The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-04-29
cHApTER YIn-continued.

gains the snow. her plump figure
clad In a plain working dress, her
hands holding two buckets dripping
from the brook-an instant only, but
TO Tom like a camera snap. He lodged
nutomatically-he had not been stalk
Ing game like this--and tool several
noiseless steps. 80 as not to startle the
girl. 1t was useless, however; escape
was impossible. She was coming
straight toward him, and in a moment
race to face with him. He wheeled
about, and began to whistle. IS he
were strolling up the glen and had not
seen her, A moment and they came
full upon each other round h rock.
She did not start or cry out, but stopped
instantly and looked at him with wild
eyes. as a deer will when one comes
upon him on q forest path,
"Why-heIlo-o-o-o!" he said, blur
surprise in his voice. II didn't know
any one was down here!"
Her eyes, intensely black, had long
~lasles: her cheeks seemed, a pale olive
against the jet of her hair. She did
moi speak; she made a movement as If
TO get by him. d.
aOh. / see; you are taking 'em up to
Poppy Miller's?"
Let me carry EN-. I'll carry 'em
for you" ...
She put them down on the instant
and started ahead. Involuntarily he
stood and looked at her. She was tall
and straight and full-hgured, and she
sprang up the rocks as agile as a fawn.
Wait, done run away, he called.
picking up the buckets and trying to
follow, but In q moment h was out
OF sight. ~ ...
The girl was undoubtedly Iona He'll
er. Re had v seen her before. but
he had heard OF her as a strange, shy
creature, whom no n knew much
about. There was a beaten path all
h way to the cabin; II was evident
that they got all their water from the
creek, and that the girl carried it.
Neither old Poppy nor Grannie
Miller was fit for such a task.
He crossed a rail fence that lurched
drunkenly acros the glen, and came
out into q Uttered yard. A yellowish
horse, harnessed to an old wagon,
dozed before the house, but there was
no movement anywhere. The wildness
of the place, with it's chaos of rocks, it's
ragged trees, and it's strange architec-
ture did not impress him. He was
looking for h girl. What should he
do with the bucket? AS he stood de-
MIGRATING. the old man himself, hoary
white and much bowed. appeared at
Leave 'em set right there" he quav-
cred, Are yeh going down the road
wunst2 Chump right in." Tom
jumped In, and the old mar laboriously
followed. There was a movement out
by the barn. -.. Il
Huh, Tat peeg's already. Wuts,
wuts, wuts, wIts! Here. peggy! Hey,
Loney! Lo-ney-y-y-y! Huh! She
cant hear nothing still. Let i'm go it.
Cup, t'ere!"
He slapped the reins ~viciously on the
old creatures back, and, after awaking,
1t began to shamble down the moderate
slope. Tom watched the house mar
rowly. No sign of life. They reached
the end Of the yard; by a sudden i'm
pulse he turned again.
Ahi the upper window was open and
he caught the glimpse OF a face. At
that moment the sun. Just over the
ragged tear of h gap, broke through
the ~cloudbank, and q slanting ray fell
full upon the girl of the brook, lighting
up her face with a strange momentary
TRANSPORTATION. An instant, and she
had disappeared.
Clear t'morrow." observed the old
man o~racularIy. The stumbling horse
turned the corner. and the house was
lost.
1t was not far to the Heller's Gan
road. n little was said, that little be-
ing from the old man and about the
w~aywardness and peryersity OF pegs"
Tom heard little and cared little. He
went home and. after the of
young fellows of twenty, dreamed
about black eyes and a certain picture
framed In a window. And Poppy Miller
resumed his reflections on pegs" Just
as II he were not a -wower and
didn't know that something had hap
pened. -
The circle about the sources stove
greeted the old nan warmly. He came
70 the store but seldom Of evenings,
and when he did come It was an event. |
It Is always comforting to have an un-
disputed authority on things superna-
tural close at hand for ready reference.
That's q fine day, Poppy, Already"
"Mmh-huh!"-a sharp accent on the
first syllable. which meant mo-" 9th /
erwise accented 1t would nave been
yes '"T'is amt no saplin' bender: |
It's the onion snow already, and
Onion snow 'tWixt nine n twenty.
Drooth and trouble and a plenty"
"Mh-h-h-h-h-h!"
Gut your garden planted, Poppy"
"Mmh-huh! Signs amt right still"
Right for onions, amt it? Yas?"
mh-huh!-yas-piant 'em in the
down so t'ey'll strike down wunst.
ooh. pshaw. this moon business
makes me tired" burst out Amos
Harding. He was sitting on a chair by
h stove, both of his legs folded up
before MIN, his heels on the front of
the chair e In this position he re-
sembled nothing so much as a long
geared letter z which has been sat
upon.
HEIR heh?" The old man bristIed
up and turned shakily.
II plant by the sun, not the moon"
"'Spose I'm blind, do We? 'Spose
hain't been seem t'ese 60 year, heb?
You plant by tie moon, young man,
and you plant by tie signs If you want
70 reap. Mh-h-h-h-h-h-h!"
what are the signs for planting,
Poppy2 Tell Amos"
plant our taters and turnups in
the sign of tie scales If you want 'em
70 weigh. Plant cowcumbers In tie sign
o. tie twins. but don't yeh dast to plant
taters ten or t'eyn all be runty and
scrotchy, and don't, for tie Lords sake,
plant 'em in tie fishes wunst, or t'eyli
be so watery you can't eat 'em still. l
done 1t wunst and 1 knows. Every
sing tat strikes down you must plant
in tie -unnergehende, but beans and
peas and such truck must be put in
when tie moons In tie VI 1 wouldn't
plant beans in tie down of tie moon
more'n l would clean out a stovepipe