Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1910-07-01

strawberry culture. Behind the cot
tage was a garden of which he made
stra wberry patch.
When his stra wberries were begin
ming to ripen Dry Valley bought the
heaviest buggy whip in the Santa Rosa
store.
In the house next to Dry Valleys
lived widow with pack of children
that gave the husbandman frequent
anxious misgivings. In the woman
there was a strain of the Spanish.
She had welded one Of the name of
O'Brien.
Between the two homesteads ran a
crazy picket fence overgrown with
morning glory and wild gourd vines.
Often he could see little heads with
mops of black hair and flashing dark
eyes lodging in and out between the
pickets, keeping tabs on the reddening
berries.
Late one afternoon Dry Valley went
to the postoffice. When he came back.
like Mother Hubbard. he found the
deuce to pay The descendants of Ibe-
rian bandits and Hibernian cattle raid
ers bad swooped down upon his straw
berry patch.
Dry Valley slipped into the house.
got his whip and charged the marau-
ders. The lash curled about the legs
of the nearest, a greedy en-year-old.
before they knew they were discover
ed. His screech gave warning. and
the flock scampered for the fence like
drove of javelis flushed in the chapar-
raj Dry Valleys whip drew toll of
two more elfn shrieks before they
dived through the vine clad fence.
Dry Valley, less feet. followed them
nearly to the pickets. Checking his
useless pursuit. he rounded a bush.
dropped his whip and stood. voiceless,
motionless. the capacity of his powers
consumed by the act Of breathing and
preserving the perpendicular.
Behind the bush stood Panchlta
OBrien. scorning to fly. She was nine
teen. the oldest of the raiders. Her
night black hair was gathered back In
a wild mass and tied with scarlet
ribbon. She stood with reluctant feet
yet nearer the brook than to the river,
for childhood had environed and de.
tanned her.
She looked at Dry Valley johnson
for a moment with magnificent inso
lence and before his eyes slowly
crunched luscious berry between hel
white teeth. Then she turned and
walked slowly to the fence with G
swaying, conscious motion. such as 6
duchess might make use of In leading
promenade. There she turned agair
and grilled Dry Valley johnson once
more In the dark fame of her auda
cious eyes. laughed trifie schoolgirl
ishly and twisted herself with panther
ish quickness between the pickets tt
the O'Brien side of the gourd vine.
Dry Valley picked up his whip ant
went into his house. He stumbled a
he went up the two wooden steps. Tn
old Mexican woman who cooked hi
meals and swept his house called hin
TO supper as he went through tn
rooms. Dry Valley went on. stumble,
down the front steps. out the gate an,
down the road into mesquite thicke
at the edge of town. He sat down Il
the grass and laboriously plucked tn
spines from prickly pear one by one
This was his attitude of thought. &C
quired in the days when his problem
were only those of wind and wool an
water.
A thing had happened to the man
a thing that, If you are eligible. yo
must prly may pass you by. He hat
become enveloped in the Indian sum
mer Of the soul.
Dry Valley had had no youth. Ever
his childhood had been one of dignit!
and seriousness. At six he had viewed
the frivolous gambols of the lambs OF
his fathers ranch with silent disap
proval. His life as young man hat
been wasted And now in his sea
and yellow leaf one scornful look from
the eyes of Panchita O. Brien had food
ed the autumnal landscape with
tardy and delusive summer heat.
But a sheepman is hardy animal
Dry Valley Johnson had weathere
too many northers to turn his back o.
late summer, spiritual or real. Old