Mower County transcript., 1903-11-18
turned into anything else, until she
could huv and hold land


could buy and hold land.
Antywine and Peggy had gone back
to Sally's cabin. But as the season ad-
vanced and it was time to take up the
work of surveying again, Antywine
consulted Lincoln.
"I have made up my mind" he de-
clared, mot to live with that woman
some more at all. She have my fathers
goods, and her first mans goods? and
Shickshack's cabin. She is we'll off.
There is that Onslow house at the
west end of the road. l can buy it
myself for some trade. We will keep
house,
Peggy and you?''
eyes," replied Antywine, with inno-
cent enthusiasm. 81 will take care OF
her. Me, l can make moccasins;
can kill plenty deer and cure venison.
When am away with you to carry
the chain, she can bar the door and
keep Sally out, and l sleep easy. l
not sleep easy, Sieur Abe, to go away
and leave her alone with that Sally,
who may cast an evil eye or a stick OF
wood at her the minute my back is
turn!"
"You better put off the housekeeping
until we come home" suggested
Lincoln, smiling, land let Peggy
board at the tavern while we are away.
She has plenty of money"
Antywine's blue eyes flashed Joy al
oS hi 1>r11i nj
He had never thought OF Peggy's
money as currency which might be
put to use. 1t was simply a valuable
possession, boarded for her.
Peggy was directly received into the
Rutledge family, where she had al
abundance OF good food and AIMS
teaching and companionship for
stipulated sum in shillings and fps
amounting to less than two dollars a
week. To her it was season OF JOY
and rapid development. Viane Rut-
ledge, herself budding into girlhood,
reluctant approval. Peggy's angles
disappeared. She shot up taller. Her
lissOme limbs were round, and her
halting step without crutch had an
appealing: charm. Her little face
gathered, a sweetness which provoked
kisses; it had the clean polish of
flower petal. She was so good and so
happy, so busy learning how to man
age tie affairs of daily living, and so
glad to draw her breath, that every
body said, "She is growing pretty:
Whoever imagined that little weakened
Spaniard would turn out like this?"
Antywine and Lincoln were away un-
til earlyin June. They came driving all
ox-wagon from the west into New Salem
one evening at sunset, and drew up al
the vacant cabin which Antywine in
tended to make his own. 1t stood
waiting for him in primitive security.
The ox-wagon carried squat, low
chest OF drawers, evidently bought
at secondhand, but bright ANA rosy
through it's old mahogany surface, and
Antywine's first housekeeping invest
ment. Lincoln helped him unload it.
and they set it on the sward before
the cabin door.
'I lift him into the house myself"
said Antywine. So Lincoln drove the
borrowed cattle on, knowing he was
welcome 10 put them into anybody's
pasture until he and his chain bearer
returned them.
Antywine opened the door of the
playhouse he was intending to make
for Peggy. Though the sensitive part
of him, which Peggy said was like a
woman, quivered with delight, he had
free, bold spirit, ready to dare any,
thing. On long tramps and rides and
through days of mechanical labor with
master mind he had been coming
to his own as a man.
"There's mighty difference" Lin
coin once said to him, between study
ing with the outside of your eyeballs
and studying with your eyes open clear
to the bottom of your BRAIN
Antywine saw that new oiled paper
would have to be put into the weather.
beaten windows, over which Peggy
would hang short white curtains, per-
haps like those that could be showed
apart on strings at the tavern. He
selected the corner for his lest of
drawers, and was silently calculating
how long it would take to turn out
chairs and tables at the cooper's shop,
when the smell of a cob pipe made
him shut the door to keep Sally from
looking into his house. Sally had come
Dip behind him and was examining the
chest of drawers. In earlier days, be-
fore beard grew upon her face, or
avarice and vfndictiveness hewed it,
her piercing black eyes may have been
admired. She fixed them On Antywine.
He touched his cap with the courtesy
ms father had taught him to show all
women, and said, Good day, Sally,
tie heard Lincoln's gee-hawing to the
oxen turn to "W'oa, Buck!" and saw
that Sticky Green and, young Yates
had come down the road to meet the
surveyor. = u.s.. sa..I ~. 1..s-, p"
Have you heard about Peggys
death" inquired Sally.
Tier death?" Antywine repeated. :.
Eyes. She was buried a week ago."
"&'- CHA prNR VT ri 54Htr3. z i