Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-11-22

II
covert insinuation against her accom-,
modations in the precedent. Miss Car
michael profted by the controversy.
The landlady. touched no doubt by the
simple faith of q traveller who trusted
to the beds Of d road ranch or because
she was young or a girl, led the way in
triumph to her own bedroom and, in
dicating an imposing affair with pill
low shams, she defied Miss Carmichael
to find more comfortable bed ''in the
east"
In the unaccOuntable manner OF
these desert conveyances that creak
and groan across the arid wastes with.
an apparently numbering iuconse.
quence, the stage that brought the trav-
eIers to the Dax ranch left at sunrise
to pursue seemingly erratjc career
along the North Platte. while Miss Car
michael and the fat lady were to con-
tinue their journey with one Lemuel
Chugg, who drove stage northward
toward the Red desert when he was
sober enough to handle the ribbons.
Breakfast was largely devoted to
speculation regarding the approximate
condition of Mr. Chugg-would he be
wholly or partially incapacitated for
his job! Mrs Dax. flirting q feather
duster in the neighborhood Of Miss
Carmichael in futile effort to beguile
her into giving reason for her solita-
ry journey across the desert. took a
gloomy view Of the situation.
p,,< al 1,nn h0Y
counsel Not so the fat lady. Falling
into tile snare ingenuously set for an
other, she divulged her name, place Of
residence and the object of her travels.
which was to visit a SOD on Sweetwa
ter. But loquacity apparently. like vir-
tue. is its own reward. for the landlady
scarce vouchSafed a comment on this
dismal recitative. while Miss Carmi-
chael remained the object of her per.
sistent attentions.
But there seemed to be no topic of
universal interest but Chugg's condi-
ton. Mrs. DaX finally asserting. BE
fore I'd trust my precious neck to him
I'd get Mr. Dax to shoot me-"
Meditating on this Spartan state
y
aware for the first time of subtle, 81
lent force in the domestic economy.
But so unobtrusive was this influence
that one had to scrutiniZe very closely
indeed to detect the evanescent person
ality of Mrs DaX's husband. Leander
was his name but it is safe to say that
he swan no Tablespoons for the mas
tarfill U-ifa pf lic hOSop, 1,o
was slender. willowy bald If he ever
stood straight enough to get the habitu-
ally apolOgetic crooks out of his knees
he would be tall. but so in the habit
was he of repressing himself in the
marital presence that Leander passed
for middle height. He waited on the
table at breakfast with the dumb sub
missiveness of a trained dog that has
been taught to give pathetic limitations
of human servility.
But no sooner had his lady left the
room than Leander began quite bra
zenly to call attention to himself as
man and an individual. coughing,
rafting his dishes and clearing his
throat. Mary and the fat lady out
of pity responded to these crude sig
nails with overtures equally frank. and
Leander ventured finally to inquire if
they aimed to spend the night at his
brothers ranch. it being the next mess
box between here and nowhere. They
admitted that his brothers ranch was
their next stopping place, and Lean
der went through perfect contortions
of apology and self effacement be-
fore he could bring himself to ask them
to do him a favor
"Tell him l send my compliments"
he whispered, and. looking about him
furtively, he repeated the blood cur
ding request.
rs that all?" asked the fat lady. ut
no pains to conceal her disappoint-
ment
Its enough, if it was known, to
raise war whoop and stampede this
yere family His glance at the door
through which his wife had disap-
peared was pregnant With meaning.
Family troubles?" asked the fat
lady. as gourmet might say ''trutfies."
Looks like it," said Leander dismal
ly. ME and Johnnie don't ask for
nothin better than to bask in each
others company, but our wives insists
on keepin up the maneuvers of a war
dance the whole endoorin' time''
80" said the fat lady, as a gourmet
might tell of a favorite way Of pre-
pairing trutties, Its case of wives?
Yes. marin. an teeth an nails an
husbands thrown in, when they get
sight of each others petticoats."
i've known sisters in-law not to
agree helped on the fat lady, by way
OF an encouraging parallel
while l deplores usin' such COM
pariSon to the refinin' and softenin' .iu-
hooence OF wilnmen. the meetin' of |
the Dax ladies by chanst anywheres
has all the elements of danger and ex
citement that accompanies an Iniun
uprisin'
The travellers looked all manner of
encouragement.
Gou see, my Wife'S great housa-