The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1905-12-30

clean u.
| to free IL from an escaped splinter
from the SNUFF brush when me an
paw war keepin' comply satin warn't
good enough for me. He lowed wuz
to have half creation. Sence we wuz
married he ain't never found time, en-
durin' all these years. TO build me "A
bird house. I wuz raised in Tennessee,
an we uns had a house for martins
made out'n gourds, an II was pearty."
Mrs. Rodney"-Swift leaned toward
her and whispered something In her
ear. She regarded him tentatively,
then grinned. At her time of life why
should she put faith In the promises
Of men? you fix II up, an you get
your bird house, was the conclusion
of his sentence.
While this discussion had been In
progress the vlands had not been neg
lected except by such members Of the
company as had been bereft Of appe-
tite by loftier emotions-in conse-
quence Of which the table appeared to
have sustained a visitation OF seven
teen-year locusts. Eudora, ever eco
monte In the value she placed not only
upon herself. but her environment, pro-
posed to her guests that they should
wash the dishes. an art In which they
were by no means deficient. being no
exception to the majority of range
bachelors In their skill In homely pur-
suits. And thus IL came to pass that
Eudoras suitors, swathed In aprons.
mockly washed dishes shoulder to
shoulder, while their souls craved the
performance OF valorous deeds.
AS this was the last stage station on
the way TO Lost Trail, Mary Car
michael was perforce obliged To con.
tent herself til Mrs. Yellett should
call or send for her After supper,
Chugg. with fresh horses to the stage.
left Rodney's. apparently for some
port IN that seemingly pathless sea Of
foothills. That there should he trails
and defined routes over this vast. I'm.
varied stretch of space seemed more
wonderful to Mary than the charted
highroads of the Atlantic.
Very lonely seemed the Rodney
home among the great company of
had settled on it at close of day. and
all the laughter and light footsteps and
gayly ringing voices of the young folk
could not dispel the feeling of being
adrlft In tiny shell on the black wa.
tiers of some unknown sea. or thus II
seemed TO the stranger within their
gate
Mrs. Rodney retired within the flap
of her sunbonnet after the evening
meal, settling herself In the rocking
chair as II 1t were some sort OF con
veyance. Warren Rodney took down
n gun from the wall and began to
clean it. His industry with the gun
was OF part with the impo,ent daw.
ding in the garden. His eyes would
seek for the rag and the bottle OF oil
In a dull, glazed way, and. having
found them, he would forget the rea.
son OF his quest. Not once that even.
Ing had they rested on his wife or any
member Of his family He had shown
no interest In any OF the small hap
penings of home, the frank rivalry Of
Eudora's suitors, the chickering's OF the
Hhio anu bOsN VNtf tit lNiOu Vi
household labor.
From one Of the rooms that opened
to the world like stage to the au-
dience Mrs. Rodney kept her evening
vigil. The last faint anethystine haze
on the mountains was deepening They
lowered about the valley where the
house lay with challenging immen-
sity, hooking the pitiful grasp OF these
pygmies ON the thousand hills.
Eudora now came to her mother with |
great news. Hawks had taken the !
first opportunity of being alone with !
her to tell her OF Jim's release from
jail and OF his abortive encounter with |
Simpson in the eating house. He had |
not deferred the telling from any feel
ing Of reticence regarding the dis
closure Of family affairs before stran-