Martinsburg W Va evening journal. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1913-1920, 1918-01-28
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seriousness Of the fact, she underwent
marvellous schooling in adaptation,
self-restraint. She had work Of sort,
tasks such as every housewife finds
self-imposed in her own home. She
was seldom lonely. She narveled at
that. 1t was unique In her expert
| ence All her old dread of the pro-
found silence, the pahless forests
which infolded like prison wall. dis
tances which seemed impossible of
span, had vanished. In its place had
fallen over her an abiding sense OF
| peace, Of security. The lusty storm
winds whistling about the cabin sang
a restfui lullaby. When the wolves
lifted their weird, melancholy plant
| to the cold, star-jeweled skies, she lis
tened without the old shudder. These
things, which We're wont to Cypress
her, to send her imagination reeiing
along morbid ways, seemed but a na-
| tural aspect of life, of which she her
self was a part.
| Often, sitting before her glowing
| fireplace, watching fame kindled
| with her own hands with wood she
herself carried from the pile outside.
she pondered this. 1t defiet her pow
ers of self-analysis. She could only
accept it as fact, and be glad. Gran
vile and all that Granville stood for
had withdrawn to more or less re-
mote background. She could look over
the frost-spangled forests and feel
that she lacked nothing-nothing save
| her mate. There was no impression of
transient abiding; 10 chatting to be
elsewhere, to do otherwise. 1t was
home, she reflected; perhaps that was
why.
A simple routine served to fill her
days.. She kept her house shining, she
cooked her food, carried in her fuel.
Except on days Of fortnight storm
she put on her sn0wshoes, and with
little rifle in the crook of her arm
prowled at random through the woods
partly because it gave her pleasure
to range sturdily afield, partly for the
| physical brace of exertion in the crisp
air. Otherwise she curled comfortably
before the fireplace and sewed, or read
something out Of Bills catholic as
sortraent of boolss-
tt was given her. also, to learn the
true meaning of neighborliness, that
kindness of spirit which is stificd by
stress in the crowded places. and stirn-
ulated by like stress amid surround
ings where life is noncomplex, direct,
IL nth
others heels. Every day. If she failed
to drop into their cabin, came one of
her neighbors to see if all were well
with her.
Quite as a matter of course Jake
Kept steadily replenished for her
great pile of firewood. Or they would
come, babies and all, bundled In furs
of Jake's trapping, jingling up Of an
evening behind the frisky bays. And
while the bays munehed hay In Roar
ing Bill Wagstalf's stable, they would
cluster about the open hearth, popping
corn for the children. talking, always
with cheerful optimism.
Behind Lauer's mild blue eyes Turk
ed mind that burrowed necessarily
to the roots of things. He had lived
and worked and read, and, bordering
It all, he had summed up few of the
verities.
Life, it ISIS giffen US, und We must
off it make der best We cam he said
once to Hazel, fondling a few books
he had borrowed to read at home.
life ISIS goot, yust der lifting OF life. II
only We go not astray alder der WOOL
sh dings--und If der self-brescryaton
struggle wears us not out so dot We
cannot enjoy being alife. So many
ISIS struggle und slave. under terrible
conditions. Und 1t ISIS 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 1t make use
und dousands vot lifts und dies ind
neffer bass a home. Here iss g0ot,
CLEAN air-und in der shmolze und
shmells und dirty streets ISIS 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 und mountains und streams,
blcnty off food, und a kindly neighbor
-iss not dot enough? Only der abb
normal wants more as dot. Und dink
der drouble ISIS largely dot der modern.
high-bressure Civilization makes for der
abnormal, vedder man ISIS million
aire or works in der brewery, content
ment ISIS state off der mind--und II
der mind works nit logic 1t 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
ful, 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 q
benefactor, kindly In its silence, rest
full in its forested peace, n cure for
sickness of soul. Twice now 1t had
rescued her from herself.
November and December went their
appointed way--nnd stIll no word Of
Bill. II now and then her pillow was