The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1910-06-30

He finished his last mouthful with a
.sgretful smack. undisturbed by the
rount-faced woman who sat staring at
I'm. Then he leaned back, wiping his
rnnrith with a hairy fist.
.o,emnly. Folks ginerally gives me q
band-out. But this was a spread"
81 fed you here in the Kitchen" re-
.urned Luella, because ! want you to
A"Talk?" The hobo tilted his chair
] little farther. You're a queer one!
what do you want me to talk about?"
WIZ" aTell me how it feels to be free"
at feels mighty fine--if you amt
etarvin' ner freezin'."
She propped her chin on her hand,
,eaning toward him.
How'd you come to take to the
road?"
as though at some hateful recollection.
"You want my spiel, do you? Well,
I was a factory hand. / tended on a
machine-feedin' 1t, feedin' 1t, feedin' it
al day long and part Of the night.
when I got to bed I dreamed of the
cussed thing. Why did / dream Of 1t?
PCause 1t seemed to be reachin' out
irwin to grab the whole of me, or
chaw off my fingers, just as 1t did in
the day. At last there come a time
when / says to myself: There's such
q thing as the earth. What do you
know of It? You're jest part {" 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"
Eyes, yes! I know!" she said breath
lessly. The world vas calm you
callin', CALM till you couldn't hep but
CO."
He stared at her as he. rose.
Il unn how in Moses you know
anything about IL. You don't have no
machine to feed. Yore husbands the
richest farmer In this county, they
say"
She rose In her turn and caught his
ragged sleeve, pushing him round until
he faced the polished kitchen range.
"See that stove?" she cried, harshly.
TITS got arms, like yore machine had.
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-
ly. You got a easy job"
He walked off, rolling placidly down
the front path.
Luella never looked after him. She
leaned against the door post and stared
far off into the western line, now col
oring with hints Of the approaching
sunset.
The reek of the kitchen chung to her
gown n EMBODIED her in it's atmo-
sphere. Once h shook out her skirt
im~patiently, but the 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 businesslike silence.
Al soon as he had finished, Stephen be-
gan to mend some harness, while his
/ wife hurried the dishes to the sink.
The table cleared, she came back to
her husband and stood nervously rub
bling the back OF q chair with her
knotty, toll fingers.
"Stephen!"
what is 1t, Luella? Hand me them
brads often the shelf, will your"
She complied, and then plunged des-
perately into her subject.
stephen, / got q tooth that needs
crownin'. ! don't blieve our tooth
doctor to the village understands It. I
want to have 1t fixed right. I want to
go to Garfield. I shall be gone a week."
Astonished, he dropped the harness.
you want to be gone a week!"
Il know 1t sounds dretful, but I do.
] know / amt never been away more'n
half q day sence we married, ten year
ago. But It seems like there's a slack
now"
There amt no SIGH thing as a slack
In work here" retorted the husband.
Il don't care. I'm sufferin' with
that tooth. / got to 60"
He rose abruptly and crossed to the
window. where he stood gazing into
the dusk. A peculiar expression had
stolen into his eyes but Luella could
not see It. A look Of guilty cunning
touched the worn lines on his prema-
turely old face.
You alters been so masterful, Luz
ella-you alters drove yore sheer of
work so hard. I didn't suppose you'd
want to git a whole week behind"
I got to CO." she repeated, stub
bornly.
hands slowly together-hands which
trembled ~perceptibly with some strong
inward excitement. well. go eff you
must. It amt like we was foolish
enough to be talkin' about holidays.
You an me certainly has kept each
other up to the mark-ain't we. Lu-
ellaf No better managers than us two
anywhere. But sence you got to
When the morning train halted at
the village, 1t received a solitary pas
senger, who sank gaspingly on a red
plush seat, grasping a ticket to Can
field.
But as she sat there, looking breath
lessly from the window, something in
the whir!ing 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" n whispered; I'm
comm"
Ten minutes later, the train halted
resentfully at a little way-station. The