The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1904-01-16

CRUTCH AS HARD AS SHE COULD
PLANT TIE BLOWS.
and raked out the Goals and put the
eggs to thaw on her best pewter platter.
She said when she found the melted
pewter running all over the hearth she
felt discouraged about him!"
Ann Rutledge laughed, and flung
che Of her thick auburn braids behind
her shoulder.
Haven't you any tale to tell of Abe,
Minter Grayham?"
Minter Grayham, used to having his
name prolonged by the soft southern
drawl with gentle familiarity, smiled
and shook his head. No one around
the coopers fireplace had sense of
the degradation Of poverty or the
triviality of any human experience.
Life in New Salem was full Of zest
which they brought from Massa-
chusetts, from Kentucky and Tennes-
see and Carolina mountains, and from
good English ancestry; though it was
merely the ordinary pioneer life of a
young state.
AS Abe cast on more fuel and the
blaze fiared higher, scream like a
rabbits pierced the doorway, and
something writhed over the step on
the puncheon floor. A furious woman,
the vision of a witch, with beard grow
ing tufted on her long chin, whacked
the writhing object with a crutch as
hard as she could plant the blows.
Ann Rutledge screamed.
Hold ont" cried Lincoln in two
or three long strides. Don't do that!"
He received on his arm the last stroke
of the stick, which the woman carried
with her as she ran from him.
ooh, my dear!" said Ann, brushing
, shavings off a little girl whom she
helped up from the floor, "are you
hurt?"
"Sally got me that time!" the child
answered, hopping to balance herself,
and laughing while tears ran down her
cheeks. "She took my crutch from me
so couldn't run. But saw this door
open, and goody! I'm in!"
"And she was born white woman!"
cried Ann Indignantly. "Sally Shick-
shack behaves like Il savage! You
would think she was the Indian and
Shickshacll the white"
! I'm nimbler than Sally when have
my crutch," laughed the child, still
weeping through her laughter, and
trying to swallow her sobs. Ann and
Dick Yates helped her to the cooper S
bench. Piteous and courageous as the
little figure was, the other girls looked
at her with disfavor, and one of the
younger Rutledges whispered to Ma
hala' Cameron that "a certain person
was always tagging Ann" as if resent
mig interference with sisters priv.
lege.
Never mind, Peggy" said Lincoln
cheerfully. ''Sally will make a man OF
You if hard knocks can do it. Where
are Shickshack and the boy?"
"They haven't come in from hunt.
ing yet"
"And Sally took the opportunity te
enjoy herself"
He drew his own large bhndana hand.
kerchief out of his pocket and kindly
wiped the child's face. She hiccoughet
in her effort to control more tears
and smiled at him. Ann kept one arm
around her, and brushed down thu
hair which struggled to her shoulders
/ Peggy had colorless, aquiline face
and a prominent though tiny mouth
her short upper lip failing to quite con
ceal her teeth. Her dress was of sof
tanned deerskin and showed by it.
lines that it had been cut out by ;
masculine knife instead of by feminine
scissors. There was scarcely fold tt
conceal her slim shape. and its scanti
ness displayed one moccasined foo
hanging down. Her other foot wa
curled under the bench, while pointin
straight at the fire was q wooden lie
strapped to her knee. She tried wit
careful hands to spread the ski
drapery over it.
Dick Yates could not help loolln
at her with curiosity. Even in tina
time when SO many mixed element
went to the creating of a sattlemen
! | she was an unusual figure. Ann Rut