The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1904-07-01
He finished his last mouthful with a G

He finished his last mouthful with a
regretful smack. undisturbed by the
gaunt-faced woman who sat staring at
him. Then he leaned back, wiping his
mouth with Il hairy fist.
That was a good spread" he said,
solemnly. Folks sinerally gives me {
%hand-out. But this was Il spread"
Il fed you here in the Kitchen" re-
turned Luella, because L want you To
talk"
"Talf?' The hobo tilted his chair
q little farther. You're a queer one,
w nat do you want me to talk about 90
Tell me how it feels 10 be free.'
1T feels mighty fine-if YOU amt
StarVin' ner freezin'."
She propped her chin on her hand,
leaning toward him.
How'd you come to take TO the
road?"
A scowl settled ON he tramp's brow,
as though at some hateful recollection.
You want my spiel, do you? Well,
l was a factory hand. / tended OH a
machine-feedin' it, feedin' it. feedin' it
all day long and part of the night.
When l got to bed l dreamed of the
cussed thing. Why did | dream of 1T?
Cause it seemed To be reachin' out
chaw off my fingers, Just as it did in
the day AT last there come a time
when says to myself There's such
a thing as the earth. What do You
Know of 1t" You're jest part of this
here machine. Vet there ~acshually is
SIGH things as roads leadim' to new
places, country roads with sunshine am
grass an time TO think am find out
who You are-time to walk with them
You iancleS AN to git Away from them
You don't"
Yes, yes. ] know" she said breach
less!y. The world was callin' YOU
calm, calm till you couldn't hep but
He stared at her rs he rose.
y Dunno how i'm Moses YOU know
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
he faced the polished kitchen range.
See that oVe she cried, harshly.
IT'S got arms. like yore machine had.
An them arms, all my life, has reached
out am grabbed holt of me am choked
he
He wrenched roughly away from her.
"Aw-gwon!" he said. contemptuous-
~. You got q easy job"
He walked off, rolling placidly down
the front path.
Luella never looked after him. She
leaned against the door post and stared
az III IIINo llle WESTERN me, now coll
oring with hints of the approaching
sunset.
The reek of the kitchen clung to her
gown and EMBODIED her i'm it's atmo-
sphere. Once she shook out her skirt
impatiently, put the odor Was still
there.
An hour later. She sat down to a
bountiful supper with her husband,
Stephen Westly; Il supper in which
there was none TO share but them
selves.
1t was eaten In businesslike silence.
AS soon as he had finished. stephen be-
gan to mend some harness, While his
wife hurried the dishes TO the sink.
Ihe table cleared. she came back TO
her husband and stood %nervously rub
me the back of a chair with her
knotts, toil-worn fingers.
"Stephen!"
What is it, Luella? Hand me them
brads often the shelf. will you?"
She complied, and then plunged des-
perately into her subject.
orownin'. l don't blieve our tooth
doctor to the village understands it. I
want to have it fiNed right. want to
go to Garfield. l shall be gone a week,
Astonlshed' he dropped the harness.
You want to be gon a week."
Il know it sounds dretful, but I do.
Know amt never been away more'n
aalf q day sence we married, ten wear
ago. But it seems like there's a slack
There amt 10 SIGH thing as a slack
in work here" retorted the husband.
4 don't care. I'm sufrerin' with
that tooth. 1 got to go"
He rose abruptly and crossed to the
window. where he stood gazing into
the dusk: a peculiar expression had
sloiel INTO ms eyes, but l.uella could
not see 1T. A look of guilty cunning
touched the Worn lines ON his prema-
turely old face.
You alters been so masterful. Lu-
ella-you alters drove yore sheer of
work so hard, l didn't suppose you'd
want to git a whole week behind"
Il got to GO she repeated, stub
bornly.
"A week." he repeated, rubbing his
hands slowly together-hands which
rembled p~erceptibiy with some strong
inward excitement. Well. go eff YOU
must. 1t amt like we Was foolish /
enough to be taltin' about holidays.
You an me certainly has kept each
other up to the marl-ain't we, Lu-
ella? No better managers than us two
anywhere. But sence you got TO
When the morning train halted At
the village. 1T received n solitary pas
senger, who sank gaspinslH on & red
plush seat, grasping a ticket to Cam J
field.
But as she sat there. looking breath
lessly from the window. something III
the whirling motion restored her calm
ness. She almost stretched out her
worn hands 10 the trees and glades that
seemed trying to rush MP to her.
Don't hurry she whispered; Tn
conin'."
Ten mute later. the train halted !
reseEtfully at a little way-station. The