The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-11-07

hand" for the past ten years
came up on the back porch, wiped his
face on the roller towel tina hung by
the door, stepped to the window pane
that possessed the quality of dimly re
fecting a countenance before it, care
fully combed his hair and Their stepped
into the spacious room that served the
double purpose of kitchen and dining
room. Before he reached his accus-
toned chair in the corner he paused in
open mouthed establishment. There
was Il new hired girl in the kitchen.
Now, during the past ten years Jim
Ben had seen hired girls come and go
from the Weaver kitchen by the score.
There had been a long procession of
tall girls and short girls, fat girls and
lean girls, maids and widows, girls
with compilations like peaches and
cream and girls with no complexion
whatever. The new girl had freckles
and red hair.
"Je-rusalemr' exclaimed jim Ben.
Don't you dare come swearin' 'roun'
my Kitchen" admOnished the red head
ed girl. "'cause l Won't stand it-not a
bit of it," Hell tone was severe but Il
comical smile played around her
mouth. No being a society man, Jim
Ben was at a loss for reply. He com
promised by shutting on toward his
chair.
Fer the and sakesi I don't know
what yer name is" Here Jim Ben
volunteered the desired information.
"Well, then, Jim Ben, you go straight
out n clean them boots. Look-ee at
We, a-trackin' up my clean floor in that
styleI'
That was the beginning of it.
After dinner Jim Ben did an mex
pected and wholly unprecedented
thing. OF his own motion he took the
empty pail from the bench by the
kitchen door, went to the well, manip-
ulated the heavy old Sweep re-
turned with the pail trimming full of
water and set if carefully on the
bench.
"Look-ee at We nowi If you haven't
spilled some water on my clean floor.
you great, big, awkward hulk! I've
a notion to- And she grabbed a dip
per, and only the hasty exit If Jim
Ben in the direction of the barn saved
him a liberal sprinkling.
Jim Ben smiled to himself occasion
ally as he plodded along behind the
pIS" INA dIiSIIlOOH- w men he anu
MI. Weaver stopped to rest at the
turning row., Jim Ben sat on his plow
beam and industrfously Whitfield a
clod of moist earth in a preoccupied
way. When he had fashioned it into
a cube he turned to Mr.. Weaver and
asked:
"sayI Who is she?''
"Who's who?"
IVY her-the new hired gall"
ooh, that's Randy Higgins. Her
folks live down on Scatter creek. You
know old man Higgins-him ats got
the sawmilI?'
Jim Ben nodded assent. Then he
said: GOSH Amt she freckled?
Sort o. red headed too. 1 bet she's
got a temperl The red headed kind
always has"
Randy utterly ignored Jim Ben at
the supper table, although he went so
far as to ask, whats them?" when
she passed him the plate of biscuit
that gave outward evidence of the in
ward presence of a superabundance of
soda. After supper he further vio-
lated all precedent by getting the kin
dlings for the morning fire and filling
the box with wood.
When he had performed his work
Of supererogat1on he sat down just in
side the kitchen door and watched
while she washed and wiped the
ishes She handled them deity and
swiftly and moved about with light
foot Her sleeves We're rolled to her
shoulders. Jim Ben would have beef
less than human if he had not bestow-
ed sly, admiring glances on her white
Inc shapely arms. She turned on him
suddenly and caught him fairly.
"What you gawkin' at me for?'
81 wasn't gawkin'! 1 was just Won
derin' if they hurt!'
WHAT My armsY"
mo, ma'am; them f~recklesi"
Fol answer she clotted him about the
ears with the wet d~ishcloth, but when
he had 1ngloriously fed from her prov
ince she gave utterance to a series of
delighted giggles.
Jim Ben kept clear of the hired girls
kingdom for three days, meaItime al
ways excepted, of course. Randy N
fided to her mistress hat of all big,
awkward, clumsy stand-up-and-fall-
downs he was the very worst she ever
did see. 1t made her laugh to look al
him. Perhaps that is why she would
at him with a twinkle in the tail
of her eye while he was stolidly eating
his meal and answering her questions
IN curt monosyIlables. Then, oma
like, she began to make advances.
Jim Ben had lifted a barrel of salt
unaided from the wagon to the ground.
Randy, who was on her way from the
wood yard with an apronful of chips.
STONED to watch this athletic feat.
When he had set the barrel on the
ground with apparent ease she com
plinlcnted him. She said:
"NIy! 1t must be awful nice to be
strongr' Then she ran toward
the kitchen saying. q bIieve 1 smell
my cookies burnin'r'
Jim Ben followed. He asked the
queen regent of the Weaver kitchen il
he might have a cup of fresh butter
milk. She filed for him a quart tin
(To be Continued.)