The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1898-11-26
r Err hair was drawn back in III

gentle eyes and glance out through the
pantry window toward the patch of
tall, waving hollyhocks that Jim had
planted four summers before. She was
kneadng dough, and two or three times
she stopped to scrape the clinging bat
ter from her fingers with the back of
case-knife.
She hummed a little old-fashoned
tune, emphasizing the "tum te tum"
with savage jabs at the rapidly harden
dng dough on the shelf-board before
her.
"Janew
No reply.
"Janev
The ungainly figure Of a young girl
in gingham, her hair escaping in
strands the loosely tied knot at the back
of her head. appeared in the pantry
doorway.
'What dye want?"
II want ye 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.
Il never see SIGH a girl" muttered
Mrs. Springer to herself Seems like
a impossibility t git any decent help
out here in tn kentry. All tn girls
that's good fer anything gifts up an gifts
t. teowun ez soon ez they're tn right
age t. 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. Springer's elbow.
Mrs. Springer turned, her hands and
arms fecked with flour.
did We grease emp she asked
sharply.
mo, ma'am; We didn't tell me to-"
Didn't tell We to? Hain't We got
sense enough t do that 'ithout bein'
tori"
The girl took the tins and shambled
back into the kitchen, to return them
after a space of five minutes, CREASED. "
is they anything elseT she asked.
Yes; meow so out an git me pail o.
water. l 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 humps
and rolled them into habby 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 to
survey her work, when through the
open doorway of the kitchen tiOated to
her, on the cool September air, the call.
"Missus Springer! Oh, Missus Spring
err
Meow I'd like t 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'W
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
DTOW
and clambered out of the vehicle over
the wheel
He advanced toward Mrs Springer
and extended a yellow envelope. "This
kun las night" he said, 'jes fore tn
ten twenty arrove. Tn operator asked
me t. fetch it. At fust l thought Id
bring it right over, not thinkin but
what it might be from Jim. Then l seq
{ MYSELF. sez l, 'Missus Springer will
be t bed an better wait till mornin', SC
l fetched it over on my way deown."
At the name Jim" Mrs. Springer
clutched the bit of yellow paper, and
with fingers that wayered a little, tor,
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 tn,
scrawled writing with the fore fnge
of her right.
One glance at the words and she erie,
out, Its Jim. He's comm home. IT.
from his capung sayin' he has been sen
home sick in tn care o. two other sol
diers. He lef tn camp yesterday after
noon anil be here airly to-morrer morn
In"
"Shol Ye don't say" exclaime,
Zeke. Dew 1t tell how bad he be
Why didn't tibet durn operator over 4
tn depy tell me it wuz frum Jim an L,
a-brought 1t t We las night"
Mrs. Springer smiled and cleared he
throat. ''They's time enough, zeke," sh