The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-11-28

comes had blown over. Il guess youTl
have 70 take hold OF Jacks job. These
poor cowboys almost worship a wo-
mans shadow. And then the settlers
homes-they have t be awfuIly neg.
lected. can't 60 with Jackie very
often on account Of the babies. He'll
get you a good pony and turn you
loose on them. and. my, oh. the good
you'll do them! A special providence.
I call IT."
Mae Maude smiled AZ the immediate
past rushed before her minds eye" A
queer kind Of providence. she thought
But she fell into line and was soon gal
looping over plain aud prairie. q full
sized benediction In the settlers homes
and the backbone Of the nearest school.
house Sunday school. to which the cOw-
boys focked for miles around for "a
good look at the new super. just on
from the east"
One Sabbath Mrs. Agnes crimsoned
to the roots of her hair with the ter
rible publicity" Of telling the Sunday
school folks about the bee" they were
going to have. to put up . lean-to. with
q porch for vines. to give the new 81.
p%erintendent a living room. and would
they all conner And. those who hadn't
any women folks of their own to bring
to help get the big dinner and supper
might bring somebody else's. and Mr..
Duncan was over on Forty Mile run or
he'd give It out. but they'd all come
Just the same and have . mighty good
time putting up the new Sunday
school lady's lean-to.
When Mae Maude climbed up on the
rear car Of the express. after throw
Ing her old shawl and her boys hat
into the river that bleak November
night Of the baby's funeral. she was
sure she could never laugh again. But
when Mrs.. Agnes told Jack the next
day about her announcement Of the
'rbee' Mae Maude had to put the frills
on the story. Jack Duncan caught his
wee, plump wife in bis arms. with q
baby or two thrown In for good meas
ure. their squeals Of merriment &C
companying his full throated American
laugh. their heels kicking his broad
chest gleefully. while the second edi.
tion Of Melville Tremaine squeezed bis
mothers neck. shouting mildly: I'VE
don't have to preach, momsy and me.
We'm goin' to farm itr'
Then all Joined. big and little. in the
chorus Of laughter. and there came
near being a riot Of hugs and kisses.
Mae Maude. with the help Of the
second generation Of Duncans and her
correspondence with the back to the
coil" wise men of Washington. made
the manse ten acre lot bud and bios
som AZ the rose. Many q good hint did
she give the settlers and their wives
that made her word on farming 1t"
take the place Of their ''rule Of thumb"
methods.
Dan Wetherell. q thoroughgoing
young ranchman. With his eye on the
legislature. noticed her neat, trim ap
pearance while she took notes In the
"lecture car" and increased the fire.
Quency Of his visits at the manse.
One day be quizzed Mrs. Agnes about
her friends widowho0d. quite shock
ing her by asking her II 1t were sod
or grass"
Mae Maude heard only the word
widow" but It sent the ''creeps" up
and down her spine. After that Dan
Wetherell might as well have tried to
win one of Grenfels Labrador peaks.
She kept tab on the home folks
through the Duncans. ven to the mys-
~terious disappearance of Melville Ire
maine Dol after her own. Every.
body had given him up for dead: but.
woman fashion. she held stubbornly
the hope that she would see him again
her very own-the noble fellow that
he was when she irst knew him. Hav-
ing been through the ordeal herself
and knowing how they always thought
along the same lines when be was him.
self. she looked for him to come to her
permanently redeemed.
One evening a day or two before
Thanksgiving John Duncan came home
from q two weeks trip. He was silent
and absentminded. though the small
house was fairly tipsy with merriment.
Agnes usual expedient Of putting the
baby in his arms was q dat failure. It
came lear breaking the child's neck.
for he set 1t down on the door. its long
clothes wadded about it, useless feet,
and when it was tumbling ove or its
small o be took it. this way and
that, a. he would have done q bag Of
grain to make It stand on end.
Mrs. Agnes sprang to the rescue.
"For mercy's sake. Jack"
He came to the surface long enough
to beg the baby's pardon and stop with
I big. brushy kiss its issue Of protest
ing notes. Come. Aggy. let's 60 and
Iron That Does Not Rust.
1t costs the owners Of steel ships
millions Of dollars annually to pro
tect their vessels from excessive rust