Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-11-27

did not disturb his daughter, VINO
ting on a box beside the bed,
with her head laid on his feet,
slept of exhaustion, the long braid
OF her light, sun6urned hair drop
ping past her thin, tanned cheek
to the floor B fore aad facing her
sat Burdock. blinking at-her
along his nose, in drowsy content.
1t was a mouth later. The corn
had commenced to turn brown and
mammoth stacks of hay were built
here and there on the farms and
ranches. TObe sat in the solt
moonlight In his seat beside the
door, Burdock beside him. Tue
two carried on an interesting con-
verSation, TObe talking in an un-
dertOne, BnrdOck replying by
turning his head sideways and
prlcking up his ears, aud occas
ionally scrdplng his tail back and
forth oyer the ground. Within
bright lamp shOne on an Improved
interior and on the form OF the
young woman as sne moved quiet
~ about the room putting it to
to rights. Her low song, a snatch
of hymn that he had heard at
campmeetiug when he was a boy,
floated 20 Tobo|s ears.
There ls fountain filled With blood,
Drawn from Immanuvls veins
And the room had changed,
beyond the mere presence OF a
neat banded woman. There were
new chairs, a tIble, a chest OF
drawers; a bed, stove, gaudy
dishes behind the glIss doors OF
cupboard-all of crude new
ness, bat still very splendid IN
country where the only freight,
express and mail lines were wagon
trails that branched on; from the
Santa Fe trail to the outlying
places where people were trying
to build homes and cumnnnitles
New bedding gay print curtains at
the small windows, IA few highly
colored Autographs on the walls
and punches of tissue paper flow
ers evidenced the wOman's hand,
as did the neatness and the spray
of prarie flowers IN a medicine
bottle on the window sill. Tue
invalid, thin and white-haircd, lay
on his pillow IN weak content.
Yes, Burdock,' SAID Tobe, Il
call it next to mir tc'Iou1 that, the
very day you struck, these folks
should drive up an that she should
be such a good cook. Why, old
boz, you're fatter than yOl'ga
even been in your life, an as fer
me why never dreamed bow
comfortable like my money could
make me till she showed me how
it might be spent. Here we were
as miserable as we'd ever been, the
poorest job of punchin' I'd ever
had, an me the richest ranchman
Iu the county, never known that
| might have clean towels, an pie.
an picters on the wall till she
came
He glanced through the open
door. She stood at the table mix
ing the bread. He watched her
deftIy moving hands end comelJ
face. To him she was the most
beautiful, the most sacred thug 10
the world. Awkward and unedu.
Gated she might have seemed to
some, but IN his eyes she was
womanhood apotheosized, ,glOrified.
She shan't do that sort Of thing
long, said be. 1t amt but two
weeks till the day-yOn know,
BIrdock, when the circuit rider
breaches at Ssdiers-that il, If her
pap's able to be about then, an
the carpenters from Cordwood
come in two weeks more, am we'll
have new house, with room for
all Of as, an for flowers in the
window, aH' a bird cage, Slr's
going TO have 1t just like those
folks had where she worked up in
Hinnesoty. an then IT'S her turn to
have hired girls, i'll have to ship
'cm out from back East. An tC
think, Bur'lOck, If they hadn't
come on the ia, you struck you'd
never leI 'em come on the place
You've been second with me now
for some time, bat rll never forget
what / owe you, BnrdOck, all the
same.'
The girls step sounded behinC
them aud she stood at TObe''
side. In an.instant he was on his
feet and brought her chair. Ill
Gid not offer to touch her, bat hi'
every attitude bespoke his rud'
alteration. lie realized her posi-