Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1900-11-22

at the head of rock-ribbed, an oak.
studded and vine-lnced ravinc. Tn,
county road that led over the mountain
was not far away, and many a time
inthe dark nights before the final down
fall came the girl had often listened il
her bed to hear the enemy's horse beat.
ing upon the hard pike" and hae
looked up to sec her father sitting nea,
the door with his gun lying across hi.
knees.
''Let me weave now, mother" sale
the girl. "lou are worn OUT
You attend to the fire." he woman
replied, looking round with a sigh
That's hard enough. And, besides
you can't weave
But I can try"
'Ies. and while you are trying TIL,
work will he going to waste. If YOU
would only do as l beg of YOU
An appealing look from the CIR
checked her. You know what mean
she said.
Us, tiAS SitI ISpliSl., - ftuOW.
| 'Then you know what want you t.
DO"
Eyes"
"rhen why don't you do it?"
Because I can't"
7 The woman crowned. "But you ca,
see me kill myself at work.
II am compelled to see it, but i
! grieves me nearly 10 DEATH
IF it did, you would seek remedy
and one is at hand. What have don,
| for you? have stolen the time to Civ,
! you all the education had-we hav,
hidden our books in the woods, becaus.
Your father thought they We're fool
| ish-"
VI know all that, mother"
But you don't think of it,
Yes, l do, when you arc asleep. Blu
TO save my life lean, marry that man
The woman turned from her loom
~ suppose You are going to be foolisl
enough TO say that you don't love him.
/ II don't love him.
SAh, thought SO. But YOU could re
| spect him"
Il might, but l couldn't respect my
self"
Your father must have been right
! Our books We're silly, to put such no
tons in your head. ! married for love
Ella, and what did it mean? A life O
! drudgery. And that is what love mar
/ riage generally amounts TO for Il WON
an. You will at least promise me t.
! think over it,
/ "Yes, will promise that
The girl went 10 bed and she kept he
promise to think over it. The mothe,
was soon asleep, and the girlcould hea
her sigh in her troubled dreams. Blu
i the more she thought the more she dis
i liked old Lige Costcr. He was the loud
! est man that had ever ridden through
| the neighborhood. 1t was his bushes.
10 ride about, buying steers. He looked
| like red steer. His red hair Che wa!
bald except on the sides of his head
+ stuck up like the horns of a steer. lIt
had laugh that sounded like the low
of a steer. Once he had fight with
man and did not use his hands at all
He kicked like steer. But he mad,
money, he had a house. painted green
! with snnf1owers in the yard. but Will
steers lowing in the back lot He hat
said that his wife would not have t.
work, and this statement found ere
aence evenanlong womenwhok knew tha
his first wife had almost killed herself
with hard labor. AS the neighbors ex
| pressed it. he had made a dead set al
Ella. He had laughed, OF lowed, wheI
she had kindly told him 10 go his way
/ He said that lie would but that he
| would come back again: and he did
/ not only once. but many times. He hat
thought that Sam AIayfeld, the wag
! gisll sciioolteacller, stood in his way
! And it was a fact. a stronger fact than
4 he supposed. but Mayfield coult
/ promise her nothing better than lif,
of hard work.
Early the next morning the teachel
stopped at the Towson house on hi!
way to school. The girl met him at tn,
fence. Looking back she caught sigh
of her mothers angry face.
'I'he postmaster says that you ar,
| writing letters to the government, :
said the girl. What are You doing tina
/, for?"
I'm the interest Of your father" h,
answered.
Blu. that wont do any good"
ut may. ] have told them what ,
brave nnion soldier he was during tn.
war. That will have good effect, i
it is properly presented. And l an
working on it like man writing book
! find that he saved the flag more thar
once; and j also find that there is con
siderable doubt as to his killing thu
deputy"
he declared that he didn't" Ella re
rlied.
"1es and nobody ever knew him I,
tell lie. l have been poking around /;