Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-11-15

The young man laughed and shook
his head
mo; I'm a telegraph operator. But
the wife and / decided to take a two
years vacation, and here we
are. But the times about up. I'm
going back into the office this fall
after l get the grapes off"
AS Daylight listened, there came to
him sudden envy of this young fel-
low living right in the midst of all
this which Daylight had travelled
through the last few hours.
What in thunder are you going
back to the telegraph office for?" he
demanded
The young man smiled with GER
tain wistfulness
Because We can't get ahead here
Che hesitated an Instant,
"and because there are added ex-
penses coming. The rent, small as it
is, counts; and besides, I'm not strong
enough to effectually farm the place.
If / owned it, or If were a real
husky like you, I'd ask nothing better.
Nor would the wife" Again the visit
full smile lowered on his face. 'YOu
see, we're country born, and after
bucking with cities for a few years.
we kind of feel we like the country
best. We've planned to get ahead,
though, and then some day We'll buy
8 patch of land and stay with it."
Daylight could not persuade him
self to keep to the travelled roads
that day, and another cut across coun-
try to Glen Ellen brought him upon
a canyon that so blocked his way that
he was glad to follow friendly cow
path. This led him to a small frame
cabin. The doors and windows we're
open, and a cat was nursing a litter
of kittens in the doorway, but no one
seemed at home. He descended the
trail that evidently crossed the can
yon. Part way down, he met an old
man coming up through the sunset.
In his hand he carried pail of foamy
milk. He wore no hat, and in his
face, framed with snow-white hair and
beard, was the rudy glow and con-
tent of the passing summer day
Daylight thought that he had never
seen so contented looking being
How Old are you, daddy?" he quer-
ed
'SEighty-four." was the reply. Eyes,
3irree. eighty-four, and spryer than
most"
"You must a taken good care of
yourself" Daylight suggested.
Il don't know about that / amt
loafed none I walked across the
plains with an OK team and fit Injuns
in 81. and | was q family man with
ceven youngsters. reckon | was as
old then as you are now, or pretty
nigh On to it,"
Don't you find it lonely here?"
The Old man shifted the pail of milk
end reflected
THAT AL depends" he said oracul-
'r!y. II amt never been lonely ex-
cpt when the old wife died. Some
oilers are lonely in crowd, and I'm
ore Of them That's the only time
I'm lonely. is when | go to Frisco
2j2t | don't go no more, thank you
raost to death This is good enough
CT me. I've been right here in this
alley since 54-one OF the first set
.lers after the Spanards.
The old man chuckled, and Day
light rode on, singularly at peace with
himself and all the world 1t seemed
that the old contentmert of trail and
camp he had known on the Yukon
lad come back to him. He could not
shake from his eyes the picture of
the old pioneer coming up the trail
through the sunset light He was GER
tainly going some for eighty-four. The
thought of following his example en-
tered Daylight's mind, but the big
game of San Francisco vetoed the
,dea.
ITO BE CONTINUED