The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1898-11-10
: Err hair was drawn back in lit

pantry WlnUOW toward the pdlcn OF
tall, waving hollyhocks that Jim had
planted four summers before. She was
'kneading dough, and two or three times
she stopped TO scrape the clinging bat
ter from her fingers with the back of a
case knife
She hummed little oldfashioned
tune. emphasizing the "tum to tum"
with savage jabs ut the rapidly harden
ing dough on the Switchboard before
her
"Janev'
No reply.
"Jane"
The ungainly figure of young girl
in Bingham, her hair escaping in
strands the loosely tied knot at the back
of her head, appeared in the pantry
doorway.
"What dye want?'
Il want We T. git them biscuit tins out
o tn kitchen cupboard an bring 'em In
here t me-
The girl slowly turned and shambled
across the kitchen floor, the turnover
heels of her old slippers Gathering on
the white scrubbed boards as she
walked
II never see s!ch a girl" muttered
Mrs. Springer to herself. Seems like
impossibility t git any decent help
out here In tn kentry. All tn girls
that's good fer anything gifts up an gifts
Z teowun 81 soon ez they're tn right
age { be good fer anything. Only them
as is too lazy t live is lef' fer us out
here"
Here tn tins be, Missus Springer"
Jane dragged herself into the buttery
and laid the baking plates ON the shelf
at Mrs Sprlngcrs elbow.
Mrs. Springer turned, her hands and
arms tleckcd with flour.
ibid ye grease emf" she asked
sharply.
mo, maam: ye didn't tell me to-"
''Didn't tell ye to? Hain't We got
sense enough t do that 'ithout bein'
tor?"
The girl took the tins and shambled
back into the kitchen, to return them
after space of five minutes, creased"
us they anything else?" she asked.
YES; meow go out an git me pail o.
water. | hain't got time t do every
thing"
Again the girl disappeared.
From the great lump of dough on the
board Mrs. Springer pulled little Jumps
and rolled them into fabby globes,
which she placed In regular lines on the
bottom of the biscuit tins.
She had patted the last little lump
Into ball and wedged it into a corner
OF one of the pans and stepped back 10
survey her work. when through the
open doorway of the kitchen floated to
her, on the cool September air, the call,
"Missus Springer. Oh, Missus Spring
err
Meow I'd like [ know who that Is"
she exclaimed as she crossed the floor
and pushed open the screen door.
Fer tn lan's sake, Zeke Evans, what
be you a-wantin'T
She had stepped out on the back
porch, all green and blue with clinging
vines and open morning glories.
The little man in the light "rig"
wiped the perspiration from his brow
and clambered out of the vehicle over
the wheel.
He advanced toward Mrs. Springer
and extended yellow envelope. This
kun las night" he said, lies fore tn
ten twenty arrove. TIL operator asked
me t fetch It. At fust l thought I'd
bring 1t right over, not thinkin' but
what 1t might be from jim. Then seq
I myself, SCI I, 'Missus Springer will
be t bed an better wait till mornin, so
] fetched 1t over on my way deown."
At the name Jim" Mrs Springer
clutched the bit Of yellow paper, and.
with fingers that wavered q little, tore
open the envelope.
! Zeke waited.
The envelope dropped to the floor of
the porch. Mrs. Springer held the dis
patch In her left hand and followed the
scrawled writing with the fore finger
of her right.
One glance at the words and she cried
out, Its Jim. He's comm home. It's
from his capung sayin' he has been sent
home sick in tn care o. two other sol
diers. He ler tn camp yesterday after
noon anil be here airly to-morrer morn
In"
"Sho! Ye don't say" exclaimed
Zeke. Dew 1t tell how bad he be?
Why didn't tibet durn operator over t
tn depy tell me It wuz frum Jim an I'd
a-brought 1t t We las night"
Mrs. Springer smiled and cleared her
throat ''They's time enough, Zeke," she
said. I'm go right in an fix up his
room SOS { have everything ready
when he comes As yeW drive on down.