The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1905-12-30
- q q O q . q q . ga
judith Of the
Plains MARIE l-i MANNING.
III 4~ III ~ AuMe o" LordAn nshsm
Copyright, 1908. by Harper a Brother.


|
hours after thing happened II would
be safe to assume that every COW and
sheep outfit In radius of 300 miles
would be discussing II over their camp
| fires and this long before there was
an inch Of telegraph wire or rail
road tie in the country. Hawks had
| merely reserved the news for Eudora's
private ear because he hoped thus to
gain an advantage over his three
| rivals.
"Al-yil" said old Sally sharply, and
the chair came to an abrupt stand
still. I'm the name o. heaven, how KEN
they to lot him out? Mrs. Rodney's
knowledge OF the law was Of the
vaguest, and, II incarceration would
keep prisoner out of more grievous
trouble. she could not understand Civ
ing him his freedom. To her the case
was analogous to releasing child
from the duress of corner and turn
Ing him loose to play with matches
How KEN they to let him outf" she
repeated, the still rocking chair con
veying the impersonal dignity of the
pulpit or the justice seat. ~ amt
hearn tell OF so pearty couple ms the
jail an Jim In years"
The meaning that she put into her
words belied their harsh face value.
With Jim In Jail her mind was COM
paratlvely mt rest about him Sh,
knew he had been branding other
mems cattle since the destruction Of
his sheep, and she knew the fate of
cattle thieves and that Jim would be
no exception to the rule. With her
purely instructive maternity, she had
been fond OF Jim. He had been one
more boy to mother. She harbored no
Ill feeling toward him that he was not
her own. Moreover, she wanted no
gallows tree intermingled with the an
mails of her family. 1t suited her con-
venience at this particular time that
Jim should stay In jail. That he had
been given his freedom loosed the
Walls OF her condemnation on the in
competents that released him.
II low they wuz grudgln' him the
mouthful they fed TO him, that they
ack so outdaciously plumb locoed as
to tu'n man out to get hisself hang
ed. An Jim never wuz hearty eater
He never seemed to relish his food.
even when he wuz u CROWN kid.
Il mind Jim when he first KEN to
us" she said. more to herself than to
Eudora, who sat at her feet. The i'm
pending tragedy in the. family had
robbed her Of all the Joy in her suitors.
They sat on a bench on the opposite
side of the house, divided by the very
nature of their interests. yet compan
ions in misery.
He wuz scarce four, an yet he had
never been broke of the habit of suck
ing his thumb. Ell he'd ben my child
I'd damned 1t out'n him before he'd
n seen two, but seem he was aged for
an infant havin' such practices | tried
to shame him outn IL, but, Lorl-a-
massey, men folks IL hard to shame
even at four. | Kissed at him like
gyander every time | seen him do IT,
Now, I'd knowed better-i'd a sewed
1t UP In a pepper rag"
What's suckin his thumb as an in
FAINT got to do with his gettn' lynched
now" demanded Eudora with the
skepticism of the second generation.
wait till you uns has children of
your own" shifted her mother from
the assured position of maternal eX-
pericnce, IAN see the infant that's al.
lowed TO suck Its thumb has the max
ms in him of felon or II unfortunlt"
She rocked slow accompaniment to
her dismal prophecy.
Eudora's eyes. big with wonder. We're
fixed on the crouching flank of n dis
tant mountain. Her mother broke the
silence. Not often did they speak
thus intimately. Old Sally belonged
to that class OF mothers who feel
pride In their retlcent dealings with
their daughters and who consider the
management of all affairs of the heart
peculiarly the province of youth and
ineNperience.
But tonight she was prompted by u
force beyond her ken TO speak to the
girl. "Eudory, in pickin' out one OF
them men," she jerked her thumb to
git one tha's clar O. the trick o. STAN
pedin' round other winning. It's
bound TO KEN back to ye, same as
counterfeit money
Eudora giggled She was OF an age |
when the fasclnations OF curiosity us
to the unknown male animal prompt |
lavish conjecture. II lowed they all
stampeded."
Yes" leered the old woman and she |
grinned the whole horrid length OF her
empty gums-"the most OF 'em does,
but you must shet your eyes to IT, The
moment they know you swallow 1t.
they's wuthless, like horses that has
run away once"
''Hark! said Eudora. Amt that
wheelsT
ut be-" answered her mother. ut
be that old Ma'am Yellet after her