Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-04-30
CHAPTER vIrI-continued.

clad in a plain wOrking dress, heI
hands holding two buckets dripping
from the brook-an instant only, but
to Tom like a Gamers snap. He lodged
automatically-he had not been stalk
ing game like this-and took several
noiseless steps, &c al not to startle the
girl. 1t vas useless, however; escape
was impossible. She was coming
straight toward him, and in a moment
more would be around the rock and
face to face with him. He wheeled
about, n began to whistle, as he
were strolling up the glen and had not
seen her. A moment and they came
fun upon each other around the 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 a forest path.
"Why-hello-o-o-oi" he said, bluff
surprise In his voice. II didn't know
any n was down here!'
Her eyes, intensely black, had long
lashes; her cheeks seemed a pale olive
against the jet OF her hair. She did
not speak; she made a movement as II
20 get by him.
"Oh. / see: o are taking 'em up to
Poppy Miller's?"
Yes"
Let me carry 'em. 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-figured. and she
sprang up the rocks as agile as a fawn.
Wait. don't run away he called.
picking up the buckets and trying TO
follow, but In a moment she was out
of sight.
The girl was undoubtedly Iona He'll
er, He had never seen her before. but
he had heard OF her as a strange, shy
creature, whom nc one knew much
about. There was a beaten path oil
the way to the cabin: IL was evident
that they got all their water from the
creek, and that the girl carried II.
Neither old Poppy nor Grannie
Miller was fit for such n task.
lie crossed a rail- fence that lurched
~drunkenly across the glen, and came
out into a 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. n its strange architec-
ture did not impress him. He was
do with the bucket? As he stood de-
liberating. the old man himself, hoary
white and much bowed, appeared at
the door.
Leave 'em sat right there" ne a
cred. Are yeh going down the road
wunst? Chump right In" Tom
Jumped In, N the old man laboriously
followed. There was a movement out
by the barn. !.
'Hahi Tat peeg's Already. wuts,
wits, wuts, wuts! Here, peegyi Hey.
Loney! Lo-ney-y-y-y! HUH She
cant hear nothing still. Let i'm go 1t.
Cup, t'erei"
He slapped the reins viciously on the
old creatures back, and, after awaking,
IL 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.
Ali the upper window was open and
he caught the glimpse of a face. At
that the sun, just over the
ragged tear OF the gap, broke through
the cioudbank, and a slanting ray fell
full upon the girl OF the brook. lighting
up her face with q strange momentary
TRANSPORTATION. An instant, and she
had disappeared.
man oracularly. The stumbling horse
turned the corner, n the house was
lost.
1t was not far to the Heller's Gap
road, and little was said. that little be-
ing from the old mar and abou the
waywardness and perversity OF pegs"
Tom heard little and cared little. He
went home and, after the name of
young fellows OF twenty. dreamed
about black eyes and q certain picture
framed in a window. And Poppy Miller
resumed his reflections on "peegs." just
as liz ne were not a pow-wower and
didn't know that something had hap
pened.
The circle about the ~squire's stove
greeted the old man warmly. He came
20 the store but seldom OF evenings,
and when he did come 1t was an event.
TX is always comforting to lave an I'M
disputed authority on things superna-
tural close at hand for ready reference.
That's a n day, Poppy, Already"
"Mmh-huh!"-a sharp accent on the
FIRST syllable. which meant mo" 9th
erwise accented II would have been
yes TITS Amt no saplin' bender;
It's the onion snow already, and
"'Onion snow 'twixt nine and twenty,
Drooth and trouble and a plenty"
"Mh-h-h-h-h-hi"
"Gut your garden planted, Poppy
"Mmh-huh! Signs amt right still"
Right for onions, amt IL? Yas?"
MIMI huh!--yas-plant 'em in the
down 50 t'ey'll strike down wunst.
"Oh. pshaw, this moon business
makes me tired" burst out Amos
Harding. He was sitting on a chair by
the stove. both OF his legs folded UP
before him, his heels on the front OF
the chair seat. In this position he re-
sembled nothing SO, much as a long
geared letter u which a been sat
upon.
aHeh? HEIR" The old man bristled
up and turned shakily.
II plant by the sun, not the moon"
"'Spose I'm blind. do We? 'Spose r
hain't been SEEM t'ese so year. heb?
o plant by tie moon, young man.
and you plant by tie signs Ii you want
TO reap. Mh-h-h-hsh-h-h!"
What are the signs for planting,
Poppy Tell Amos"
Plant your taters and turnups In
the sign OF tie scales IL you want EN-
To weigh. Plant cowcumbers in tie sign
81 tie twins. III don't yeh dast to plant
taters ten or t'ey'll all be runty and
scrotchy. and don't, for tie Lords sake.
plant EN- in tie fishes wunst. or t'ey'il
be so watery you can't eat 'em stil. I
done II wunst and / now Every
sing tat strikes down you must plant
in tie undergraduate. but beans and
peas and such truck must be put In
when tie moons I'm tie up. 1 wouldn't
plant beans In tie down OF t'e %
mor6fn I would clean out q stotepipe
IN tie doWn-not a bit more. Han
cabbage In tie lion still. 70 re Juice u
the krout'l rise In tie crock. M you
uns an remember t'B: tat all kinds u
Wegetables and garden truck II best n
tsey's planted by q man. Mh-h-h-b-ht'
''PshaWi" anorted Amos. The OLD
man did not hear. He drew his chnf