The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1894-08-23

hard, giving himself no time to regret
what lay behind, or to dream OF what
might be before. His luck changed with
his change of locality. Irrigating he
'ound no difficulty about. He planted
melons, tomatoes and garden truck; and
everything throve wonderfully. There
we're no pests to blight-no hot winds to
'corch, his crop.
How the memory Of that blast from
hell which burnt up his corn, his child's
life, and his wife's patience seemed to
GEAR his eyes still-till he had to close
hem for very pain. He sold his crops,
the early melons paying particularly well
and he paid off every dollar Of debt on
his land. Grimly resolving that no mort
gage should ever burden it again. He
built an excellent five-room house and
painted, beesbled, and becorniced it to
his hearts content. COMPARED with the
Nebraska shack TO which he had brought
his bride, it was mansion. He turned
the shack into a stable, built large roo
cellar, and found that he had enough left
to carry him into next season.
And now he began to permit himself to
thine of Annie. His love for her had
been scotched, not killed. He longed to
see her again and to bring the old bright
look back to the once sweet young face.
He felt that his future was safe; but. after
much thought, he decided that the part
ing had been so sad and hopeless that
the reunion, if it came at all, must leave
nothing to chance.
The more he thought OF her, the more
he longed for her. He wondered how she
looked. Whether her face had lost the
worked-out, apathetic, yet hunted ex-
preston which it almost maddened him
now to recall. His memory dwelt on
the days of their courtship, and early
married life with ever growing tender.
ness, and though he constantly required
to the Nebraska failure it was so terrible
that he banished it from his mind as
soon as he realized its presence.
He was in a straight betwixt bis desire
to have Annie with him again, and the
promptings OF the still small voice oil
reason, which babe him have his own
and her future firmly in hand before he
tried to win her back. At times he fear
ed that in some way or other he might
lose her absolutely, and he tortured him
self by coniufing up all sorts OF unlikely
evils. 1t seemed to him that now that
it might be possible to have her back, il
he let the opportunity pass another might
not be offered
Again he would speculate rs to whether
she would return to him. Whether her
love had really (as she had WRITTEN with
cred in the parched misery of their last
year in Nebraska. He remembered all
the hopeless savings he had ever read
about dead love never living again. But
he bravely told himself that these were
as often false as true; and always there
was an undertone OF hope which every
now and again made itself clearly dis
cernible. Finally he decided to write to
her, and did so.
He told her OF his new life and its
promise; told her that there were no hot
winds or crop failures 10 the favored land
he would bring her to. He managed
awkwardly, but clearly too, to let hel
see that the old love was alive in his
heart, and said that if she would allow
him he would 10 for her in the fall, and
bring her to comfortable home, in
which the grinding wretchedness to which
he had taken her before would be remem.
bered only as an evil dream. He mailed
his letter, and set to work harder than
ever to kill thought till her reply should
be received.
In fortnight it came. Annie had
loved him; and returning health, the alb
sence of the awful Nebraska strain, and
the peace OF her old home soothed her,
and permitted the not quite extinct spark
OF wifely love to revive. Though she
was comfortable at her mothers house,
she had once passed out OF it to an ex-
perience which hindered her from ever
again becoming truly part of the old
home life. She was consciou, of this.
She missed her husband, and wrote to
him in way that seemed to satisfy him,
as he would drop his tools every little
while that day to reread her letter.
The spring and summer patsed in ac-
tive and successful work on Jim's part
while constant interchange OF letters in
creased the desire of these two to come
together again.
Lancy cleared 800 an acre from his
second years crops. He added a back
stoop and well, also cellar, and bath
room to his house; and furnished it COM
fortably. He surrounded it by q neat
picket fence, which he painted white.
He put up cowshed and bought good
milk COW. He put two hundred and
fifty dollars in his pocket, leaving little
more in the bank, and went east with his
heart full of anxious expectations.
Mr.. and Mrs. Lancy are living now in
the second home he brought her to. She
has a grave, sweet face, that is little
older than her years. He is adding tc
his acres, and his savings; and says that
sturdy little Lancy, who is at once the
despair and pride of his mother, is going
to he governor of the best state in the
union. He has no patience with strik