The Wichita daily eagle., 1897-06-19
Stories of an Inland State.

SIoneS OF an intdn0 Stdte.
He rode into town that day on Old Major.
! q hast with an immense head and an awk-
ward, tangled gait ami in tne hand he car
ried corn-staik cleanly trimmed and cut
precisely away at either end An he was
cieanly shaved and cleanly dressed
| He permitted the numbering. ungainly
| animal to walk He passed neighbor on
the road This man was in a wagon and
seeing the neatly trimmed corn-stalk asked
Gone, is she?''
He nodded ana went on feigning not TO
hear the last question Of the neighbor,
which was:
What were her last words?"
he didn't know what her last words were.
He had forgotten. II was a brilliant morning.
The sky was filled with tile shrill symphony
of feathered songsters and the flushing
tints Of yernal sunshine, and the heart
leaped at the amorous kiss of the morning.
Presently with one Of these rebellous turns
of the mind for which no man is RESPONSE
be and which no man can control, he broke
forth IN a merry whistle. Point blank he
caught himself and with violence dragged
lis mind back TO the sonbre thoughts Of
his wife, there at home. laid out On board.
dead Just before he came away he
had lifted the damp cloth off her face and
looked into t. There was nothing OF pee
vishness there now, for the old fretful ex-
preston was gone. Her eyes had sunken
and darhened and her lips were dough-likc
IN their mere want OF expression He had
realized that she was dead then. Across
his path a rabbit bounded, with dog dig
ging low in fierce pursuit at its heels. He
opened his hold on grief invoiuntarily and
stimulated by this contest, yelled:
Go it, you lop-eared curl"
The words were scarcely out his mouth
when an expression Of deep pain came into
his face. He felt that he had been guilty
of an indecorous outbreak. His bearing
was not that of man who had wife lying
dead at home. Certainly there was some
modicum of grief to display whether he felt
It or not And did he feel 1t? He searched
himself. mentally. Roughly answered he
did not feel 1t. But he could work HIM
self up to it. Oh yes! He could do that.
And he at once began the operation
He thought of the day he had first met
her She was sweet then with pretty hair
falling about her forehead, and he had
watched her as che sat there In church
and when they had sung the doxolosy he
had gone up to her In the prairie lot outside
IGe cnUrcn ana laO lOlu uct wiz nc vas
and had felt the timid presence of her lit
tie fingers. She had given him wild
flower All. He must have it yet. some
where in the unopened, the forgotten books
at home 1t had been years since she had
given It to him, but It must still be there!
So far he had thought mechanically, but
now a flood of unbidden recollections rush.
ed in upon him, and remembering with
what rough words he had parted with her
forever, his eyes filed with tears. He raised
The trimmed corn-stalk before him. 1t was
the measurement for her coffin. He shud-
dered, and as the thing loomed grewsome
to him. he held 1t away from him violently
and bit his lower lip with passion. His
great chest expanded and he broke into
sob.
All. Why should they have parted in a
Quarrel,l 1t was his fault. He would not
permit her 10 dictate to him where ~
should buy her coffin. She wanted an ex-
pensive one from Martins and he refused!
He dropped the reins and placed his hand
over his face. 1t was not TO conceal
fresh outburst of grief. 1t was a manner
of reflection. Yes, he had refused her.
What a brute he was. But was there not
some grain of justice on his side? He was
poor An expensive coffin meant debt and
an increased Durden merely 1Or the purpose
of paying tribute to her who could not ap-
preciate it and for the impression of neigh
bors who being as poor as himself, would
call him a fool for his pains.
HIS face grew hard again and he looked
about him, fearful that he would be seen,
and contradictory fearful that he would
not be seen and so be deprived of an oppor-
tunity of declaring that he was not afraid
TO show that he did not believe IN expensive
collins.
He looked again at the trimmed corn-stalk
in his hands and his blood chilled and his
heart sank. With resolution he swore in
wardly that she should have a coffin, silver
mounted, the best the town could afford. SO
he rode on.
When he came to Martins place, he tied
his horse and walked in and shook hands
with the grave Mr.. Martin and handed him
the trimmed corn-stalk. He watched Mr..
Martin pass about the room with a tape
measure and gradually he fastened onto the
belief that he was at the mercy of this
tradesmaa. What did he, a poor old far
mer, know about the prices of collins:
Couldn't this man rob him? And was there
- - l.