Los Angeles herald., 1909-10-17

morning. they would have remarked with aniable
L suggestion Rather late with your breakfast
dishes, amt your" And Alice would have laughed
before she answered. She usually laughed first and
spoke ateryard The yogng joy 1 Of life h @ touched t her %
the untranslated emotion, and interpreted 1t later:
But the white farmhouse at the end of the line OF
arching maple trees was half mile from neighbor
and no one was likely to discover her housekeeping
vagaries. It had been such good morning! She
smiled little dmping smile as she poured the scad-
ing water from one milk can to another with de1t
turn while the rising cloud of steam dampened the ten
drills of blonde hair blown about her forehead by the
breeze from the open door.
Robert had done the churnng out on the broad back
porch before he went to the field He would never let
her do it, though she quite sure she was strong
enough year ago. when she had frSt @ entered upon
phosis of can of into mass of crumbng yell
low butter had been interesting to the point of excite
Robert had wanted to sell two OF the cows but
she had begged to keep them Why could not she learn
to make butter? He could take it to Miburn and the
money would buy-she would show him what the money
would buy.
"A regular little farmer" Robert had 1aughngly
called her saying that he believed she liked the country
all the better for having always lived in town. Ot
course she did; she had known it would be- that
way She had added that she would have liked South
Africa or Alaska-but he had not let her finish the
So this morning she had chosen to work her butter
out the porch, packing away, sweet and firm in the
little brown jars while the morning cooness was still
in the air AS she patted and squeezed the golden mass
the breeze came spiced with the bossoming plum trees
and the smell of the freshenng EARTH The tangled net
the that at the end OF pOrcn
was dotted with buds of misty green, tipped and vened
with rose A wren had hoped up the lowest STEP
huttering feahered ball of JOY and had taken her into
his confidence with gush OF song, then flown away
to help his mate, who busily filling the pump with
twigs Foolish little thingsi They should have better
nace TO d as soon as she could get the butter of
the way Although she could not have put into words,
she felt herself with all nest-buildng creatures
She part of this vibrating harmony OF color and
perfume and song.
When she went down into the cool gloom of the eel
lar with the butter jars she rumaged out an old starch
box from pile provided for future needs, and with
saw and hammer borrowed from the barn, set to work
to make it habtable She not sldlfu carpenter,
and the nails through at unexpected places in
deed some of them only went in half their length and
then turned over but they held rather better that way
so it did not matter. She surveyed the result with an
air of amused satisfaction; and when, standing on
chair reach, she had nailed the box to limb of the
old apple tree she thought it looked quite homelke
branch of blossoms dropping across the front hid all
defects. Robert would laugh when he it.
The wrens were still fitting in and out Of the pump
with misdirected zeal; she stuffed cloth into the
seductive spout while the birds chartered mady weak
little creatures sometimes will when higher intelligence
is steering them away from danger And then the apple
blossoms had been pink and white and dewy that she
had broken off great arnful and crowded them into
jar in corner Of the dinng-room, just where Robert
could see them while he ate his dinner.
All this had made the dishwashng late. AS she set
the milk the porch shining row in the sum- she
stopped to watch the again. She was not unlike
then-small and slight, with quick ways and bright
brown eyes She gave little nod OF satisfaction when
she saw that the birds were investigating the possibilities
of the starch box One of them perched the top and
triied his brief burst of melody with tremulous wings
Alice regarded him with soft eyes. He knew what hope
was, and companonshp, and the making of home to-
gether. She looked at the pump with wsp OF cloth
trailing from its spout as at vanquished destroyer OF
domestic felicity, and went back to her dishes, When
they were finished she glanced at the cock the mail
carrier must have passed by this time.
It made one of the OF her day to go down the
long lane under the naples and unlock the mabox
the post of the big red gate She part of the way,
her pink dress uttering about her ankles but she
back slowly her head bent letter. the swiftly al
ternatng and shadow passing like rppes over her
bright hair.
As she slipped the letter back into its envelope she
stood still a moment looking out over the powed fields
where the warm brown earth lay mellowlng IN the sun
Then she gave little decisive skip, and, running along
the SOFT scant grass at the side of the ane she entered
her kitchen flushed and breathless.
When the team their heavy harness creakng and the
lines thrown the hanes plodding across the
pasture to the wateringtrough by the barn Alice stood
in the door; dinner ready. Robert, following some
distance behind the horses waved his broad straw hat
and then strobe on swinging it by his side How tall
and strong he was She could the crisp OF his
black hair and the wheness of his forehead above the
line of tan
She set the dinner the table then out to meet
him as he came from the barn.
Oh, Robert, the incest hing!" she cried, catching
his hand and trying to suit her step to his long stride
"Of course you are"
"No, Pm not-I mean, know I am; but there are
more nice things. Oh look at my bird house
Robert stopped short in the path and surveyed it
critically Sticks projected from the opening at all
angles the whisked in and out; they had already
proved their title"
Birds seem to like it; guess that's ali that's
sary," remarked Robert. a. But for it's bein' the
incest thing" His gray eyes were teasing.
You shant know about it until you're ready for
dinner; it's all settled anyway" and the small pink
figure ahead of him and disappeared through the
dinng-room door. When Robert came in she was
pouring the coffee.
"Whew" as he the spreading branches of apple
blossoms; regular little orchard in here. Amt they
pretty? believe they're fuller this year than com
mon"
"What do they remind you Off" Alice asked as she
gave him his coffee
"Apple pie" he answered sententiousy with just the
hint of a quiver at the corner of his mouth.
"Robertl" Alice tried to look severe. Have yor
forgotten what day it next Thursday It's ami
versary. l have been wondering what could do
want it to be different from any other dayaltogehe
different"
Robert leaned back in his chair, smiling at herr hi