The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1910-01-08
In THE TWINKLTNG
OF AN EYE
By HELEN NJ. OWENS


Lal Oliver came to the cabin door
! and looked out over the blackened
! stumps of the clearing, wrapping her
! bare arms in her apron as she felt the
| chill autumnal air of the Sierra Her
! eyes vaguely followed the smoke of
forest fire not far away in the tim
! Der; but a listlessness in the attitude
of her tall, well-knit figure indicated
| lack of interest in her surroundings
reaching deeper than the mere indif-
! ference of custom
When a man appeared at the edge
OF the clearing and vaulted over the
fence, the watching in which there
had been neither hope nor desire was
ended, for she turned from the door,
busyfng herself about the dinner keep
ing warm upon the hearth.
! Despite the wood-chopper's SLOUGH
In his shoulders, he looked a son of
the forest, tall and powerful. When
he entered the cabin his dinner was
ON the table. He looked at his wife
tentatively, but her shoulder was
turned toward him and she gazed per-
sIstently out of the window; so he
sat down and ate, casting occasional
glances at her motionless figure. A
hound had stolen in and crouched
near him, watching with slavering
jaws eager for morsels. He found his
master unresponsive.
Oliver had an air of nerving him
| self as he said: Il heard Dave Erick-
son was back"
There was no response. Taking out
a pouch he began filling his pipe, push
ing down the tobacco with an I'M
steady thumb. He knew Lal had seen
Dave. Nevertheless he felt goaded
to ask: Has he been here?"
Yes"
He drew a long Whit from his pipe
before he asked, doggedly pushing his
! questioning, What did he come for?'
AS the woman turned, her husband
shrank visibly under the lash of her
eyes.
HE came to tell me you had He'd"
she replied with elaboration.
His huge numbering frame was
trembling, as oliver stumbled up from
the hearth, steadying himself against
a chair. 'Lal, he-told-"
She confronted him like some sore
ly wounded wild thing.
Everything whole story. The
message calm him to his dyin' moth
er; the letter he sent to me by you
1T didn't reach me-"
Involuntarily he glanced toward a
cleft in a log over the fireplace. then
looked hastily away, moistening his
dry lips. She went on unheeding.
Why should l talk? You know it
all-how the old hays about the noun
tains jeered and gossiped over their
pipes because he'd left me almost on
the weddin' day" She broke into a
mirthless laugh. But you were will
in enough to take what they said he'd
flung away. You devil, you've ruined
my life
Don't say it, Lal!' he cried. en-
treatingly. God knows I've loved you
always. You'd never give me any
Representative you seemed to hate
me; and then at last when you'd
grown a little kinder and l thought
maybe you'd learn to care for me
Dave came and I saw it was all up
with me-"
The woman's face darkened and she
broke in with fierce heat. "AlPs uI
with you now. Don't you see it? II
you were half a man you would"
'Lal,' he said, at last, 81 don't deny
|, I've wronged you
You don't dare" she interrupted
sneeringly.
, But I've done my best since, t.
make you happy"
Your besti you've done your worst
: You've parted me from the only mar
in the world | could have cared for
: Any other woman would have done
I for you"
= He started up with a gesture of pro
test, but she went on. why couldn'
i you've let me alone? Any of the girl!
2 on the Flat would've married you foI
the askin'. Why must you pick out tn,
only one who didn't carer" She fun,
up her arms despairingly. Il can
breathe in the same house with yol
I'll leave"
Oliver caught her arm. "Lal, you.t
never leave me-You're my wife,
You count on that?" she cried
What do | care for few words sait
over us-lies, lies all! 1 love Dave
I'm no wife OF yours"
She flung him OFF and ran out of tn,
cabin.
: The smoke of the forest fire hat
settled low over the clearing, but b
was hardly conscious of 1t or of tn
smell of burning wood filling the all
The stirring of the shadows in hi
weak and easy-going nature had re
. vealed hitherto unsupported depths
and his whole being was convulsivel
resisting the new order of things a
he strobe along. In a few moment
he had reached the little opening il
the timber where his partners wer
already at work, splitting stakes.