Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1910-07-01

He finished his last mouthful with a
regretful smack. undisturbed by the
gaunt-faced woman who sat staring at
him. Then he leaned back, wiping his
mouth with a hairy fist.
THAT was a good spread" he said,
s0lemniy. Folks ginerally gives me a
hand-out. But this was a spread"
II fed you here In the Kitchen re-
turned Luelia, because I want you to
talk
Talk" The hobo tilted his chair
g little farther. You're a queer one!
What do you want me TO talk about?"
Tell me how 1t feels to be free"
"It feels mighty fne--if you amt
staryin' ner freezin'."
She propped her chin On her hand,
leaning toward him.
How'd you come to take to the
road?"
A scowl settled on the tramp's brow.
as though at some hateful recollection.
You want my spiel, do you? Well,
/ was a factory hand. ! tended on a
machine-feedin' II. feedin' IL, feedin' II
all day long and part of the night.
When l got to bed / dreamed OF the
cussed thing. Why did dream of it7
Cause 1t seemed to be reachin' out
tryin' to grab the whole of me-, or
chaw off my fingers. just as 1t did In
h day. At last there come a time
when I says to myself. There's such
~ Niluk dS Tic edTLus w nat 10 you
know of IL? You're jest part of this
here machine. Yet there acshually Is
SIGH things as roads leadin' TO new
places, country roads with sunshine an
grass an time to think an find out
who you are-time to walk with them
you fancies an to git away from them
you don't"
Yes. yesl I know!" she said breath
lessly. The world was calm you
calm, calm till you couldn't hep but
go"
He stared at her as he rose.
anything about X. You don't have no
richest farmer In this county, they
says
She rose In her turn and caught his
ragged sleeve, pushing him round until
he faced the polished kitchen range.
See that stove2" she cried, harshly.
An them arms, all my life, has reached
out an grabbed holt Of me an choked
the"
He wrenched roughly away from her.
"Aw-gwon!" he said, contemptuous-
iy. You got a easy job"
He walked of. rolling placidly down
the front path.
Luella never looked after him. She
leaned against the door post and stared
Tar of into the western line, now coll
oring with hints Of the approaching
sunset.
The reek OF the kitchen chung to her
gown and embodied her in its atmo-
sphere. Once she shook out her skirt
impatiently, but he odor was still
there.
An hour later. she sat down to a
bountiful supper with her husband,
STEPHEN Westly; a supper in which
there was none to share but them
selves.
1t was eaten In businessIike silence.
AS Q as he had finished, stephen be-
a to mend some harness, while his
wife hurried the dishes to the sink.
The table cleared, n came back TO
her husband and stood ~nervously rub
ping the back OF a chair with her
knottY. toll worn fingers.
"Stephenl"
What Is 1t. Luella? Hand me them
brads often the shelf, Will your"
She complied. and hen plunged des-
perately into her subject.
stephen, / got a tooth that needs
Crownin'. don't bIieve our tooth
doctor to the village understands 1t. r
want to have Ii fixed right. I want to
go TO Garfield. I shall be rome a week
Astonsshed, he dropped the harness.
You want to be gone a weekl"
II know II sounds dretful. but / do.
4 know / ain't never been away more'n
AA1AfA ~ AAL "a w hAiAA AlCNgE LClA y GNAA 4
But II seems like there's a slack !
now"
There amt no sich thing as a slack
fn work here" retorted the husband.
II don't care. I'm sufferin' with
that tooth. / got to go.g
He rose abruptly and crossed to the
window, where he stood gazing into
ssasS lssssS. GA v5stofl mad
stolen Into his eyes, but Luella could
not see lit A look OF guilty cunning
touched the worn ines on his prema-
turely old face.
alla-you alters drove y0re sheer of
work so hard. / didn't suppose you'd
want to git a whole week behind"
Il got to go" she repeated, stub
"a week. he repeated, rubbing his
hands slowly to~gether-hands which
frembled ~perceptibly with some strong
Inward excitement. well. go ef you
must. It amt like we was foolish
enough to be talkin' about holidays.
You am me certainly has kept each
other up 70 the mark-ain't we, Luz
ella7 No better managers than us two
anywhere. But sence you got to-
go"
When the morning train halted at
the village, IL received a solitary pas
sanger, who sank gaspingly on a red
plush seat, grasping a ticket TO Can
field.
But as she sat there. looking breath
iessly from the window, something In
the whirling motion restored her calm
ness. She almost stretched out her
worn hands to the trees and glades that
seemed trying TO rush up to her.
Don't hurry" she whispered; TIN
comm"
Ten minutes later. the train halted
rcsentfully at a little w~ay-station. The