Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1908-07-30

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In way they had been engaged for
q year or more, Tom Salters and LIN
da Green-in a way, l say, because
the humble people living In the coves
or scattered cabins on the sides and
crests of the southern mountains do
not speak Of engagements"
It Is taken for granted that when a
young Teller ''hangs around" the
cabin Of a mountaineer possessing a
marriageable daughter he has matri-
mony In view, and when the nearest
neighbors are called In to see the
couple jump the broomstick or stand
up before a travelling preacher to be
made one there is no surprise and lit
tie comment
The father of Linda Breen had no
questions to ask Of Tom Salters. He
had known his father for years. Tom
had as yet no questions to ask Of Lin
da's sire. Neither Linda nor her moth
er had referred to the subject. Many
times when Joe Breen and the young
man were out hunting squirrels or
walking to the village together Tom
would suddenly say without preface:
Reckon men Linda better git
hitched"
And the father of Linda would throw
away the old quid, bite off another
and after chewing away for a couple
Of minutes would reply:
Eyes, reckon"
That evening the father would have
a few words to say to the mother In
private. and at later hour she would
casually remark to the daughter:
tom Salters wants you, and reck-
on you'll be goin' in few days"
Nineteen times out of twenty the
marriage would follow. There would
new pole cabin built, and another fam
lily would go on making mountain his
tory. But In this case no marriage
followed. 1t was all on account Of the
arrival of Tom Salter's uncle from a
village in the lowlands. He was in
so he had come for Tom.
Tom had no education, but he had
native wit He was known to be a
fright smart young man. The uncle
talked of broader field, chance for
education and rise in the world. Lin
da must wait. AT the end of year or
two Tom could come back and marry
her and take her away.
And in the twilight of summers
evening Tom and Linda sat on log in
front of her fathers cabin, a space Of
a foot between them. Both looked into
vacancy, and he told her of the plan.
He talked in jerky, disjointed way
but she understood as well as If he had
been a silver tongued orator. He had
asked for her hand. He meant to mar
~ her. He had no thought of disloy-
atty. The road seemed straight and
plain to him, and he did not dream
that there was knife at her heart as
she listened
Men will never understand how far
reaching woman's intuition Is. The
girl followed Toms words, and yet she
saw months and months and months
ahead Of them.
Two or three times she instinctively
reached out her hand as IL to detain
him, but drew it back without his hav-
ing observed the action. Two or three
times there were tears in her eyes, but
she took care that he should not see
them.
well. what do you reckon?" he
asked as he had finished and the ST.
lence had lasted for long minute.
Better go, reckon" was the reply.
What other answer could she have
made, tousled, barefooted, ignorant
girl of the mountains. and yet would
her woman's pride seek to detain him
when he had proposed the separation?
They sat together for five minutes
longer, and then they separated, she to
enter the cabin and seek its darkest
corner to let her tears flow and he to
shake hands with her father and moth
er and bid them goodby.
1t may be said of the lovers that
both could write a scrawl or two
and both could read q scrawl or two"
SO scrawls passed between them.
They were weekly at first, and then
there were longer intervals. IL Tom
did not write, Linda could not answer.
Then one day there came neighbor
who had seen Tom In person in his
new field.
The speaker did not mean to wound
or bruise, but he had seen new Tom
Salters, one who was no longer of
those on the mountains. He had for
gotten the crags and peaks for the
streets of the town.
When the man had departed Linda's
mother wanted to look her in the eyes.
Linda wanted to do the same by her
mother. Instead of so doing both
turned their heads away. They said
nothing of Tom.
What happened was all simple and
natural. Tom Salters had entered
upon new life. 1t offered number
less attractions to the young man who
had never Travelled ten miles from the
cabin in which he had been born, and
IL was but natural that he should soon
begin to forget the old life and all that
he had left behind.
His scrawls were fndited at longer
intervals and finally ceased altogether.
He came to almost ignore the few
mountain men he had known In other
days. They looked at his new clothes,
noted his speech and walk and went
away shaking their heads. In their
opinion this was rank disdoyalty to the
mountains.