Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1905-02-22

f-Wdtef, anu went up Str6dui, TOWING
with regularity and slow strength.
He found Stowler sitting bootless
On the back platform of his little scow,
| drying his feet in the weak sunshine
] The listless pose of the man filed
: Walker with rage, and he was of two
| minds about speaking. But he had
toiled six miles, and he saw no use in
! letting anger defeat his purpose.
How do, Stowler?" he said gruff-
ly, as he tied the painter to stake in
the mud.
Purity WELL" was the answer.
Flows the fish by your
'Hennery's ketching purity fair.
amt fshin' this season. Too early"
There was silence while Walker
lifted himself up by his hands to a
place on Stowler's back yard. Then
the rancher opened fire. Il amt hint
in at trouble, Stowler. but l reckon
you know your girl amt got enough
comm to her to make it worth my
boys while to marry her"
Stowler reached for his boots,
paused with one in each hand as il
trying to decide which one to throw
first, and then weakly subsidized. "Gol
dern it," be muttered, Il amt a bin
a-teasin' your son to marry Liza
you dasn't," returned Walker, loft
lily. But jest thought as how I'd
drift up and let We know that l amt
stuck on his marryin' the daughter of
a man that lives in an ornery old
scow like this. Hennery 'ull hev a
: ranch and he's place to raise truck,
and he amt no call to be sparkin'
Eliza, nohow you put it."
81 guess your Hennery's dOin' all
the teasin' that's bin done. Walker, %
said Stowler, holly, and it's up to you
to clear out. Sabe?"
Within five minutes Mr.. Walker was
rowing down stream and Stowler was
} returning his rifle to the rack just
above the rear door. He was INSTEAD
, lily cursing everybody "thet sot them
! sells up to be somebody" His daugh-
ter was crying vociferously and look
( ing down the river.
: This ended all open communication
5 between the lovers for several weeks.
During this time the spring rains de-
5 scended vigorously and the river rose
almost by jumps. When the rain
. stopped and the sun was out once more
:, Stowler looked across the Columbia
and counted the trees whirling down
!, in the grasp of the current After
6 scratching his head he spent the after
:, noon in tying ropes of various stages
:. of decay to the scow and stakes driven
in the muddy bank. He explained to
Eliza that it looked as if there might
;. be water SO high that the scow would
float
Two days later the skids washed
away from under the house of Stowlel
and his six years residence was
changed. Eliza and he ate their bacon
- unconcerneGly and went to bed, t.
wake up with the sound of running
water in their ears. After a few mo-
:, ments of inspection Stowler summed
: up the situation in one remark: '"The
= eddy's gone; places gone; we're
:. goin'."
- 'Where?" cried Eliza
Dunno" was the response.
o All through the night they sat OF
\ the -careening deck of their house ant
wondered when things would end A
+, daylight Stowler's eyes told him tina
- they were 20 miles below their ole
:. home and still going. Lucky corket
> her seams last WINTER he said to hi!
y. daughter. She sails along in gooe
~ style. Wonder where we'll fetch up?'
Il hope we won't go out to sea,
said Eliza. fearfully.
- GOSH" cried her father. 81 aim
| thnnCht ~ that 70 h. H.,
. energies to rigging up a sweep ant
b with this he tried to steer the scov
:, into shore eddy. But the Columbis
took things into its own hands and a
-, midnight Stowler's house was landed
:, with jar on an unknown point O
land. After an hours scraping abou
1t settled firmly on the new founda
ton and father and daughter waiteC
Tor the morning to take possession O
their newly-acQuired property.
Daylight showed that the scow hat
been cast up on a tongue of land tina
= sloped up into virgin forest. Their,
was no house in sight and Stowle
staggered proudly out to skid up tn,
: boat. This was a toilsome operation
for in the afternoon the river began
to rise again, and as fast as he go
everything solid the rising water un
Il did his work. But finally by crud,
/ arrangement of ropes and anchors h,
moored the house boat between som,
s protecting trees out of the current ant
Ii rested from his labors to eat suppe
cooked by Eliza, who wept secretly
e Two days later Stowler had beach
eombed'' sufficient lumber to max,
everything secure, and in fit of prid,
! he went so far as to build a fenc,
;. cutting the point off from the tree
grown mainland.
; There was one trouble with tn
fence. 1t couldn't be painted. 1t wa
made of small branches and sappling
= bent basketwise. But the generaI eff
feet was pretty good, and Eliza AM
u her father rejoiced exceedingly. He