Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1918-04-11

sufficient reason" he returned. that
you can't pack q stove on q hOrse-and |
we're three hundred odd miles from |
the end of any wagon road With
Dutch oven or two-that heavy, round |
iron thing you see there-I can guar
antee to cook almost anything you can
cook on a stove. Anybody can II they
know how. Besides. like things bet
ter this way. II didn't, 1 suppose
I'd have a stove-and maybe hot-wa-
ter supply. and modern plumbing. As
1t Is. 1t affords me a sort of prfdeful
satisfaction, which you may or may
not be able to understand. that this
cabin and everything in it is the work
of my hands-or stun Eve packed In
here with all sorts of effort from the
outside Maybe I'm freak. But I'm
proud Of this place. Barring the In
evitable lonesomeness that comes now
and then. can be happier here than
any place I've ever struck yet. This
country grows on one"
| "Yes-on ones nerves." Hazel re-
| torted.
Bill smiled. and, rising, began to clear
away the dishes. Hazel resisted an inn
pulse to help. She would not work;
she would not lift her finger to any
task, she reminded herself. He had
put her in her present position, and he
could wait on her. So she rested an
elbow ON the table and watched him.
In the midst OF his work he stopped
suddenly.
There's oceans of time to do this"
he observed. I'm just a wee bit
tired. If anybody should ask you Let's
fcamp In the other room. It's heap
more comfy"
He put more wood on the kitchen
fire. and set a pot of water to heat.
; Out In the living room Hazel drew her
chair to one side of the hearth. Bill
sprawled on the bearskin robe with an
other cigarette in his fingers.
"No," he began. after a long silence.
"this country doesn't get on ones
> nerves-not IL one is a normal human
: being. You'll find that. When I first
, came up here I thought SO, too; 1t
seemed so big and empty and forbid
ding. But the more see Of 1t the bet
. ter IT compares with the outer world
where the extremes of luxury and want
. are always In evidence. 1t began to
. seem like home to me when I first
, looked down into this little basin.
> had a partner then. I said to him
Here's a dandy. fine place to winter.
| So we wintered-in log shack sixteer
!, foot square that Silk and Satin ane
: Niger have for a stable now. WheI
= summer came my partner wanted tt
move on, so I stayed-stayed and be
gan to build for the next winter. Ant
I've been working at 1t ever since
making little things like chairs ant
tables and shelves. and fixing up gam
heads whenever I got an extra goo'
one. And maybe two or three times I
year I'd go out. Got restless, yo'
know. I'm not really a hermit by ma
ture. Lord. the things I've packed il
here from the outsideI Books-I hire,
a whole pack train at Ashcroft once t
bring in Just books; they thought
was crazy. guess. I've quit this plac
once or twice, but always come back
It's got that home feeling that I can
find anywhere else. Only it has alway
lacked one important home qualities
tfon,' he finished softly. "Do you eve
| build air castlesw
"No," Hazel answered untruthfully
uneasy at the trend of his talk. Sh
was learning that Bill Wagstaff, 70
all his gentleness and patience wit
her. was a persistent mortal.
swell, do" he continued, unpel
turbed 'Tots of 'em. But mostl
a
woman-because I never saw one tina
ID seemed to fit in until ran across you.
sMr. Wagstan." Hazel pleaded
won't you please stop talking lfk
', that? It fsn't-it isn't
- isn't proper. suppose" Bill SUI
piled dryly, "Now. that's merely a
error, and fundamental error on you
part, little person Our emotion an
!. instincts are perfectly proper when 20
. get down to fundamentals. You've &c
an artificial standard to Judge b,
We that's all And don't suppose 70
4, have the least idea how many lives al
spoiled one way and another by tn
e Operation of those same artificial stant
er ards in this little old world Now.
x may seem to you a 1awless. unprii
a. cipled individual indeed. because Py
IN acted contrary to your idea of the a.
le cepted order of things. But here's N
20 side Of it: I'm in search Of happines
We all are I have a few ideals-an
Id very few illusions. don't quite beliey
Id in this thing called love at first sigh
ly That presupposes a volatility of EN-
tx ton that people OF any strength
er character are not likely to indulge Il
ne But-for instance, a man can have
n very definite ideal Of the kind of Won
a an he would like for a mate, the kin
a OF woman he could be happy with an