The Greeley tribune., 1905-12-14

,"ihe'"i4seS IL WAS not surprising that
her washtub bore about the same re-
lationship to her real duties as does
the crochet needle or embroidery hoop
to the lives of less arduously engaged
women. 1t was ut once her fad and
ner relaxation. the dainty feminine ac-
compllshment with which she whiled
away the hours after busy day spent
with pick and shovel. OF all this Mary
was ignorant when she proposed that
Mrs. feilett saw off the tub handles
IN the cause Of culture. However,
Mrs. Yellett procured saw, yet the
hand that held it fingered in its descent
on the handles. She contemplated the
tub as affectionately as Hamlet re-
garding the skull of "Alas. poor Yor-
ickw
This" she observed, .'is the only
thing about camp that reminds me I'm
woman. I'd plumb forget it many n
time If 1t warn't for this little tub.
The identity of woman is mighty apt
to get misaid when dooty compels her
to assoome the pants cast aside by the
nacheral head of the house in sickness
or death. It's ben six years now since
paws done thing but set round and
wait for meals" Mrs. Yellett sighed
laboriOuSly. Not that I'm holdin' it
agin him none. When man sees
eighty It's time he bedded himself
down comfortable and waited for the
nacheral course of events to weed him
out But when the boys get old enough
to tend to herdin', irrigatin and the
work that God Almighty provided that
man might get the chance to sweat
hisself for bread, accordin' to the
Scriptures. | aim to indulge myself
by doin' wash of clothes every day,
even II l have to take clean clothes
and do 'em over again"
The poor gov 'ment's" tender hear,
could not resist this presentation of
the case.
I'VE won't touch the handles, Mrs
Yellett," she laughed. I'm glad yoii
told me you had Il personal sentiment
for the tub. There are some things
should feel the same way about-my
hoe and rake, for instance, that l care
for my garden with at home. And that
suggests to me why not dig two little
trenches for the handles and plant the
tub? Then l shall have an even firmer
foundation on which to arrange the
the-the educational miscellany"
The suggestion of this harmless eX
pedient was gratefully received, and
the ''desk' duly implanted, whereupon
Mary pathetically sought to embellish
her "class room from such scanty ma
terials as happened to be at hand. \
hemstitched bureau scarf that she had
tucked in her trunk in unquestioning
faith in the bureau that was to be
part Of the ranch equipment took the
raw edge" as it We're, off the desk
A bunch of prairie flowers, flaming
cactus blossoms in scarlet and yellow
OK eyed daisies, white clematis from
the creek seemed none the less decora-
| tive for the tin cup that held them
The books. pencils and rHper arrang
| ed In decorous little piles, Miss Car1ni-
chael announced to her patroness that
school was ready to open. Mrs. Iellett,
who had never heard that "a soft voice
is an excellent thing in woman" and
| whose chest notes We're not unlike
| those of Durham in sustained volume
of sound, made the valley Of the Wind
river echo with the summons of the
pupils to school.
AS the pupils trooped obediently to
school Mary noted that they carried no
flowers to their dear teacher, but that
Ben, the Oldest pupil, twenty-one years
old six feet four inches in height AMI
deeply saturnine in manner, carried a
six shooter in his cartridge belt. The
teacher felt that she was the last to
deny pupil any reasonable palliative
of the tedium of class hours-the near
ness of her own school days inclined
her to leniency in this particular-but
she was hardly prepared to condone
six shooter, and confided her fears to
Mrs. Yellett, who received them with
the indulgent tolerance strongmind-
ed woman might extend to the feni-
nine flutter aroused by a mouse. She
explained that Ben did not shoot for
glory" but to defend the herd from
the casual calls Of mountain lions,
bears and coyotes. Jack and Ned, who
were very nearly as tall as their older
brother, carried similar weapons.
| Continued next week.
W. B. Cronkite went to Lupton
Sunday fora short visit with his
dauphtpr