The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1916-03-17


breathing siiences of scattered woods.
open fields and the far reaches OF
misty space. as though 1t were In hid
aug from the railroads. mills and high
ways or an age of hurry. Upon It's
Tong, level crest II bore but three CEN
ters OF life and symboI--Maple
mouse, the FRS and Elm house. half
hidden from the road by their distlnc-
i've trees but AS alive as the warm
church.
Inc church was but q symbol--n
mere shell. Within. ii presented the
appearance OF lumber room In dis
use. q playground for rats and 4 ha.
ven for dust. But without all was as
" mad ever been, for the old church
was still beloved Its fresh. white
waits and green shutters aud the asplr-
ing steepie, towering into the blue,
denied neglect and robbed abandon
ment OF its sting.
IN the shadow OF its walls lay an old
graveyard whose oyergrown soil had
long been undlsturbed. Along the
single road which cut the crest OF the
NIL from north 10 south were ruins
OF houses thar once had sheltered the
scattered congregation. But the ruins
We're hard 70 find, for they. too, were
oyergrown by juniper, clematls and a
crowding thlcket OF mountain ash
On these evidences OF death and en-
croachment the old church seemed 10
turn its back as II by right OF its fresh
walls and unbroken steeple Il were
still linked 10 life. Through its small
paned windows II seemed to gaze con-
tentedly across the road at three
houses, widely separated. that half
faced u In diminishing perspective.
The three houses looked toward the
sunrise: the church toward it's de-
cline.
On day In early spring Alan Wayne
was summoned TO Red Hin. Snow still
hung In the creylces OF East Noun
tain. On the hill the ashes, after the
total eclipse of winter, were meekly
donnlng pale green. The elms OF Elm
house, too. were but family outlined IN
verdure. Farther down the road the
naples stretched out bare, black limbs.
Only the frs 10 phalanx, scoffed at
the general spring cleaning and looked
old and sullen In consequence.
The colts. driven Dy Alan Wayne.
flashed over the brlm OF Red Hin on TO
the level top. coachman Joe's jaw
was hanging In awe and 40 had hung
since Mr.. Alan had taken the relns,
For the tirst time In their i've years
Of equal life the colts had felt the
cut OF whip, not In anger but as n
reproDf for breaking. Coachman Joe
had brnced himself for the bolt. his
hands itching to snatch the reIns But
there had been no boiling, only sud
len settling down 70 business.
For the frst time In their lives the |
colts were being pushed, steadily. !
evenly. almost--but never quite-to
the breaking point. Twice in the long |
drive Joe gathered up his Jaw and |
turned his head preparing spoken
tribute to a master hand But there
was no speaking to Mr.. Alan's face. At |
that moment Joe was a part OF the
seat to Mr.. Alan. ana. being coach
man OF long standing In the family, he
knew 1t.
Couldn't OF got here quicker IL he'd
let 'em bolt said he. In subsequent
description 20 the stable hand aud the
cook. He snatched up a pail OF water
aud poured II steadily on the ground.
"Jest like that He knew what was
IN the colts the minute he laid hands
on 'em, and when he pulls 'em up AZ
the barn door there wasn't drop left
In their buckets. was there, Arthur,
Nary drop" said Arthur. stable
hand
And his face" continued the coach.
man. Most times Mr.. Alan has no
eyes to speak Of. but today ana that
time Miss Nance struck him with the
hatpin--'member. cook g---his eyes
spread like fire and eat up his face.
This Is black day for the Hin. Some.
thin's going to happen. You mark
me"
In truth Mr.. Alan Wayne had been
summoned IN no equiyocal terms and,
for all his haste. II was with nervous
step he approached the house.
Maple house sheltered mixed
brood. J. Y. Wayne. seconded by Mrs.
j. T., was the head OF the family.
Their daughter. Nance Sterling. aud
her babies represented the direct line.
but the orphans. Alan Wayne and
clematis McAlpln. were on an equal
footing as children OF the house. Alan
was the only child Of ]. Y's dead
brother. Clematis was also OF Wayne
blood. but so intricately removed that
her exact relation to the rest OF the
tribe was never figured out twice to
the same conclusion. Old Captain
Wayne. retired from the regular army.
was an uncle IN a different degree tc
every generation OF Wayne. He was
the only man on Red Hill who dared
call for whisky and soda when he
wanted 1t.