West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-12-06


for him. II he went they would appre-
bend him before he was ten miles from
tie house.
"Jim. we got TO think. II there's a
chance N a thousand hat you can get
away you got 20 take f.. II there amt
the children mustn't know. We got TO
think IL out"
There amt a chance In n thousand.
old girl. There amt enc in n million.
They're clrcling round in the bills out
here now, waitln' for me, like buz-
Yards wsItln' for the eyes OF a dyin'
horse
She rocked herself. and the clutchlng
fingers left white marks on her face,
but the eyes that met his gllttered
fearless:
Then there aln't nothing left but to
face IL like a manf"
That's all there be-" He might have
been giving I'm opinion on q matter In
which he had no interest.
Then there aln't no use In our hav-
Ing any more talk about itT'
"'Tsin't Just what you'd call an
Agreeable subject" he answered. with
a sinister humor OF the frontlersman
who has learned to make n crony OF
death.
She was tempted to kiss him-they
were not given TO demonstrations. this
~pair-then decided It were kinder to
him. less suggestive Of what they an
ticipated. not TO devIate from their un-
demonstrstiye marital routine.
do o want your breakfast nowT''
IT guess you might bring Il along"
And for the same reason that she re-
frained from kissing him she depressed
q desire 10 wiring the neck OF a young
broiler End cook It for his breakfast.
remembering that she had heard they
rave folks pretty much what they
wanted when they wouldn't want Il
long. 70 Jim got his usual breakfast
OF bacon, uncooked canned tomatoes.
soda biscuit and coffee. She sat with
him while he ate. but they spoke no
more of chem or OF how soon they"
might be expected. Sho told him that
young Jim had pretended that morn
ing that he had n cactus thorn I'm his
foot so that he might have n piece OF
dried apple. And old Jim In an excess
OF parental fondneSs and pride said,
The little liar. he'll get TO congress
yet!r
But the children were n dangerous
topic for overstralned nerves at this
particular time, so Aida told Jim that
The had put the black hen TO set. and
she thought they'd have some chickens
at last. Jim smoked while Aida wash
ed the dishes, and when Jim's back
was turned she examined the lock on
the door. A good would open 1t.
O she looked az Tue brown bureau,
and fhe ~reckleSsness OF despair anne
into her eyes. In the room beyond Jim
was reading a two weeks old news
paper and smoking. He looked like n
lazy ranchman taking his ease.
AS she went about her household
tasks that morning Aida noticed things
as she had never noticed them before.
A sunbeam came through the shutter
less window OF the house and writhed
and qulyerod on the wall as IL It were
a live thing. She read a warning in
this. and In the color OF the sun, that
was red, like blood. and In the whir
OF the grasshoppers, that was sinister
and threatening. The creeks had dried.
and their Shiny beds crept along tho
willows like sluggish snakes. Gaunt
range cattle beloved in their thirst.
y the parched earth cracked be-
meath the sun that hung above the
house like q Naming disk. Sometimes
she ssHk beneath the burden of Il, then
she would vribs her hands and call on