Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1894-03-08
Through Santa Wheat
By FRANCIS BRET HARTR

in Mrs. Ranaolph's practical ignoring of
that right which startled her in spite of
her new conservatism; while as the
daughter of business man her instincts
revolted against Mrs. Randolph's un-
businesslike action with the telegram,
however vulgar and unrefned she may
have begun to consider life of business
and its connections. The result was a
certain constraint and embarrassment
in her manner which, however, had the
laudable effect of limiting Emile's at
tentions to significant glances, and was
no doubt variously interpreted by the
others. But she satisfied her conscience
by determining to make confidence of
her sympathy to the major on the first
opportunity.
This she presently found when the
others were preoccupied, the major
greeting her with somewhat careworn
face. but a voice whose habitual kind
ness was unchanged. When he had con-
doled with her on the terrifying phe-
nomenon that had marred her visit to the
rancho-and she could not help impa-
tiently noticing that he, too, seemed to
have accepted his wife's theory that she
had been half deliriously frightened
he regretted that her father had not con-
cluded to come down to the rancho, as
his practical advice would have been
invaluable in this emergency. She was
about to eagerly explain why, when It
occurred to her that Mrs. Randolph had
only given him suppressed version of
the telegram, and that she would be be-
traying her or again taking sides in this
partisan divided home. With some
hesitation she at last alluded to the ac-
cident to the artesian well.
The major did notask her how she had
heard of it; it was bad business, he
thought, but it might not be a total loss.
The wafer may nave been only diverted
by the shock, and might be found again
at lower level or in some lateral fis-
sure, He had sent hurriedly for Tom
Bent-that clever young engineer at the
wheat ranch who was always studying
up these things with his inventions-and
that was his opinion. No, Tom was not
awell digger, but it was generally known
that he had located" one or two, and
had long ago advised the tapping of that
flow by a second boring in case of just
such an emergency. He was coming
again tomorrow. By the way, he had
asked how the young lady visitor was,
and hoped she had not been alarmed by
the earthquake.
Rose felt herself again blushing-and
what was more singular, with an unex-
pected and, it seemed to her, ridiculous
pleasure; although outwardly she ap-
peared to ignore the civility completely.
And she had no intention of being so
easily placated. If this young man
thought by mere perfunctory civilities to
her host to make up for his clownishness
to her he was mistaken. She would let
him see it when he called tomorrow
She quickly turned the subject by assur-
ing the major of her sympathy and her
intention of sending for her father. For
the rest of the afternoon and during their
al fresco dinner she solved the difficulty
of her strained relations with Mrs. Ran
dolph and Emile by conversing chiefly
with the major, tacitly avoiding, how
ever, any allusion to this Mr.. Bent But
Mrs. Randolph was less careful.
"You don't really mean to say, major, "
she began in her dryest, grittiest man
ner, "that instead of sending to San
Francisco for some skilled master me-
chanic you are going to listen to the va
garies of conceited, half educated farm
laborer and emplNy him? You might as
well call in some of those wizards or
water witches at once" But the major,
like many other well managed husbands
who are good humoredly content to suf-
fer in the sunshine of prosperity, had no
idea of doing so in adversely, and at the
prospect of being obliged to go back to
youthful struggle had recalled some of
the independence of that period. He
looked up quietly and said:
"If his conclusions are as clear and
satisfactory tomorrow as they were to-
day l shall certainly try to secure his
services"
"Then l can only say would prefer
the water witch. He at least would not
represent class Of neighbors who have
made themselves Systematically uncivil
and disagreeable to u.s."
81 am afraid, Josephine, we have not
tried to make ourselves particularly
agreeable to them," said the major.
"If that can only be done by admit.
ting their equality l prefer they should
remain uncivil Only let it be under
stood, major, that if you choose to take
this Tom, the plowboy, to mend youi
well you will at least keep him there
while he is on the property"
With what retort the major would
have kept up this conjugal discussion
already beginning to be awkward to the
discreet visitor, is not known, as it was
suddenly stopped by bullet from the
rosebud lips of the ingenious Adele.
"Why, he's very handsome when hi
face is clean, and his hands are small
and not at all hard. And he doesn't tall
the least bit queer or common"
There was a dead silence. "And pray
where did you see him, and what do yot
know about his hands" asked Mrs. Ran
dolph in her most desiccated voice. 30
has the major already presented You Il
him? | shouldn't be surprised"
mo, but" hesitated the young girl
with certain mouse like audacity
"when you sent me to look after Mis-
Mallory came up to him just after h,
had spoken to her, and he stopped to asl
Inc how we all were, and if Miss Mallor,
were really frightened by the earth
quake, and he shook hands for good al
-ternoon-that's all"
"And who taught you to convers
with common strangers and shake hand