The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-01-18


went to bed, remember you are the
man of the family" But young Jim
was already nodding with sleep. To-
peka and Judith were sleepy too. They
kissed their father and were glad to go
to bed.
The night began menacingly to close
over the wilderness. All day the dry,
burning heat had quivered over the
desert, like hot air waves Pickering
over bed Of live Goals, and now the
very earth seemed to palpitate with
the intensity of it's fever. Each sound
Of the desert night Aida translated in
to the trampling of horses feet; then
as the sound would die away or prove
to be but some night noise Of the will
derness the pallor would lose it's pinch
on her features and she would stare
into her husbands face with eyes that
did not see. jim smoked his pipe and
reflled it, smoked and filled again, but
gave no sign of the object of his wait
ing.
"Jim," she said when the clock had
struck 10, then II, II am going to fas-
ten up the house."
''Do you hear them?' lie asked, with
out emotion, but as one who deferred
to the finer senses Of women.
She shook her head, not trusting her
self to speak.
lie looked at the door that was
shrunken and warped from the heat
till it barely held together, and there
was no measure to the tenderness he
put into his words:
"Oh, you poor little fool! Do you
think you could keep them out by fas-
tenlng that?'
'Jim, must" And her voice broke.
"They may think you are not here, that
it's only me and the children, and
that's why the house is fastened
She got up and began to move about
as though her thought scourged her to
action, even if futile. He shook the
ashes from his pipe.
"Do anything you blame please" he
said more by way Of humoring her
than from faith in her stratagem. He
felt strong enough to face his destiny,
to meet it in a way worthy Of his
mothers people.
Aida seemed under spell in her
preparations for the night. Each thing
she did as she had done it in her dream
the night before. It was as if she were
constrained by power greater than
her will to fulfill sinister prophecy
Yet now and then she would stop and
wonder If she might not break the spell
by doing things differently from the
way she had dreamed them. Her hand
grasped the knob Of the door, uncer-
tainly and she swung it to and fro on
its creaking hinges, while her mind
seemed likewise to sway hither and
thither. Should she fasten the door
and push the bureau against it, as it
had been in the dream, Or should she
leave door and windows gaping wide
for them? And then, as one who walks
and does familiar things in sleep, she
shut the door and turned the key. Jim
smiled at her, but she could no longer
look at him. One Of the children walled
fretfully from the room beyond. Sleep
had become a scourge in the sitting
. heat One by one she lowered the VIM
dows and nailed them down. Then she
dragged the brown bureau against the
door, took the brace of six shooters
from the wall and sat down with Jim
to wait.
what are you going to do with them
toys?" he asked as he saw her examine
the chambers of one Of the six shoot
ers.
"You amt going to let yourself be
caught like a rat in a hole, are your
she reproached him.
"Ain't we agreed that it's best to
keep unpleasant family matters from
the kids?' He smiled at her bravely
'"The remembrance Of what we're an
ticipatin' amt goin' to help young Jim
to get to congress when his time comes
nor it amt goin' to help the girls get
good husbands either. This here coun-
try amt what it was in the way Of lib
erality since it's got to be state
"Sh-sh-sh!' she said. SIS that the
range cattle stampedin' after water, or
is IT, They listened The furniture
fiber Of it to which tie resistless heat
had not penetrated. On the range the
cattle beloved in their thirst torture.
In the intervals Of their cries sounded
something far off, but regular as the
humping Of a ships screw. The wo-
man did not need an answer to her
question. The steady trampling Of
hoofs came mufaed through the dead
air, but the sound was unmistakable.
She put her arms about the mans neck
and crushed him to her with all her
woman strength. ooh, Jim, you've
been good man to mel!
"Steady-steady"' He strained her
close to him. They'd be, by the sound
Of them, OF the straight bit of road
now before the turn. Soon we'll hear
their hoofs ring hollow as they cross
the plank bridge"
His plainsman's faculty was as keen
as ever. His calculation of the horse
NyrEn