Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1918-07-04

I cannot enjoy being alife. So many
| iss struggle und slave under terrible
conditions. Und it iss largely because
| off ignorance. We know not vot We can
do-und We shrink vrom der unknown.
Here ISIS acres by der dousand vree
! to der man vot can off it make use
| und dousands vot lifts und dies und
neffer hass a home. Here ISIS goot,
CLEAN air-und in der shmoke und
shmells und dirty streets iss a ravage
of tuberculosis. Der balance ISIS not
true. Und in der own way der rich
ISIS full off drouble-drunk NIT eggcite-
| ment, weary NIT pleasures. Ach, der
woods ind mountains und streams,
blenty off food, und kindly neighbor
ISIS not dot enough? Only der abb
normal wants more as dot. Und dink
der drouble ISIS largely dot der modern,
high-bressure Utilization makes for der
abnormal, Nvedder a man iss a million
aire or works in der brewery, content
der mind works NIT logic it will content
find in der simple dings."
1t sounded like pronouncement Of
Bills. But Lauer did not often grow
serious. Mostly he was jovially cheer
full. and his wife likewise. The North
had emancipated them, and they were
loyal to the source of their deliver
ance. And Hazel understood, because
she herself had found the wild land a
benefactor, kindly in its silence, rest
full in it's forested peace, a cure for
sickness of soul. Twice now it had
rescued her from herself.
November and December went their
appointed way-End still no word of
Bill. If now and then her pillow was
wet she struggled nightly against de-
preston. She was not lonely in the
dire significance of the word-but she
longed passionately for him. And
she held fast to her faith that he
would come.
The last of the old year she went
little abroad, ventured seldom beyond
the clearing. And on New Years eve
Jake Lauer's wife came to the cabin
to stay.
Ns
Hazel sat up, wide awake, on the in
slant. There was not the slightest
sound. She had been deep in sleep.
Nevertheless she felt, rather than
knew, that some one was in the living
room. Perhaps the sound of the door
opening had filtered through her slum-
Der. She hesitated an instant, not
through fear, because in the months of
living alone fear had utterly forsaken
her; but hope had leaped so often,
only to fall sickeningly, that she was
half persuaded it must be a dream.
Still the impression strengthened. She
slipped out of bed. The door of the
bedroom stood slightly ajar.-
Bill stood before the fireplace, his
shaggy fur cap pushed far back on his
head, his gauntlets swinging from the
cord about his neck. She had left
great bed of Goals on the hearth, and
the glow shone redly on his frost-scab-
bed face. But the marks of bitter trail
bucking, the marks of froStbite, the
stubby beard, the tiny icicles that still
clustered ON his eyebrows; while these
traces of hardship tugged at her heart
they were forgotten when she saw the
expression that overshadowed his face.
Wonder and unbelief and longing were
all mirrored there. She took a shy
step forward to see what riveted his
gaze. And despite the choking SEN
sation in her throat she smiled-for
she had taken off her little, beaded
moccasins and left them lying on the
bearskin before the fire, and he was
starring GOWN at IQeln ike d Iuau 1IeSn-
wakened from a dream, unbeieving
and bewildered.
With that she opened the door and
ran to him. He started, as if she had
been a ghost. Then he opened his arms
and drew her close to him.
bill, Bill, what made you so long?"
she whispered. 81 guess it served me
right, but it seemed a never-ending
time"
what made me so long?" he
echoed, bending his rough cheek down
against the warm smoothness of hers.
Lord. 1 didn't know you wanted me-
L amt no telepathist, hon. You never
peeped one little word since I left.
How long you been here?"
"Since last September" She smiled
up at him. Didn't Courvoiseur's man
deliver a message from me to the
mine? Didn't you come in answer to
my note?"
"Great Caesars ghost-since Sep
tember-alone! You poor little girl -
he murmured. mo, if you sent word
to me through Courvoiseur I never got
it. Maybe something happened to his
man. left the Klappan with the first
snow. Went poking aimlessly over
around the Ffnlay river with couple
of trappers. Couldn't settle down.
Never heard a word from you. I'd
given you up. I just blew in this way
by sheer accident. Girl, girl, you don't
know how good it is to see you again,
70 IN xy<, <,f Il