The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-14
Copyright. lsls.)

first married rancher in the coun-
try-that is, new married, for the
old timers, that come with their
wives, had pardners as square and
reliable as any man. Jimmy was
the first to import a wife, and OF
course. l had to 60 work for him,
out of curiosity.
Amelia, the aforesaid wife. was
one of these here soulful, sympa-
thetic women-the kind that had
rather look. sad than work, any
time. At first you'd think she took
the whole earth to her bosom, but
when you got on to her game, you
could see that first, last, and mid
ding, right, left, up, down, side
ways North, South, East, West.
inside and outside, she sympathized
with Amelia. l have seen tears of
compassion start to her eyes from
the sight of a doodle-bug squashed
under the cruel foot of man, but |
never see any feelings of any kind
on her face at the sight of man
who had to suffer under Amelia S
cookery. She could waste a whole
day mourning over the state of
widder-women in India, but she
had not ten seconds to-spare for
the Art of Flap-jack making for a
bunch of American bachelors.
Jim stuck to his bargain man
full, but she used to have him wild
about the eyes at times. There
was a mean streak in her: she'd
land on his pet sore spot, not scrap
ping, but so gentle and so sympa-
thetic that you'd hardly suspect
that she was rubbing salt and pep
per into the cut.
Jim knew a lot of Amelia's back
east relations and he had no earth
ly use for them. As a matter OF
fact, Amelia wasn't a spring.
chicken, and that bunch was mighty
glad to see her gather a man that
could take care of her, and lift the
expense off their hands, but they
weren't men enough nor women
enough to use him decent when he
come to get spliced. They tried to
show they were doing him a great
favor in speaking to him at all. So
Jim had a little hand-to-hand talk
with Amelia before the ceremony,
and gave her to understand he was
marrying into her family at the rate
of one at a time. She agreed, of
course, as Jim was the last hope,
but she didn't live up to the agree
ment.
Well. Amelia got to bowling for
a sight of her dear Aunt Johanna,
and Jim threw an Apache fit at
first, for even Amelia other rela-
tives gave Aunt Johanna the toni
tom. He argued and he talked de-
cent: he cussed ard he fu1ned: he
even went so far as to beg, but
Amelia, seeing she had him on the
run, Just looked like an early Chris
tian martyr and stuck to the job,
until Jim says to me one day:
Il pass it up, Red. I've sent
word for the old lady to come.
She can't add anything to the trou-
BILE here, that's a cinch. | might
as we'll have two of 'em as one.
Mebbe it will be a diversion"
So here comes Aunt Johanna.
1t was a nice morning ! went to
meet her, with the babies fit and !
keen for the forty miles to the
railroad. Besides, the road was
good, and I'd sneaked out and
cooked Jim and me a bit of break
fast, behind the colt pens. where
Amelia couldn't see us. So with
beltfull. a good breeze. and good
road, looked at things from
warm point of view, and l says to
myself, the very fact that the rest
of the bunch knock the old lady
NAV prove she amt so bad. You
couldn't get better praise than the
curses of some folks. And besides,
with d hundred mile view scattered
around you, you can't stay hopeless
long.
| pulled up alongside the plat
form just as the engine come hiss
ing and roaring in, shaking the
solid earth beneath her. She looks
good to you once in awhile, the
engine does.
Well, here comes an elderly stout
party, and looks about her, brisk
and sure. When her eye lit on me
she stared for a minute, and then
poked at me with her green UNI
berer.
Hey there, sonny! Are you the
young man they sent to meet me"
"Yessum," says l. Twas a long
time since any one had called me
sonny"
well then" says she, "let's get /;
a hustle on! Say!" to Pete in the
freight room. Get them trunks
along, young man, we want to
novel, il
Then she sat down on a box and
pulled two big red apples from her /