Cut Bank pioneer press. [volume] (Cut Bank, Mont.) 1909-current, 1915-04-02
CHAPTER w.
One Of Them.

One of Them.
ALL but Abraham had slept that
night as II he had been drawn
to rest under the compelling shelter
Of the wings of all that flock which in
happier days he had dubbed contemp-
tuously them air old hens" Never
afterward could the dazed old gentle
man remember how he had been per
suaded to come into the house and up
the stairs with Angelina. He only
knew that in the midst of that heart
breaking farewell at the gate, Miss
Abigail, all out of breath with running,
red in the face, but exceedingly hearty
Of manner, had suddenly appeared.
"Shoo, shoe, shoot" this stout angel
had gasped. "Naow, Cap'n Abe, yew
needn't git We're as harm
less as doves. Run right erlong. Yew
won't see anybody ternight. Don't
say a word. It's all right. SSH!
Shoot" And then, 10! he was not in
the county almshouse, but in a beau
tiful, bright bedchamber with a wreath
of immortelles over the mantel. alone
with Angy.
Afterward, 1t all seemed the blur of
a dream to him, a. dream which ended
when he had found his head upon a
cool, white pillow, and had felt glad,
glad-dear God, how glad!-to know
that Angy was still within reach Of
his o~utstretched hand; and so he had
fallen asleep. But when he awoke
In the morning there stood Angelina
in front of the glass taking her hair
out of curl papers; and then he slowly
began to realize the tremendous
change that had come into their lives,
when his wife committed the unprece-
denied act of taking her crimps out
before breakfast. He realized that
they were to eat among strangers. He
had become the guest of thirty WON
en-folks." No doubt he should be
called "Old Gal -Thirty-one.' He got
up and dressed very, very slowly. The
bewildered gratitude, the incredulous
Thanksgiving of last night, were as far
away as yesterdays sunset. A great
seriousness settled upon Abe's lean
face. At last he burst forth:
One to thirty! Hy-guy, I'm in fer
it," How had it happened, he won.
dered. They had given him no time to
think. They had swooped down upon
him when his brain was dulled with
anguish. Virtually, they had kidnapped
him. Why had they brought him here
to accept charity of a women's insti.
tuition? Why need they thus intensity
his n of shame at his life's fail.
ure, and, above all, at his failure to
provide for Angelina? In the poor.
house he would have been only one
more derelict; but here he stood alone
to be stared at and pitied and thrown
a sickly-satisfying crumb. With q
sigh from the very cellar Of his being
he muttered:
AYE, mother, why didn't yew let
me go on ter the county house? That
airs the place fer a WORKOUT old hull
like me. Hy-guy!" he calculated,
beads Of sweat standing out on his
forehead, "Td ruther lay deown an
die thin face them air women"
Thar, thar" s~oothingly spoke
Angy, laying her hand on his arm,
THAR, thar, father! Jest think haow
dretful I'd feel a-goin' deown without
yer"
$50 you would" strangely comfort,
ed. so you would, my dear!" Fol-
her sake he tried to brighten up. He
Joked clumsily as they stood on the
threshold Of the chamber, whispering
blinking his eyes to make up for the
lack of their usually ready twinkle.
"Hop on a minute; supposin' / fer
git whether l be a man er a woman p
Her love gave inspiration to her an,
swer: I'll lean on yer, Abe"
Just then there came the loud, i'm
perative changing of the breakfast
bell; and she urged him to hurry, az
ut wouldn't dew" for them to be late
the first morning of all times. But he
only answered by going back into the
room to make an anxious survey OF
his reflection in the glass. He SHOOK
his head r~eprovingly at the bearded
countenance, as II to say: You need
not pride yourself any longer on look
ing like Abraham Lincoln, for you
have been turned into a miserable ole
woman"
Picking up the hair-brush, he held
It U at arms length to Angy. '"Won',
yew sick up my hair a leetle bit
motner?' he asked. somewhat shame