The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-02-19
chance all eyes were equally alive to
the wonder and the beauty.

WHlJStllI DdAIcE Welt as OlJcu dS
she could to the Boynton farm. though
never when Ivory was at home. and
the affection between the younger and
the older woman grew closer and
closer. SO that it almost broke Wait
stills heart to leave the fragile crea-
ture when her presence seemed to
bring such complete peace and joy.
mo n ever chung to me 50 before"
she often thought as she was h%urrying
across the fields after M of her half
hour visits. But the end must come
before long. Ivory does not realize it
vet, nor Rodman. but it seems as If she
could " survive the long winter.
Thanksgiving day is drawing nearer
and nearer, and how little l am able
to do for a single creature to prove to
God that l am grateful for my exist
ence! l could, if only l were free,
make such a merry day for Patty and
Mark and their young friends. Oh,
what joy If father were a man who
would let me set a bOuntiful table in
our great kitchen; would sit at the
head and say grace and we could bow
our heads over the cloth, a united fam
lily, or if l had done my duty in my
home and could 60 to that other, where
l am so needed-.go with my fathers
blessing! All the woman in me is
wasting, wasting. Oh, my dear, lear
man, how l long for him! Oh, my
W dear man. my helpmate. shall l
ever live by his side? l love him. l
want him, | need him. And my dear
little unmothercd, unfathered boy. how
happy | could make him! How l
should love to cOOk and sew for them
all and wrap them in comfort! How l
should love to smooth my dear moth
er's last days, for she is my mother in
spirit. in affection, in desire and in be-
ing IvOry's!'
Waitstill's longing, her discourage
ment. her helplesSness. Overcame her
wholly. and she flung herself down
under a tree in the pasture in a very
passion of SObbing, a luxury in which
she could seldom afford to indulge her
self. The luxury was short lived, for
in five minutes she heard ROdman's
voice, and heard him running to meet
her as he often did when she came to
their house or went away from it, dog
ging her footsteps or Patty's whenever
or wherever he could waylay them.
"Why, my dear, dear Waity, did you
tumble and hurt yourself?" the boy
cried.
Eyes, dreadfully. but I'm better now,
so walk along with me and tell me the
news, Rod"
There isn't much news. Ivory told
you I'd left school and am studying
at home? He helps me evenings and
I'm way ahead Of the class"
mo, Ivory didn't tell me. I haven't
eel him lately"
81 said II the big brother kept school
the little brother ought to keep house."
laughed the boy. He says l can hire
out as a cook pretty soon! Aunt Boyn-
toms most always up to get dinner
and supper, but I can make lots of
things n~ow-things that Aunt Boyn-
ton car eat too"
"Oh, l cannot bear to have you and
Ivory cooking for y~ourselvesw exclaim-
ed Waitstill. the tears starting again
from her eyes. II must come we the
next time when you are at home, Rod.
and l can help you make something
nice for supper"
1--WE get along pretty WE'LL" said
ROdman cOntentedly. II love book
learning like Ivory, and I'm going to
be a schoOlmaster or a preacher when
IvOry's a lawyer. Do you think Pat
ty ID like a schoolmaster or a preach
er best, and do you think I'd be too
young to marry her by and by, if she
would wait for me?"
Il didn't think you had any idea of
marrying Patty" laughed Waitstill
through her tears. lis this something
new?'
Its not exactly new" said Rod,
jumping along like a squirrel in the
path. Nobody could look at Patty
and not think about marrying her.
I'd love to marry you, too. but you're
too big and grand for a boy. Of
course I'm not going to ask Patty yet.
Ivory said once you should never ask
a girl until you can keep her like a
queen. Then after a minute he said:
We'll, maybe not quite like a queen.
Rod, for that would mean longer than
a man could wait. Shall we say un-
til he could keep her like the dearest
lady in the land?' That's the way he
said it. You do cry dreadfully easy
today, Waity. I'm sure you barked
your leg or skinned your knee when
you fell down. Don't you think the
dearest lady in the land is a nice
sounding ~sentence?"
81 do, indeed!" cried Waitstill to
herself as she turned the words over
and over trying to feed her hungry
heart with them.
Il love to hear Ivory talk. It's like
the stories in, the books. We have our
best times in the barn, for I'm help
ing with the milking now. Our vel
low cows name is Molly and the red
COW used to be Dolly, but We changed
her to Golly cause she's so trouble
,ov~o ~