The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1906-06-01


sI'm going homo with you to take
supper ct your house" he said one A.
ternoon ct the close Of school.
Il know father win be glad to go
you"
She turned to him with that hard.
agate stare. Il am ready. Come on
Nanny" She held out her hand to her
eight-year old brother.
Conversation halted during that
walk Of quarter Of mile.
Weldon was driven to the personal.
II don't know why it is" he hesitated.
''but you seem to distrust me-"
do II"
He tried no more, and felt relieved
when they reached the house. Mrs.
Heckathorn was implanted beside q
washtub. She was q worn little crea-
ture. with tired black eyes and the
hump Of drudgery heavy on her shout
ders. She shifted her ''snuff stick to
greet Weldon.
"You must stop to supper" she
painted as she wrung out one Of Man
uel's shirts. "Riley's away though,
helpin' Jeff Cole down to his saw
mill. Set down. Thar amt much
more to this wash"
Manuel sided up to him, and soon
Weldon's knife was busy on Figure
4" trap for quail.
Riley. had not returned by supper
time. It was a coarse, meager meal,
nna &ho$ 1po,,Id I,o,,o .o4 h,,, $1,000, &,oo.
ers grumbling.
Weldon showed no haste to leave.
He would wait for Riley. While
Ariadne helped her mother, he sat in
the kitchen, which served as dining
room as well. He saw the new stove
installed in comfortable domesticity in
a corner. A big wash boiler, topped
by a lid Of glistening tin, doomed
proudly at the back. Three bricks,
laid fat-wise under the rear, gave
sturdy UNDERMINING in lieu Of the
cast-iron leg that Riley had de-
stroyed.
The evening was somewhat lacking
in social gaiety. Upon Manuel fell the
cheerful duty Of entertaining the guest.
He took full advantage of the slack
ened reins Of discipline-played horse
with broken chair, initiated a dog
fight, the sound Of a saw mill, and
stood on his head in a corner.
"'N' I kin dance, too," he crowed.
"Now, Manuel" protested his
mother, "'tain't polite fer you to give
one O. them hoc-downs them onnery
niggers learnt you.'
"Let him Dance" urged Weldon. II
would like to see him. Go ahead. Get
over there by the stove where you have
room and give us a regular plantation
breakdown. Ready"
Manuel's heels began humping out
their noisy tattoo. The rough floor
gave out hollow sound that Weldon's
ears seemed to have been waiting for.
A crowded moment followed. In the
whirl Weldon saw Manuel bowled over
by his mother as If he were the pre-
sumptuous cub Of an ill-tempered
lioness; saw him jerked to his feet and
dragged out of the kitchen. shrieking
his terror. Ariadne arose, trembling
and mute, her pallor deepened by the
yellow rays Of the lamp on the table
before her. At the shrill summons Of
her mother she ran from the room
without glancing around.
Weldon tip-toed to the side of the
stove. He knelt down and tugged at
the topmost brick Of the three that did
service for the missing leg. He moved
it around but could not pull it out. He
got up and cracked it with a heavy
kick. His heart gave pulse of con-
quest. A hole had been drilled through
the center of the brick to permit the
passage of slender copper pipe-the
worm Of the still.
A slight sound dulled the keenness
of his satisfaction. Ariadne stood in
the kitchen doorway.
81 have made an interesting discov-
cry" He rolled It out with glib i'm
pudence.
$50 that is why you came to sup
per-" she said.
He could have kissed those blazing
eyes.
81 suppose you will tell?"
81 shall do my duty"
''You have seen how poor We are -
she said slowly. Her tone was plead
ing, yet it had more than the bald ap-
peal Of the suppliant. "You know how
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