The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1906-01-11

exposure of the grim pinch of poverty
IN the mean little room, but the woman
was unconscious of these things; what
she saw was that Jim, the reckless
Jim, the daredevil terror Of the coun-
try-Jim, who had married and set
tied with her into housekeeping respect
ability-Jim, who had struggled with
misfortune and fallen, had, young as
he was, lost every look of youth; that
hope had gone from his dull eyes and
that his face had become drawn until
the deaths head grinned beneath the
scant padding Of flesh. But he was to-
day, as always, the one man in the
world for her. In making a world of
their own and reducing their parents
to supplementary consideration, their
| children, whom she had sent away that
she might be alone with him, had given
| different quality to the love Of this
pair, that had known so many curious
vicissitudes. The responsibilities of
parenthood had placed them on a ten
| ferer as well as a securer footing. and
| as she saw his age and WEAKNESS he
recognized hers, and both felt a self
| accusing twinge.
THAT'S blamed good cup of Coffee
he said by way of relieving the ten
sion that had crept into the situation.
ANY one would think you was settin'
your cap for me stead Of us being
married for years.
Aida signed. It's better to end
than to begin like this" she said in
the PARKWAY voice of one who thinks
aloud
"Why did you say end?' He saw
that her eyes were full of tears and
chafed her. You amt thinking Of
| dlvorcing me, like Mountain Pink done
Bosky?'
"Oh, Jim.'' she said. and her face
was all a-quiver, II never could divorce
you, no matter what you DONE" And
then the grim philosophy Of the plains
| woman asserted itself. II never can
understand why women feed their
pride on their hearts blood. It never
was my way"
He did not like to remember that he
had given her cause for way.
''Ihere's Il lot of women as wouldn't
| exactly regard me as q Merino, or a
SouthdoWn either He gulped the
coffee to ease the tghtness in his
| throat
They'd be women of no Judgment,
| then," she said, with conviction.
Jim's head was tilted back, resting in
| the palm Of his hand. His profile.
sharpened by anxiety, more than sug-
gested his quarter strain of Sioux
blood. He might almost have been old
Chief Flying Hawk himself as he look
ed steadily at the woman who had
been young girl and reckless when
he had been a boy and reckless, who
mad paid her woman's penalty and
come into her woman's kingdom, who
had made a man of him by the mys-
terry of her motherhood and who had
uncomplainingly gone with him into
the wilderness and become an alien
and an outcast.
Ihese things unnamed him as the
sight of the gallows and the rope for
| MS hanging could not have done.
"ASAo dlAISeA Wltu an anecteQ
roughness, lie asked:
| What's the matter with you? I've
been drinking like a beast of an In
dian and you give me coffee instead
of tongue lashing."
The color had all gone out of her
face. She gasped the words:
Jim, l dreamed it last night. They
came for your
She covered at the recollection.
Did they get me?'' he asked. There
vas no surprise in his tone He spoke
as one who knew the answer.
Eyes, the children saw. The noise
woke them''
"Yon mustn't let EN- see when they