The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1915-12-09

side, and rush bottomed chairs com.
pleted the furnishings.
A small cuddy hole housed the at.
torney and his wife. His mother, an
ancient, cronelike woman Of withered,
leathery face, and all her brood Of
grandchildren, slept in two beds in
the large, murky room, which also
accommodated dining table, cook
stove, and pantry accessories.
One saw a profusion Of firearms,
and, unlike the makeshift of less i'm
portant things, these were modern
and effective. Before lamp lighting
came the barring Of heavy shutters.
and as time passed we grew accus-
toned to other evidences Of that eau.
ton which was daily routine With
these people living in a practical
stage of siege.
W. we're fed, in relays. by the flick
ering light of a coal oil lamp. TIE
women declined to partake of food un-
til we were through, and busted them
selves necessarily between stove and
table. As we withdrew to the dralty
room which was our for sleeping,
but common ground until bedtime,
the retaincrs shuffled in for supper.
We were not q merry party rs we
huddled in a semicircle around .hv
hearth, where the blaze burned our
faces while the gusty air chilled our
backs. Weighborne and Marcus 1T.
gued e an open copy Of Kentucky
Reports. The old woman, with a face
shriveled like that Of an aged mon-
key, crouched in her chair and sucked
with toothless gums at a clay pipe.
When an. hour had thawed tic ahy.
ness Of the mountainfolk into general
conversation, and I had been forced
to tell many travellers tales, Marcus
rose and, with E rough tenderness.
wrapped q shawl around the shivering
shoulders Of the old woman.
my mother" he said, with no note
Of apology, has never been to Louis
WIG VI I1dNC1Ou I'll . A0I4AO0u SIUAAXs
She is afraid Of accidents" He turned
and shouted into her deaf EAR: "Mca!l-
or. Mr.. Deprayne here has crossed the
ocean. He's been to the Holy Land"
The old woman lifted her wrinkloA
ayes and gazed at me in wonderment.
well, Prov-i-dence!" she exclaimed.
It was her single contribution to tho
evenings conversation.
Once a dog barked, and with silent
promptness two or three of the young.
er men melted out into the night to
reconnoiter.
The visitor proved to be only a
neighbor seeking to borrow some farm
implement, and he announced himself
from afar with proper assurance that
he came as a friend. We heard his
voice drawing nearer and shout ,g:
TITS me. Pm comm in"
The two hours between early sup
per and early bedtime dragged along
tediously. The old woman dozed, and
two of the retainers sang to the &C.
VII vi 'iS \otSOSS
strange songs, half folklore, in weird,
nasal voices hat rose high and shrill.
This singing was without musical
effect, for the mountaineer alters his
voice in song, and unconsciously
adopts the tradition of the Chinese
stage, achieving a thin falsetto. It
was a relief when the men climbed
their ladder and our host babe u good
night.
Early morning found me awake, but
already some n had Hospitality kim
died our fire: and when we went out
onto the porch, where a tin basin AMI
gourd dipper supplied the only bath.
ing facilities, a small tow-headed hoy
was there before us with hot water
in a saucepan. The mountaineer is
averse to cold water and sparing with
hot. It was presumed that We shared
this prejudice.
Frost still hung thick on the stub.
BILE, and the mists fingered in the val
leys when we climbed into our sad
dies and trailed out to inspect me Of
the tracts in which we were interest.
ed.
was not a happy man nor one bear
ing a blithe spirit, for my " dis
coveries crowded too closely and
heavily on my heart to be l%igbtened
by the mere novelty of fresh sur
roundings. Yet, even in my Swallowed
state Of mind, I could not help drink
ing in the %splendidly unpclluted air
with deep breaths that made my lungs
feel new.
From frost-rimmed earth to inGr ity
It seemed to stretch in clean and Al.
tered clarity The mountains we're no
longer ragged piles of chocolate and
slate. The fresh vigor Of morning
had folded them in the softsring dyes
of a dozen colors.
Distance merged the leafless trees
into veil-like masses of dove browns
and grays where shadows Of violet