The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-07-01

tie nniShed his last mouthful with
regretful smack, undisturbed by tn
gaunt-faced woman who sat staring q
him. Then he leaned back, wiping hi
mouth with a hairy fist
That was good spread" he sai(
solemnly Folks gineral!y gives me
hand-cut. But this was a spread"
| ! fed YOU here In the Kitchen re
turned l.uella because / want you t.
talk"
Talk" The hobo tilted his chat
little farther. You're a queer one
What 4" you want me to talk about :?
rel me how 1t feels to be free"
1T feels mighty nne--if you ain
starvin' nor freczin'."
| She proDped her chin on her hand
| leaning toward him.
How'd YOU come to take to tn,
| road"
scoWl settled on the tramp's brow
| as though at some hateful recollection
You want my spiel. 90 you? Well
was n factory hand. l tended on :
inhchine-fecdin it, feedin it. feedln' II
all day long and part of the night
When got to bed dreamed Of tn,
cusSed thing. Why did | dream of it,
Cause ii seemed to be reachin' out
tryin' to grab the whole of me, OF
chh" on my fingers, just rs it did II,
the day At last there come Il time
when | says to myself. There's such
kho" of 1t? You're jest part of this
here machine Yet there acshually is
SIGN things as roads leadin to new
places, country roads with sunshine am
grass an time to think an find out
VINO you nrc--tinle to walk with them
you iancies an to git away from them
YOU DON'T"
Yes, yes ] know" she said breath
iesSly " The world was calm you
calm, calm till you couldn't hep but
re stared at her as he rose.
dunno how in Moses you know
anything about il. You don't have no
machine to feed Yore husbands the
richest farmer in this county. they
say"
She rose in her turn and caught his
ragged sleeve, pushing him round until
ne raced the polished kitchen range
Sec that stove" she cried harshly.
lts got arms, like yore machine had.
An them arms. all my life, has reached
out an grabbed holt of me an choked
the" -
he wrenched roughly away from her.
AW-gWon! he said, contemptuous-
~. You got II easy job"
lie walked off. rolling pacidly down
the front path
Lucia never looked after him. She
teamed against the door post and stared
fhr or into the western line. now col
approaching
sunset.
The reek of the kitchen chung to her
gown and EMBODIED her in its atmo
sphere. Once she shook out her skirt
impatiently, but the odor was still
there.
An hour later. she sat down to .
bountiful supper with her husband,
stephen Westly: supper in which
there was none to share but them
selves.
1t was eaten in busincsslikc silence.
AS soon as he had finished. stephen be-
San 70 mend some harness. while his
Vile hurried the dishes to the sink.
The table cleared. she came back to
her husband md stood nervously rub
ping the back of a chair with her
knotty, toil-worn fingers.
"StepheN!"
What is it, Lucia? Hand me them
brads often the shelf, will you?"
She complied. and then plunged des-
perateiy into her subject
stephen, l got tooth that needs I
croWn!n'. | don't b'iieve our tooth
doctor to the village understands Ii. II
want to have it fixed right | want to !
go to Garfield l shall be gone a week"
Astonished. he dropped the harness
You want to be gone week." /
know it sounds dretful, but I do. |
l Know l amt never been away more'n /
hulf a day sence we married. ten year
ago But it seems like there's a slack
There ain't no sich thing as slack
IN work here" retorted the husband I
Il don't care. I'm sufferin' with
that tooth. 1 got to go
lie rose abruptly and crossed to the
whore he stood gazing into
the dusk. A peculiar expression had /
stolen into his eyes, but Lucia could .
not see it. \ look of guilty cunning
touched the Worn lines on his prema .
turely old face.
You alters been so masterful. I.u-
aila--you alters drove yore sheer of
work so hard, didn't suppose you'd .
want to git a whole week behind
Il got TO CO. she repeated, stub
oornly.
"A week." he repeated, rubbing his
hands slowly together-hands which
.renbled perceptibly with some strong
l excitement Well go eff you
enough to be talkin' about holidays.
You an me certainly has kept each
'ther up to the mark-an't we. Lu-
Ella? No better managers than us two
anywhere. But sence you got to
When the morning train halted at
he village 1t received a solitary pas
senger, who sank gaspingly on a red
plush seat. Srasping a ticket to Cam !
Held.
But as she sat there. looking breath
essly from the window. something in
he whirlng motion restored her calm
less. She almost stretched out her
worn hands TO the trees and glades that
seemed tryinS to rush ND to her
Don't hurry" she whispered: I'm
Ten minutes later, the train halted '
resentfully at little way station. The
The