The Forrest City times., 1903-06-12


scraping over the floor noisily.
Her son sprang past her to the
edge of the porch, where he crouched
down, bracing his head against a
small. upright post.
Mother" he said. I'm going away.
But I'm not going away angry. love
Hattie Long, can't stay where
there's SO much bitterness against
my future wife's folks
Mrs. Clawson muttered. as if to
herself. "0f all people in the world!
| An fer us, in a state a thousand
miles long, to set ourselves right
down mex TO 'em! On a piece of
mortgaged property, to- Never car
ing a thing about us, until they need
ed our water"
She shifted contemptuously; then
fell into n brooding silence.
The sound of wheels presently
reached Mrs. Clawson's acute ears.
| She noted the grating noise as the
wheels scraped along over the broken
stone; and she recalled how her son,
only yesterday, had spent the morn
| ing filling in the ruts near the bro
ken-limbed pear tree.
Mrs. ClawSon's hands were lev: her
body shivered as with the cold.
Her son scrambled to his feet. He
came and laid strong hand on her
shoulder.
Remember, mother, l don't bear
any ill-will.'
She caught hold of his hand. She
cried out. in broken tones: Don't
go on to-nights stage. Robbie. Oh,
Bobbie. mebbe your mother kin learn
to swallow her hard feelin's."
Mrs. Clawson set the lighted lam
tern under the tall pines where the
irrigating ditch made its abrupt turn.
With long-handled hoe she quick
~ scraped shallow channel through
the weedy ground dividing the wa
ter and her neighbours empty trench.
Then she bent stiffiy over the stones
her husband had patched into the
wall in the morning. One of the
stones stood up large and angular
above the others. Mrs Clawson
tugged at ii with awkward, out
stretched arms. At last she succeed
ed in loosening it; and pushed it for
ward into the ditch.
The water gurgled and seeped
through the opening to form itself
into a slender little stream.
Mrs. Clawson now Selling the lam
tern, held it at arms length for a
careful survey of the top of the wall.
larger, heavier stone hung near
the newly made opening. This she
succeeded in dislodging also. And
when the water flowed over the bank
in darker, thicker stream, at last
trickling down into Mary Longs
trench, Mrs. Clawson chuckled grim
y.
Certainly it would surprise no one
that through loose wall water
should find for itself an opening. nor
should be allowed to pursue its own
beheticent way.
Mrs. Clawson continued to laugh
as she slung the lantern over her
arm and picked her steps across to
the tool-shed, where she had found
the hoe a half an hour earlier.
1t had grown very dark When
she started down the hill she could
hardly see three feet before her.
Il come after yeh, Sue" her hus-
bands voice said out of the shadow
If an apple tree. rs there anything
the matter with yeh?'
"Nothin' that I'm aware Of she
replied, in non-committal tone.
"feh amt sick, are We, Sue? Well
people don't wander around after
dark"
People should mind their own at
fairs, father" she replied.
Would yeh mind my takin' the
lantern. Sue?
She thought she heard a note of
covert triumph in his voice.
Take it if yeh want" she spoke
indifferently I'm cold. | want %
git back to the house"
He took the lantern from off her
arm. She watched him curiously as
his dark figure stumbled up the hill
and stopped over the broken wall.
When he returned to her side, he
said: why didn't yeh tell me. I'd
done "a for yeh."
Done what? she asked
He burst into laugh. 1t was the
first laugh of unalloyed satisfaction
he had enjoyed for years.
She clutched his arm
II expect yeh'll hold that over my
head like the sword o Damocles all
the rest o my life. That wall broke
itself. Dunce!"
They hurried down the hill, He
was in the lead tonight. holding the
lantern down close to her feet.-San
Francisco Argonaut.