The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1912-11-27

"You don't answer ME. Samuel. and
I don't wonder. You cant explain
away your words. During the ten min
utes you WAS rl,aSi,ip that hog you call
ed him a burned rOOter. a son of IA gun
a blamed steak. a grunting devil. q
wall eyed cusS and u burned dOdo
You bumped him. You hustled him,
You ye'Ai out so that you could be
heard down to the wagon shop that
you'd slam daylight out of him. And
you tried to-. Samuel! You raced him
up and down and back and forth, and
II you hadn't fallen down aud rolled
among the tomato vines you'd have
had the crime of murder on your
hands. You was still sweating and
breathing hard when l got home. and
you said something about having
thrown a tramp over the fence. Sam.
uel! Samuel
A Possible Remedy.
Mrs. Dolby got ready to slide down
on the floor again. but on second
thought she concluded not to. She did
give way to her emotions. however,
and she couldn't have done better If
she had been worked by machinery.
During this interval Mr.. Dolby read
that the world in general was growing
better. that there was more profit in
one acre of catnip than in three acres
Of corn, that the deepest spot in the
Atlantic measured over three miles and
that Senator Foraker as a boy was
kind to cats.
Samuel. for ten long years you
have been a pirate and concealed the
fact from me-" Mrs. Dolby finally man
aged to say.
II have found it out at last. however.
and something must be done. If you
found out that l was Il pirate you'd
feel just as | do. Mrs. Chambers saws
she's gone to bed every night SILVER.
ing for me and woke up every morn
ing expecting to hear that Id been
murdered. | know that my sister will
tell me to get Il divorce as Soon as she
hears about it. You can't blame NE if
l do get one. ri you?"
A faint smile crossed the deaccn's
face. but as Mrs. Dolby wasn't looking
that way he was safe. He turned his
paper over. cracked his toes and left
her to go on:
Il might commit suicide. Samuel, ii
you thought it best. l could hang my.
self to one of those hooks in the gar.
ret and you could find me and tell
everybody that l had been low spirited
for a week. OF course, Mrs. Chambers
would know the real reason. but meb.
be she wouldn't say anything. Mebbe
she'd be willing to give you Il chanc.
to reform. | wonder if it hurts much
to hang yourself:'
The deacon thought 1t did and in
stinctively raised his hand to his throat.
but he made no reply.
The Mrs. Qualifications.
81 presume it does, but the hurt is
o o over, and one is among the angels.
l may commit suicide or l may get d
divorce. My sister would give me a
home for the rest Of my life. Will you
miss me much when l am gone, Sam.
uel?"
The deacon had struck a windmill
advertisement and become deeply inter.
ester. The mill was warranted to go
whether there was any wind or not,
and was worth the price asked merely
for the lows to look at when chewing
their cuds.
Mrs. Chambers says you'd be sure to
marry again ii l got out Of the way"
said Mrs. Dolby as she reached down
for the shears to resume cutting. "Who
would it be. Samuel? Would it be a
wilder or a girl? Would you buy new
paper shades for the parlor winders
and make a great splurge? l
s'pose you would. You'd forget how
hard | worked to make soft soap and
rag carpets and dye my old dresses.
You'd forget that l can make half a
pound Of tea last longer than any 9th.
er oma in the town. It was in the
paper onct that we'd been married
set a loaf Of heavy bread before you
Yes, it was there, but you'd forget all
about 1t. Do you know how long I've
made this pair Of shoes last me, Sam.
uel? Two years and a half, but you
hain't give me a word of praise. If
your new wife wore out a pair in
three months you'd think it was all
right. You hear me, don't your"
He heard. but it seemed useless to re.
ply. He had dropped the windmill and
got hold Of a new %cornsheller that was
doing wonders, and he didn't want to
break in on himself. There came a
long silence punctuated only by ticking
Of the clock, and when he finally turn
ed his eyes on Mrs. Dol it was to
find she had gone to sleep in her chair.
"It's time to go to bed," he said in
reply as he turned to wind the clock.
"Wha-what is it," she asked as he
shook her arm.
Not Vet, but Soon.
Little Jimmy Stiles had been playing