Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1902-02-04

work. She used to milk the cows, takh
care of the bosses and do most all thh
shores, then 20 into the field and work..
She drove the team all through haH
yestin' last summer"
"She was a Swede, wasn't she?"
"Yes; a strong. red-cheeked YOUNG
woman. with big blue eyes, and hail
Just the color of that wheat field down.
there \ young Swede was workint
for JEFF, and they left about the sand
slime; guess there amt much doubt
It's a lie.'
The men jumped and turned to looH
into JEFF Cooper's white angry face. Hid
was trembling but his voice was cool
and steady.
My wife never left with any man; Id
was not like her. No better, trueI
woman ever lived, and any man Wild
1ares TO say anything different may AMI
swer to me-" He clenched n pair OF
huge fists and looked at Mart, who did
not answer for a moment, then hel
asked
What did she so away for. then.i
and where is'she?'
II don't know: but know that whenI
/ find her she will be as good and purej
as little child"
PITY you hadn't 'preciated her a lit
tie more when you had her" returned
Mart. scornfully. Most always if a
man thinks anything of his wife he
don't set her to workin' outdoors. like
4 man."
Il never wanted her to work out
doors. She liked to tend the horses
and drive them, TO sit ou the harvester
and watch the wheat fall. dil every
thing fol her that could You thought
when you built a muG h..S,rse Tol sour
wife that you had done wonders: i
built a frame house for mine. and put
n porch Gu it. when every board in it
cost me most a bag of wheat. and that
at the railroad twenty miles away"
Look! Look" interrupted one Of
the men. "A cyclone"
The men jumped to their feet. They
could hear the distant roar coming
nearer sid nearer. and all earth and
Che heavens seemed filed with the
gathering fury.
Its going south Of US, said Mart.
hopefully
"There's enough OF it coming here.
Get the horses Into the cellar. qulck,'
commanded Jef. running as he spoke
To the horses. thar stood pulling at their
halters. their sensitive ears pricked for
ward rs they scented the coming tor
uado. In a moment men and horses
were IN the cyclone cellar and the
heavy door bolted Through the thick
earth banking they could bear tile
crash as the cyclone struck
"It's n BIG one. said Mart; III we
ger the whole Of Il you won't see yoar
house. barn. harvester or wheat unless
you 81 lnto another county and gather
them up"
Ie6 Gid not answer. He was not
thinking Of the safety eff his property,
bst of his wife. Was she safe oul OF
the track of the cycloneg Row fright
eaed She had been the summer before,
when Just a SliglIt cyclone had passed
through his fields, How she bad chung
10 him in the darkness and perfec,
safety OF the cellar. He could still
feel her strong. young heart beating
wudly SgainSt his own as she cluns
20 him In an agony OF fear and dread
WHY had she left hlmS lie had ASKED
himself the question hundreds Of times
since she had left him-three months
ago, lie suspected that she had gone
home: IL was only fourteen miles away
bur he was too proud 10 make any
search for her. Surely she would come
back some time. Mart's words burned
his ears. though he did not believe
their evil suggestion.
Its over. guess MGrt's Yoics
broke upon his thoughts.