The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-04-25
A Western Girls Story,

! Afraid! / cried out with laugn.
| why on earth should / be afraid?"
| And l suppose my face must have mir
/ rored forth the careless independence OF
| my spirit, for my brothers rugged coun-
| tenance frightened up as l spoke.
| We lived alone upon a solitary road,
miles away from any human dwelling
\ place, in one Of those antique, gable-end-
! ed farrn-houses which look so Dictur-
| esque TO an artists eye in the summer
| time and SO indescerpably desolate when
| November gales are bowling around the
| chimney tops or winter SHOWS are heap
ing up their feathery pearl upon the
| doorstone; we-that is, the old bedridden
aunty, my brother Robert and myself.
| As for servant girl. dear me, When
| become rheumatic or lose the use of my
| limbs might need one. not before.
We had just received 800 from the rail-
| road people for the years wood which
Bob had cut and hauled TO the junction
500, all in nice, clean, cracking tens
and Bob and I and aunt Jemima all
| agreed-for once entirely unanimouS-that
SO much money ought not to remain over
night in the house.
So Bob was taking the 800 TO the OF
tarsfeld bank, twenty miles away, over
rough and uneven bride road. And
! and Aunt Jemima were left alone
In spite of my reinsurance Aunt Je-
NINA persisted in going TO sleep with
fiatiron and two pokers under her pill
low.
I sat before the fire until past 9 o'clock.
finishing a pair Of gray mixed stockings
that I was knitting for Bob. And then
rising with a yawn, looked out of the
windows. 1t was raining and
Merciful heavens, 1 started back with
a low cry, as I saw a white. wild face
pressed suddenly against the outer side
Of the pane-a face made paler still by
the contrast of a heavy black mustache,
and hair the most raven jet I ever saw.
My first impulse was to run and hide,
I my second TO face the matter out.
What do you want?" I asked, open
ing the window a little way. Who are
your
Il am a belated traveller I need food
-rest-rags TO bind up my hurt foot.
Sect" And then 1 saw that one of his
feet was bleeding.
l hesitated an instant. He perceived
my doubt.
he said, bitterly. Well don't wonder
much. But there's no danger Let me
in, as you have a dear father or brother
of your own. Give me but crust of
bread, a drink of milk. l will go on my
way with the earliest dawn OF the morn
ing"
My decision was taken at once. His
pale face, his blood-stained foot, his pite-
Gus voice, SO unlike the professional
whine of the regular mendicant, all ap-
pealed to my womanly pity. 1 remem-
bered my brothers caution, but l also
remembered that there was an unused
one-stOry wing, on the north end of
the house. fitted up in rude sort Of way
for the occasional sleeping place of the
additional farm hands that we needed
in the height of the season of harvest.
go around to the farther DOOR" said
I. II will let YOU in"
I admitted him accordingly. Gaunt,
pale and limping, he came in
There is a. bed" said I. And here
is food While you eat i will get salve
and a bandage for your foot" IL
When I returned he was eating as
greedily as if he had not tasted food for
week, and drinking long draughts of
coffee
You are hungry" I said, kneeling to
my task.
Il hope you may never be as near star
walton as / have been this day. he re-
sponded in a low, thrilling voice. Thank
you, young woman-the foot feels easier
now"
So I left him.
1 went to bed and fell fast asleep In
less than fifteen minutes
The sound of the old wooden clock
striking 3-or something else-aroused me
and, opening my eyes, l saw the shroud-
ed light of dark lantern in the room,
and by its glimmer three men were
searching the contents of the old hair
trunk that stood underneath the win
dow.