Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-12-14

lie says ne wishes ne cOul0, OUT ne
don't know where the moneys coming
FROM"
How much g it goin' to takeT" asked
Marthy heavily.
"Oh, piles" Billy Louise spoke airily
to hide her pride in the Importance of
the subject. Fifty dollars, l guess.
I've got to have some new clothes,
mommie says. I'd like a blue Dress"
"And your paw can't raise fifty dol
lars" Marthy's tone was plainly bel
ligerent.
Got to pay interest" said Billy Lou
Use Importantly.
Marthy said not another word about
debts or the duties Of parents. What
she did was more to the point, how
ever, for she hitched the mules to a
rattly old blackboard next day and
drove over to the Macdonald ranch on
the Wolverine. She carried $50 in her
pocket, and that was practically all
the money Marthy possessed and had
been saved for the debts that harassed
her. She gave the money to Billy Lou
ise's mother and said that it was a
present for Billy Louise and meant for
school money" She said that she
hadn't any girl of her own to spend
the money on and that Billy Louise
was a good girl and a smart girl, and
she wanted to do a little something to-
ward her schooling.
A woman will sacrifice more pride
than you would believe If she sees a
way toward helping her children to an
education. Mrs. Macdonald took the
money, and she promised secrecy-with
a feeling of relief that Marthy wished
it. She was astonished to find that
Marthy had any feelings not directly
connected with work or the shortcom-
ings of Jase, but she never suspected
that Marthy had made any sacrifice for
Billy Louise.
So Billy Louise went away to school
and never knew whose money had
made it possible to go, and Marthy
worked harder and drove Jase more
relentlessly to make up that $50. She
never mentioned the matter to any one.
The next year it was the same. When
in August she questioned Billy Louise
clumsily upon the subject of finances
and learned that daddy still talked
about debts and interest and didn't
know where the money was coming
from she drove over again with money
for the schooling. And again she ex-
tracted a promise of silence.
She did this for four years, and not a
soul knew that 1t cost her anything in
the way of extra work and extra
harassment of mind. She bought more
cattle and cut more hay and went deep
er into debt, for as Billy Louise grew
older and prettier and more accustom-
ed to the ways of town she needed
more money, and the August gift grew
proportionately larger. The mother
was thankful beyond the point of ques-
tioning. An August without Marthy
and Marthy's gift of money would have
been a tragedy, and so selfish is mother
love sometimes that she would have
accepted the gift eve If she had known
what it cost the giver.
At eighteen, then, Billy Louise knew
some things not taught by the wide
plains and the wild hills around her.
She was not spoiled by her little learn
ing, which was a good thing. And
when her father died tragieally be-
meath an overturned load of poles from
the mountain at the head Of the can
yon Billy Louise came home. The Billy
of her tried to take his place and the
Louise of her attempted to take care
of her mother, who was untitled both
by. nature and habit to take care of her.
self. Which was, after all, a rather
big thing for any one to attempt.
Jase began to complain of having
"alI gone" feelings during the winter
after Billy Louise came home and took
up the whole burden of the Wolverine
ranch. He complained to Billy Louise
when she rode over one clear, sunny
day in January. He said that he was
getting old, which vas perfectly true,
and that he was not as ablebodied as
he might be and didn't expect to last
much longer. Billy Louise spoke of it
to Marthy, and Marthy snorted.
Hes ablebodied enough at meal
times, 1 notice." she retorted. I've
heard that tune ever since I knowed
him. He can't fool mel'
Jase m~aundered in at that moment,
and Marthy turned and glared at Jase
with what Billy Louise considered a
perfectly uncalled for animosity. In
reality, Marthy was ~covertly looking
for visible symptoms of the all-gone-
ness. She shut her harsh lips together
tightly at what she saw. Jase certain
ly was puffy under his watery, pink
trimmed eyes, and the withered cheeks
above his thin grazing beard really did
have a pasty gray look.
"D'you turn them calves out into the
corral?' she demanded, her voice hard
er because of her secret uneasiness.
81 was goin' to, but the winds
changed into the north, n I thought
mebby you wouldn't want 'em out"
Jase turned back aimlessly to the door.