The Greeley tribune., 1905-11-23
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away In endless journeyinGs over th.S
desert waste, then settled down into
one OF those maddeningly monot1u'Es
reiterations TO which certain inauiWate
things are given in seasons of nervous
tension This time it was. al the
worlds a stage-creak-screech ALI
the worlds n tage-creak-screeeH
over and over till Mary found herself
fast succumbing to the hypnotic effect
of the constant repetition.
At sunset the interminable mouOtony
| OF the wilderness was broken by
| house of curious architecture, the Ike
| Of which the tired young traveller had
never seen before, and whose singular
candor OF design made her doubt the
evidence of her own thoroughly eN
hausted faculties The house seemed
to consist of Il series Of rooms thrown
or rather blown together by SgIat
| force of nature rather than by forLll
| design of builder or carpenter TLe
/ original log cabin of this composite
| dwelling looked better built, more tin
| iShed, neater of aspect than those they
| had previously stopped at in crossing
| the desert. Springing from the main
| building like claws from crustucear.
was series of rooms minus either
side walls or flooring. Indeed, they
might easily have passed for porches
of more than usually commodious size
had it not been for the beds, bureaus,
chairs, stove with attendant pots, ket-
ties, and supper in course Of prepara-
ton. Seen from any vantage point
in the surrounding country, the effect
was that of an interior on the stage
the background of some homely drama
where pioneer life was being realistic
ally depicted. The dramatis persona
who occupied the center OF the stage
when Mary Carmichael drove up was
an elderly woman in rocking chair.
She was dressed in faded pink cali
CO gown, limp and bedraggled, whose
color brought out the parchment-lke
hue and texture of her skin in mer-
ciless contrast Perhaps because she
still harbored illusions about the per-
ishable quality of her complexion,
which gave every evidence of having
borne the brunt of merciless desert
suns, SHOWS, blizzards and the ubiqui-
touS alkali dust of all seasons, she
Wore a pink sunbonnet, though the
hour was one past sundown, and
though she sat beneath her own roof
tree, even if lacking the protection of
four walls. From the corner of her
mouth protruded snuff brush, so
constantly in this accustomed place
that 1t had come to be regarded by
members Of her family as part and
parcel of her attire-the first thing
assumed in the morning, the last thing
laid aside at night. Mary Carmichael
had little difficulty in recognizing Ju-
dith Rodney's stepmother, nee Tumlin,
| she who had been the heroine of the
romance lately recorded.
Mrs. Rodney's interest in the girl
alighting from the stage was evlnced
in the palsied motion of the chair as
it quivered slightly back and forth in
place of the swinging seesaw with
! which she was wont to wear the hours
away. The snuff brush was brought
into more flercely active commission,
but she said nothing till Mary Carmi-
chael was within few inches of her;
|
| ton more favorable to enunciation, she
said: "Howdy? Ye be Mlz Yellett's
gov'ment, amt yer" There was some
thing threatening in her aspect, as If
the Office of governess to the Yelletts
carried some challenging quality.
Government" repeated Mary vague
ly, her head still rumbling with the
noise and motion Of the stage. I'm
afraid hardly understand"
"Ain't you uns goin' to teach the Vel
lett outfit ther spellln', writin' and
about George Washington, an how the
Yankees KEN along arter he was in his
grave an fit us and broke up the ken
try SO we had ter leave our home in
Tennessee an KEN to this we're .outda-
cious place, where nobody knows the
diffunce between aig bread an corn
dodger? I war a Miss Tumlin, from
Tennessee"
| The rocking chair now began to re-
cover its accustomed momentum. This
much heralded educational expert was
far from terrifying. Indeed, to Mrs.
Rodney's hawklike gaze, that devoured
every visible item of Mary's extremely
| h1oiSSt idNeiiilS u uTeSS llleTe was noun
ing SO very wonderful about "the gov
ment from the east." With n deftness
compatible only with long practice Mrs
Rodney now put foot on the round of
an adjoining chair and showed 1t toward
Mary Carmichael in hospitable pan
tom1lne. never once relaxing her con-
t1nual rocking In the meantime. Mary
took the chair and Mrs Rodney n ofter
freshening up the snuff brush from n
small tin box In her lap put spurs to
her rocking chair. so to speak. and
started OF at n brisk canter.
Il low It's mighty queer you uns
don't recognize the job you uns KEN
out yere to take, when l call It by
name" From the sheltering flap Of
the pink sunbonnet she turned a pair
OF black eyes full Of III concealed sus-
lv,t1