The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-24

Auitlng room ana smut the door, at the
same time motioning the man into one
OF the leather-covered chairs that stood
at the right of the operating table. He
seated himself nervously upon the eX-
IRENE edge of the chair, turning as far
as possible from the surgical apparatus,
and tWirled his faded hat in his rest
less fingers. His anxious eyes followed
the Doctors figure as ne stopped TO
lower the sash and let in the sweet
June air. before seating himself; and
the sunshine fell with a plying touch
on the mans gray hair and haggard
face Laying one hand on the doctors
knee, he leaned forward and scanned
his face hungrily as if compelling
strength and clearer vision from the
man before him.
We've talked it all over, Mary and
l." he said with chiidlike simplicity.
There want no use in keepin il from
her. and I couldn't have if I'd tried; for
there hain't been d thing sence we was
married but that we've planned over
together She amt seemed 10 mind il
much, 'cept for thinkin' and worryin'
about me; but, then, women like my
wife Mary don't alters show what they
feel. But | had 10 come TO you today.
"A woman's got her mother and her
folks TO lean on ia times like these, but
a liieAl4 olhiiGS dlQAt WIN MS doctor
and his God. Yer sure that ether does
the business? And she won't know
ANYTHING 9beut ~ And yerfve got the
right kind of tools to work with? God,
but yer cuttin' my heart out TO think
of It, I've been tryiu' to sense il all
the way over here from the farm, but
all | could think of was the pinkv look
Of the alders, and the big soft latches
of shadow on the mountain sides: and
II seemed as If 'twere forty year ago
when Mary and l first begun 10 take
notice OF things together. / want a
great hand TO observe much about the
country. 'cept whether there was a
good hay crop on or whether pertatoes
were likely 20 turn out well. But after
/ got 10 thinkin' about Mary. somehow
she didn't seem 10 belong 10 those
things, and the cOlOrs in the woods be-
gan 10 perk up and tell me I'd better
be takin' notice Of them And then
when we'd go TO prayer meetin' to-
gether after we was keepin company.
she'd say: oh, RaeI jest look at that
ana that and that flower till I had 10
get out OF the team and get il for her.
And before long I was likin' them. too.
though I wouldn't have said so. fur's I
know. But IL seemed a part OF her.
I lived on the hill, and she lived
down below i'm the valley. Same old
red house that we're Twin i'm now. only
twas spTuced UP then with new paint
and fXins. Some folks would have
thought twas terrible lonely up there.
50 near to the woods and without a
neighbor in sight. but Mary want that
KIND, Shed look off down the valley
at the knot of lakes at the right and
the river shinin' like coru-sHk. and the
town that glistened i'm the sun like
white pebbles. and then off at the blue
mountains. She alters said they were
the words OF God, Standin' there sol
cmn and unchangin, and Watchin' to
see II we made the right use of the
world he'd put as in.
"One night ] went down to swap
hoss-rakes with Mary's father. and
that's when / first begun to take notice
she was settin' In the doorway, pickin
out yarn for Il cardboard motto: so [
set there, too, for while. till il begun
10 be dark enough 10 light up inside
the house, and then after that 7 kent
Soin'. she looked jest like a flower
Mary did-One of those pale little ones
that you md In some ferny spot i'm the
woods, and she mos generally had a
ribbon on, or sOmethin' that made me
think of blossoms. I brought her one
one night, ana she said. Thank YOU
'Raei' jest as iadytike, and then I
knew that ! wanted to keep right on
buyin' things for her though / didn't
tell her so.
we used to take walks tovethcr
along IN the early evenin' There was a
brook that crossed the road piece
down from her house, and we'd stand
on that bridge and watch the water
rattle down over the stones. and slin
off through the fields. and used TO
say. Now, Mary, what do you want
mOst%
And she'd say, Oh, "a melodeon.
Rael'
And I'd say, Jest as gruf-ike. A
hoss-rake's what I want
THAT was the difference between US.
and yet there want no one that under
stood Mary as we'll as ] did.
Shed read out of the weekly paper
sometimes, and I'd set and white and
look AT her, and then we'd discuss. We
was great on discussions that year. and
7 used 10 carry her over 70 the school
house TO hear 'em go it at lyceums. one
night they was discussin' neither Lin
coin OF Washington was the greater
man, and 7 got tired Of H. for ia heard
that same discussion before: so I got
up and says, That's been talked about
long enough. l think. There wouldn't
probably been more'n half as much TO
them as there was II IL hadn't been for
their folks behind them
Then ! sat down. and they began to
laugh and Singer. and the thought
come 10 me that they thought | was
shinIn' up 10 Mary. 1t struck me all OF
a heap, and / looked over and there
she sat, loOkin' down into her lap. with
the color stealth up into her face jest
like a white apple blossom with little
stain of pink in II. l. was terrible cut
m and when 1 nut her into the sleigh
and we started off home ] couldn't say
a word. We tangled along the road
there want no one near us, and il was