Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-10

r-7HE oxen, lean and roueh-haired, one of
them carroty red, the other brindle
kf and white, were slouching inertly along
kzksf the narrow bacISwoods road. From
habit they sagged heavily on the yoke,
and rroaned huge windy sighs, although the vehi-
Gle they were hauling held no load. This struct-
ure, the mere skeleton Of a cart consisted of two
pairs of clumsy, broad-tired wheels, united by a
long tongue Of ash whose tip was tied with rope
to the middle Of the forward axle The road
looked innocent Of even the least Of the coun-
try-road-msster's well-meaning attempts at repair
"a circumstance, indeed, which should perhaps
be set to its credit.
It was made up Of four deep, parallel ruts,
the two outermost eroded by years Of journeying
cart-wheels, the inner ones worn by the compan-
ioning hoofs of many yoke of oxen.
Down the centre ran a high and grassy ridge,
intolerable to the country parson and the coun-
try doctor, compelled to traverse this highway in
their one-horse wagons.
From ruts and ridges alike protruded the i'm
perishable granite boulder, which wheels and
feet might polish but never efface.
On either side Of the roadway was traced an
cratic furrow protesting to do duty for drain,
and at intervals emptying playful current across
the track to wander down the ruts.
Along beside the slouching team souched a tall,
lank, stoop-shouldered youth, the white down just
beginning to stiien into bristles on his long upper
lip. His pale eyes and pale hair looked yet paler
by contrast with his thin, red wind-roughened
face. In his hand he carried long-handled OK
whip, with a short goad in the butt of it.
Gee, Buckl" he drawled, prodding the near
OK lightly in the ribs. And the team lurched to
the right to avoid markedly obtrusive boulder.
''Haw, Bright" he CALCULATED minute later,
n 4 Il 4 Il. L. r l.
farther OK. And with sprawling legs and sway
ing of headquarters the team swerved obedient-
ly to the left, stunning a mire-hole that would
have taken in the wheel TO the hub.
Presently, coming to a swampy spot that
stretched all the way across the road the youth
seated himself sdewise on the narrow tongue
connecting the fore and hind axles and drove
his team dry-shod.
1t was slow and creal1ing progress; but there
seemed to be hurry, and the youth dreamed
goomily his jolting perch. His eyes took no
note of the dark-mossed, scrubby hilloclxs, the
rough clearings blac<ened with fire, the confused
and ragged woods as they crept past in sombre
procession But suddenly, as the cart rounded
turn in the road, there came into view the figure
of a girl travelling in the same direction.
The young man slipped from his perch and
prodded up the oxen to brisk walk.
As the noise Of the team approached her, the
girl looked around. She was good to see. with
her straight, vigorous young figure in its blue
gray homespun gown Her hair in color not
far from that Of the red OK, was rich and abun
dant, and lay in coil gracious that not even
the tawdry millinery of her cheap store hat
could make her head look quite commonplace
Her face was frecked, but wholesome and comely
A shade of displeasure passed over it as she saw
who was behind her, and she fastened her steps
perceptibly. But presently she remembered that
she had good five miles to 20 ere she would
reach her destination; and she realized that she
could not hope to escape by flight. With pout
of vexation she resigned herself to the inevitable
and dropped back into her former pace I'm
mediatey the ox-team overlook her.
As the oxen slowed up she stepped to the right
to let it pass, and then walked on, thus plac-
ing the cart between herself and her undesired
The youth looked disconcerted by
these tactics, and for a few moments could find
nothing to say. Then, dropping his long white
lashes sheepishy, he murmured, "Good-day, Liz"