Camas Prairie chronicle. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1901-1917, 1910-12-23

How the French born child fitted ies |
to the haphazard household at Deer
Trace Manor with what struggles she |
came through the inevitable attack Of
inconsistencies, and how Nanny Juliet
and every one else petted and indulg-
ed her, are mattsls which need not be
dwelt on But we shall gladly believe
that she was too sensible, even at the
early and tender age of 10, to be easily
spoiled.
She never forgot a summer day soon
after her arrival when she first saw
her grandfather transformed into a
frenzied mailman. He was sitting on
the wide portico directing Japhsth
Pettigrass, who was training the great
crimson rambler rose that ran well up
to the caves. Ardea, herself, was on
the lawn, playing with her grandfath-
er's latest gift, a huge. solemn-eyed
Great Dane, so she did not see the man
| who had dismounted at the gate and
| walked up the driveway until he was
handing his card to her grandfather.
When she did see him, she looked
| tdW1ce at him; not because he was
| trigly clad in brown duck and tightly
| buttoned service leggings, but because
| he wore his beard trimmed to a point,
after the manner of the students in the
| Latin Quarter, and so was reminiscent
| of things freshly forsaken. Her grand
| father was on his feet, towering above
| the visitor as If he were about to fall
on and crush him.
| Bring you'll Yankee railroad through
my fields and pastchuhs, sub? Foul
the pure ai-ah of this peaceful Gyarden
Of Eden with youh dust-flingin, smoke
pot locomotives? Not a rod, sub! not a
foot or an inch oven the Dabney lands!
Do make it plain to you. subj"
| But Major Dabney-one moment;
this is purely a matter of business;
there is nothing personal about it. Our
company is able and willing to pay lib
orally for its right of way; and you
must remember that the coming of the
railroad will treble and quadrupls your
land values. I am only asking you to
consider the matter in a business way,
and to name your own price,"
Not anotheh word, sub, or you'll
make me lose my tempah! You add
insult to injury, sub, when you offeh
me youh contemplate Yankee gold.
When 1 desiah to sell my birthright
Tor youth beggahly mess of pottage, I'll
send black boy in town to infawm
you, subj"
| 1t Is conceivable that the locating en-
| glneer OF the Great Southwestern Rail-
way Company was younger than he
| looked; or, at all events, that his ex-
perience hitherto had not brought him
in contact with fire-eating gentlemen
of the old school. Else he would hard
ly have said what he did.
| or course, it is optional with you,
Major Dabney, whether you sell us our
right of way peaceably or compel us to
acquire it by condemnation proceedings
in the courts. AS for the rests it
possible that you don't know the war
| is over?"
With roar like that of a maddened
lion the Major bowed himself, caught
his man in mighty wrestler's grip
| and flung him broadcast into the coleus
| bed. The words that went with the
| fierce attack made Ardea crouch and
shiver and take refuge behind the great
dog. Japheth Pettigrass jumped down
from his step-ladder and went to help
| the engineer out of the flower bed.
1.-THE old frebrand!" the engineer
was muttering under his breath when
Pettigfass reached him; but the fore
man cut him short.
you got mighty little sense, looks
like, to me. Stove up any?"
Nothing to hurt, guess"
well, your hawss is waitin' for We
down yonder at the gate, and I don't
b'lieve the Major is allowin' to ask We
to stay to supper"
When the engineer had mounted and
| ridden away down the pike, the fore
man Strengthened himself and faced
| about. The Major had dropped into his
| big armchair His hands shook. Pet
tigrass moved nearer and spoke so that
the child should not hear. IF you run
me off the place the mex minute, I'm
goin' to tell you you ort to be tolerably
shamed of yourself, MAZE Dabney.
That po' little gal is scared out of a
years CROWN, right now"
II know, Japheth; know. I'm an
old heather! For, insultin as he was,
the man was for the time bein' my
| guest, suh-my gtest"
| I'm tall1in' about the little one-not
that railroader. So far as I know, he
earned what he got. l allowed they'd
make some sort of swap with you,
so I didn't say anything when they
| was layin' out their lines throo' the
| hawss-lot and across the lower corn
| field this mornin'-easy, now; no more
r'arin' and tarin' with that thar little
gal not a-knowin' which side o. the
earth's goin' to cave in next!"
Laid out theyuh lines-across nv
properly? Japheth, faveh me by riding
down to the furnace and askin' Caleb
Gordon If he will do me the honor to
come up hear-this evenin', IL he can.
Tits twenty yeahs and mo- since
I'VE troubled the law cou'ts of Duh po',
Yankee-ridden country with any affai-
ali of mine; and now-well, don't
know with respondent shake of the
leonine head.
(To be continued.)