The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1913-06-27

DaCk. lou can TURN III anu cut WOOO
till supper time"
Jonas went to the house and called
Sarah out to the woodpile and told
her what her father said.
why, he's meaner than pizeni" ex-
Chained the girl.
But we can't do nothin'."
"Yes, we can. We can elopel"
Gosh, but he'd foller u.s."
"Then we can walk over to 'Squar'
Johnson's this evening"
"But what we goin' to do about that
awful debt?"
"It haint no debt Father couldn't
collect cent If he sued you a hun
dred times over"
He's hard man, Sarah. You orter
seen him sot his jaw when we was
talkin'."
But can't you sot yours? Jonas
Swift, you don't seem to have no
more grit than grasshopper
guess l don't want to marry any such
mani"
With that Sarah Jane turned and
flounced into the house to be asked by
her mother:
What you and Jonas all excited
over?"
"Nothin'."
Don't answer me that wayl Some
thin has happened What is it?"
Fathers a fool" snapped the girl.
What"
And Jonas's fool"
What! What!"
And I'm a-a-"
"And you'll call me a fool next
thing!"
"Y-yes!"
Then take that! You are not too
old to be licked, and when ask a
question | want it answered"
Sarah Jane whirled about and few
upstairs to her room. She was called
and called, but she made no answer.
Her first impulse was to set the house
afire; her next was to go down and
brain Jonas; her third was to write
some sad verses to be left behind to
make folks feel all cut up. In the end
she climbed out of her window I'M the
dusk Of the evening and slid to the
ground Her father had come up
from the field, and Sarah lodged him
and Jonas and took refuge in the
granary of the barn.
1t seemed to the girl that there
were forty things to be mad about and
to sulk over. She sat down on the
floor in a corner of the little dark
room and tried to plan. 1t was hard
to find a way out of her troubles. She
was ready to defy her father, and
she didn't so much mind the box on
the ear, but there was Jonas He had
been scared stiff. She felt like pound
ing him with club.
1t was when husband, wife and
hired man sat down to supper that
Sarah Jane had a crying spell all by
her lonesome. Not quite, however.
She had score of rats and mice for
company and sympathizers. She was
still weeping when she heard the men
folks come out after supper. Two
minutes later something happened to
burn-up her tears. Some one enter
ed the barn with soft footsteps. 1t
wasn't her father, and 1t wasn't Jonas.
Who, then. could 1t be?
1t was almost pitch-darK in the
barn, and the man had to feel his
way. 1t was the fact that most farm
barns are constructed after the same
plans that enabled the stranger to
head for the granary. He got down
on his hands and knees, but the girl
could follow his approach every foot.
1t could be no tramp, or he would
have sought the haymow He came
along almost inch by inch, and when
he had gained the granary he rose up
and lifted the cover of the oat-bin and
left something inside. Then he stood
listening. Sarah Jane held her
breath for ten seconds and then ut
tered a scream that jumped him a
foot high.
The intruder ran for the door. and
was just in, time to meet Jonas out
side. The hired man didn't waste
time wondering where he was at, He
reached out-and seized the other, and
they went rolling over the ground,
The farmer came up, and his wife
came out, and Sarah Jane found her
way to the door and kept up a-scream.
ing; but Jonas had the fight all to
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