send men to the dogs"
If Glare saw anything more than usua
she remained silent. Sometimes whel
he came home almost too stupid to tail
he caught a glimpse of contempt in til
= cold eyes of his wife. Her silence wa
fairly m~addening.
why don't she howl and storm lhz
other women" he muttered. ''She neve
ever wept over the baby. Id give
good deal to see her cry just once"
The summer had gone and winter ha
come; as usual on Saturday morning
10 Charlie had ridden away in the directio
of the town without a word Of farewell
1.-TWO years ago." said Glare bitterly
''he sought me i'll that coy home of m
ic aunt. with its soft carpets, its loyin
e friends, and he persuaded me to MARI
him and come out to this dreary place
ID where he has ever forgotten to be h,
g name"
t. Then glancing toward the northwe.
she saw a mass of clouds lying, a threa
1t ening aspect growing over all the sky.
,y There's 1t storm coming and I'm glat
5. One of the freaks in my makeup is that
se like storms, particularly nov Had
ls been u timid lass I would long since hay
n died of fright. I have felt sometime
even a bear coming in at the door woul
Of be a change" and Clare smiled sadly
the masses Of black clouds increased az
IL the wind tore around the little mt
ed ranch with frightful violence.
V X X II = Z 4
~ Don't detain me, boys. / must s
he home!"
Id Impossible in such u storm as thi
lis You'd be dead in less than an hour. Tai
en- things coolly, Charlie. Why, it's Il
OF first time l ever saw you anxious. You
he wife's all right; being showed in Il fe
w days don't surprise folks in these parts
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.; shem
biscuits this morning, and there vi
only enough-and she"-
"Oh, no, she's got other things, trust
- woman for that; there's canned frui
'e dried corn, there's beans and-no dang
d of her suffering. Anyway you can't he
- her; an army could not force its WI
over those miles"
OF "God forgive mel" thought Charl
Dean, his face in his hands, land CO
e. help her, for / know how precious lit
aS the small house contains. I've seen h
hunting among the weeds for solnethil
green to help out the salt pork al
bread. / know how sae's tried to coz
something we could eat when l broug
mt her home almost nothing. She ma
have something for dinner-after that
Oh, heavens, boys, | must go home!"
cried aloud.
-er you'll not go a quarter of a mile /
MT fore you'll be dead, and then your wi
rs will have no help from you, and by al