The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1918-07-26

cannot enjoy being alife. So man.
iss struggle und slave under terrible
conditions. Und 1T iss largely becaus,
off ignorance. We know not vot We car
do--und We shrink vrom der unknown
Here iss acres by der dousand vret
TO der man vot can Off 1T make use
und dousands vot lifts und dies und
neffer hass a home. Here iss goot
CLEAN air-und In der shmoke und
shmells und dirty streets iss ravage
Of tuberculosis. Der balance iss not
true. Und In der own vay der rich
iss full off droubIe-drunk NIT eggcite.
ment, weary NIT pleasures. Ach, der
woods und mountains und streams
blenty off food, und kindly neighbor
--iss not dot enoQghf Only der abb
normal wants more as dot. Und dink
der drouble iss largely dot der modern,
high-bressure Utilization makes for der
abnormal, vedder man iss a million
aire or works In der brewery, content
ment iss'a state off der mind-und If
der mind works NIT logic 1t will content
find In der simple dings."
1t sounded like pronouncement Of
Bill's. 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 q
benefactOr, kindly in it's 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-and still no word of
BIZ. 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.
Hazel sat up, wide awake, on the in
stant. There was not the slightest
sound. She had been deep In sleep.
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
fear, because In the months Of
living alone fear had utterly forsaken
her; but hope bad leaped so often,
only to fall siekeningly, Shat she was
half persuaded II 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
trac of hardship tugged at her heart
they were forgotten when she saw the
that overshadowed his face.
and unbelief and longing were
all mirrored there. She took 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
and left them lying on the
bearskin before the IRE. and he was
staring down at them like q man fresh
wakened from a dream, unbelieving
and bewildered.
With that she opened the door and
ran to him. he started, as If she had
been a ghost. Then he@pened his arms
and drew her close to him.
'Bill, Bill, what made you 50 long?"
she whispered. II guess 1t served me
right, but 1t seemed a never-ending
time"
tNhat made me so longw he
echoed, bending his rough cheek down
against the warm smoothness Of hers.
Lord. didn't know you wanted me.
I amt no telepathist, hon. You never
peeped one little word since ! left.
How long you been hereT'
"Since last September" She smiled
up at him. Didn't COurvoiseur's man
deliver q message from me to the
mine? Didn't you come In answer to
my note"
"Great Caesars ghost-since Sep
You poor little girl r.
he murmured. "No, II you sent word
to me through Courvoiseur never got
Il. Maybe something happened to his
man. I left the Klappan with the first
snow. Went poking aimlessly over
around the FinIay river with a couple
Of trappers. Couldn't settle down.
Never heard q word from you. I'd
given you up. / just blew In this way
BY sheer accident. Girl, girl, you don't
know how good It Is to see you again,
to have this warm body OF yours cud:
Ixx1 A.