Middletown transcript., 1895-10-12

| DTuSN CD6 alT
hung like the breath of the
dead. Not even the wing of bird set
| it in motion. The low adobe cabin
seemed to crouch upon the plain as if
it were trying to escape notice, fearful
lest the heavy sky would fall upon it.
Except the few scattered sheep cor
rails there was not break in the mon
otonous level of the ground.
One could judge from the height of
the sun that the morning was scarcely
begun. But there was no other sign
song Of the birds, sparkle of devon
the Upidee ranch.
A young woman sat in the doorway
with folded hands and detected shoul-
ders. She was apparently as lifeless
as her surrounding. With her head
leaning against the side of the door
she might have made pleasing pic
ture were it not for the hard lines
about her mouth and the hopeless look
in her eyes-eyes which wandered
over the gray sage brush, fingered
stolidly upon the patch where she had
tried to keep alive few green plants.
There had been time when the
sight of these withered plants cooked
by the sun would Lave made her cry.
Not now, though. Janet Dinscombe
wondered vaguely if she were losing
her senses. She remembered hearing
centuries ago-it was less than year
that men lost their minds when they
were alone for months in the desert.
She had laughed at The thought of
that when Roger Dnscombe had told
her of his love before he came TO work
out living on a sheep ranch. She
would not delay the marriage. 81 am
TO be help-meet, not hindrance,"
she said and urged him. 81 will keep
house for you. We will be together.
What more can We askP" she said
pleadingly. With pretty flushed
cheek up against his Roger Dinscombe
had not the courage to deny Janet
Moore's command. Her home was
not very pleasant, he argued to him
self in justification. And Janet had
her own way.
The first two mon; hs the young wife
went singing about the little cabin,
happy enough. Then her step grew
less lively and hours of unhappiness
followed. Roger loved her, of course
she knew that. But lie did not tell
her SO very often now. Then, too, he
was busy all the day, and she had long
forenoons and afternoons when there |
was nothing to do. Her house was
neat as pin. She even had read all
the advertisements in the few papers
which change brought her. Her
nearest neighbor lived five miles away.
When Roger came home he was too
tired to talk much. There was late
supper and early breakfast-and then
silence and desolation.
One day Janet realized she was los
ing her love for her husband. That |
was when she planted the garden. A
few sickly plants grew there which |
she kept alive by carrying water from
muddy little stream. When July |
came this dried up. And now her |
plants were dead. She felt choked as
she looked at them, but the tears did |
not come to her eyes.
Roger Dinscombe noticed the shadow
which had settled upon his wife's face.
Blaming himself he grew irritable and
moody. Instead Of love making him
tender it forced him to be distant.
Often now husband and wife avoided
looking into each others eyes. That
very morning he had spoken to Janet
sharply as he went away. The words
fell back on his own heart like a lash. !
"What brute l am" he muttered,
and half turned 10 come back. But
tuO OOb AOOh Ou CdnCL ldCO CdmO up
before him and he spurred on the pony
he was riding.
"Am l going mad?' Janet repeated
to herself until the sun had crept to
where she sat. II won't go mad. l
am girl of common sense. l used to
hate the work at home of cooking for
houseful of stepbrothers and sisters;
mending and darning, with constant
whining and fretting from stepmo-
ther who was strong as I am. Now
work would be the most blessed boon /
on earth. What shall dop" The lit
tie sitting room and kitchen were spot
less. She could not do anything there.
"I'll put my trunk in ORDER" shei
thought. Not ribbon was out of
place. She took up bundle of patches
idly. "Why not make quilt2" The
idea pleased her as she looked over the
patches, That bit of lilac print was
her first "grown-up gown"-and this
blue and white checked calico was the
dress she had on the first time she met
Roger. She remembered now that she
had bunch of wild crab-apple bios
SONS in her belt when she ran into
Mrs. Dinscombe's on an errand, and
was told "Janet, this is my son Roger,
who just came home from the West"
The young Mrs. Dinscombe's face
s0ftened as she seemed to live 1t over