Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1897-10-29


gave him little encoura cement Not
much, TO be sure, but enough to reform
MIN completely. He was naturally
mighty bashful when he called at the
Dig house, all fixed up in clothes he
wasn't used to. and Kitty at first pre-
tended she didn't understand that he
had come to see her.
"fll call my father" she said. "per.
haps you want to talk about cutting
some cordwood."
NO" said Rufe, directly, II want to
know If l can't keep company with
youy'
The girl was startled by his failure to
beat about the bush, but she answered
quite as directly:
certainly not. You're too lazy to be
allowed to keep company with any
one." Then an idea flashed through her
mind. But IL you'll cut cOrlwood a
whole year every day but Sunday and
holidays you may come and see me
just once. Here comes father and you'd
better make arrangements to cut for
him on shares
10 Kitty's surprise Shiftless Rufe
stood his ground, and when her father
came in started at once to discuss the
proposed arrangement.
| "Wal, Mist Sylvester" said Rufe,
grasping the old mans hand. Il amt
! never been no great hand for work.
but l must have chance to keep COM
p'ny with Kitty, and she says l may
come and see her after I've chopped
cordwood a year. 1t won't be no fun.
but must have Kitty. and if got to
work to git her, why, then have, and
that's all there is about it,"
Sylvester was at first inclined to be
angry at Kitty for trifiing with Rufe,
but concluded to humor the situation,
and. bidding Kitty leave the room, told
the young man he was ready to make
bargain with him.
"IOu can cut cordwoOd off the estate
ON shares, Rufe, of course, If you want
to, and I'll set aside some trees right
near your fathers shanty on the other
side OF the flats. But you want to
take off them fine boots and them doe
skin pants, and that there brOadclOth
coat, and you don't want to put them
on again till you've worked hard a
whole year. You're too shiftless to be
allowed to think a single minute about
Kitty now. and l suppose you always
will be, but
You needn't say no more, Mist Syl
vester," put in Shiftless Rube. But
cant see Kitty again just long
enough to say good-night?"
YES" said the old man. land III
tell her we've made the bargain she
suggested"
Then he called Kitty into the room
: AS she entered she noticed for the first
! time that Rufe, dressed up, wasn't al
, all bad looking, and that he seemed
. twice the man he had been before. She
kept perfect silence till her father haG
, finished. Then she reached out an(
took Rufe's big. soft paw in her owr
| small banda hand that was callOuse(
: with hard work in spite of it's little
, ness.
t mfr. Dunning," she said, II hop.
, you'll keep your bargain faithfully, a!
shall keep mine. After you hav,
worked hard for a year you may come
, and see me-once. Whether you ma!
come again or not will depend on your
self. Good evening, Mr.. Dunning.'
, Nobody had ever called Shiftlcs
/. Rufe Mr.. Dunning before and the it'll
, scared him far more than the notion o
working every day for twelve lonl
' months. From the time he left the BIZ
l <1n< irpk< hD tn
n title "shiftless." Next morning, q
; soon as it was light, the sharp ring o
his ak was heard across the valley. bit
q. ing out the chips as he chopped dow
the first tree Of his year long stent
p Long before noon that day his big
= pulpy hands were blistered and swOl
q len, and by shutdown they were sigh
= cried over them and urged him to sto
> thinking about the proud. stuck-u
girl on the other side Of the valley.
); 1.-The idcarw muttered the old won
:, an between whiffs at her clay pipe
while she dressed Shiftless Rufe'
> hand. do you think Kitty Sylveste
;: will look at you just because you'v
4 | Deeu lOOA VuOu6h w "Oi" " "OA
y year? Why, it's puffickly ridiklis.
allus knew you was little light in tn
y head, Rufe, but l didn't think you
!, make a fool Of yourself for no cor
ceited Sylvester girl"
To this and much more Of the sam
y sort. both from his father and mother
Il Shiftless Rufe made no reply. bu
while vet the next morning was gra
II the sound Of his busy ak was agai
= waited across the valley, and this col
p tinued to the going down Of the SUI
II And so it went on, day after day, all tn
4 fall and through the winter. No ma
ter how deep the snow, or how storm
K the weather, Rufe toiled on unceasini
d ", When the days We're shortest.
n the middle of the winter, he sometime
IS began before daybreak and worke
], after dark, splitting the lengths b
y had chopped from the felled trees I'M
II ..four-foot wood" by the light OF tn
d low dip stuck into tin lantern OF II