The Minneapolis journal., 1903-04-30
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Copyright 1902 by Lathrop Publishing Co., Boston.
CHAPTER XIII

The Argonauts Return to the Rising Sun.
1t was mid-october. The two saddle
horses and a team for carriage use had
been shipped ahead. In the private car
the little party was beginning its own
journey eastward. From the rear plat
form they had watched the tall figure Of
Uncle Peter Bines standing in the bright
autumn sun, aloof from the band Of ker-
chief waving. friends, the droop of his
head and shoulders showing the detection
he felt at seeing them go. He had re-
sisted all entreaties to accompany them.
His last injunction to Percival had been
to marry early.
II know your stock and l know you.''
he said; ''and you got no call to be rangin'
them pastures without a brand. You
never was meant fur a maverick. Only
don't let the first woman that comes ridin'
herd get her@iron on you. No man knows
much about the critters, Of course, but
I've noticed few things in my time. You
pick one that's full-chested, that's got a
fairish-sized nose. and that likes cats.
The full chest means she's healthy. the
nose means she amt f1nicky, and likin'
cats means she's kind and honest and
unselfish. Ever notice some women when
a eats around? They pretend to like 'em
and say Nice Kitty but you can see
they're viewn' 'em with bitter hate and
suspicion. If they have to stroke 'em
they do it plenty gingerly and You can
see 'em shudderin' inside like. 1t means
they're catty themselves. But when one
grabs a cat up as if she was goin' to eat
it and cuddles it in her neck and talks
baby-tal to it. you play her fur bein'
sound and true. Pass up the others,
son. "..f..-
And speakin' Of the fair SEX" he
added. as he and Percival were alone for
a moment, that. enterprisin lady we set
tied with is goin' to do one thing you'll
approve of. ''~@ .--'
She's goin'," he continued in answer
to Percivars look of inquiry, ito take her
bank-rol to New York. She says it's the
only place fur folks with money. jest like
you say. She tells Coplen that there
want any fit society out here at ALL
no advantages fur a lady of capacity and
ambitions. l reckon she's goin' to be 403
all right r.. ~ 50.
Seems to me she did pretty we'll here;
don't see any kicks due her
Yes, but she's like all the rest The
west was good enough to make her money
in. but the east gets her when spendin
time comes
AS the train started he swung himself
off with sad little BE good to your.
self" ~ @%tE@
THANK the Lord we're under way at
LAST cried Percival, fervent1y,. when the
view. =. =;
va isn't it just heavenly" exclaimed his
Sister. ''Think of having all OF New York
you want-being a home there-and not
having to look forward to this desolation
of a place. 49,. -
Mrs. Bines was neither depressed nor
elated. She was maintaining that calm
level OF submission to fate which had been
her lifelong habit The journey and the
p -tn IA tndo tol,a hao
they formed for her the line Of least re-
sistance along which all energy mustf1ow.
Had her children elected to camp for the
remainder Of their days in the center OF
the desert Of Cobb. she would have faced
that life with as little sense Of persona
concern and with no more misgivings.
Down out Of the maze Of hills the train
wound: and then by easy grades after
two days Of travel down off the great
plateau to where the plains of Nebraska
lay away to fair horizon in brown bill.
lows of withered grass.
n Then came the crossing Of the ,sullen
sluggish Missouri. that highway Of ar
an earlier day to the great northwest
and after that the better wooded and bet
ter settled lands of Iowa and Illinois.
Now we're getting where Christians
live said Percival. with warm apprecia
tlon.
why. Percival.' exclaimed his moth
.er. reprovngly. "do you mean to sa,
there aren't any Christians in Montana
City? How you talk! There are lots o
good Christian people there. tho I mus
say I have my doubts about that new
Christian Science church they started las
~Cspring."
- "'The term. Mrs. Thornlike was uset
In its social rather than it's theological
significance. replied her son. urbanely
Far be it from me to impugn the religion
of that community of which we are ceas
ing to be integers at the pleasing rate o
sixty miles an hour. God knows the
need their faith in different kind Of Ian
hereafter
And even Mrs. Bines was not without
gentler contours of the landscape thr
which they now Sped
e"The country here does seem a lot co
sier,' she admitted
The hills rolled away amiab1y and reas
slfringly; the wooded slopes in their ga
colorng Of autumn invited confidence
Here were no forbidding stretches of tn
gray alkali desert, no grim bare noun
tains no solitude of .desolation' It was
r. kind land. fat with riches, The slnor
yellow fields, the capacious red barns. til
well conditioned homes. all told eloauentl
of peace and plenty. So, too. did the vii
lages-those lively little clearing house
for immense farming districts. To til
adventurer from New York. they seem al
ways new and crude. To; our traveller
from newer. cruder region they wer
actually aesthetic sin their suggestions {
an old and we'll ab1ished civilization.