The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1918-04-19

or T0ur thousand dollars, and while II
lasts wen be a couple Of-of high
class tramps. Huh? Does 1t sound
good?"
She nodded vigorously.
"Perk up, then" he wheedled.
"Bill-boy," she murmured, "you
mustn't take me too seriously"
II took you for better or for worse"
he answered, with a kiss. II don't
want 1t to turn out worse. I want You
to be contented and happy here, where
I've planned to make our home. l
know you love me quite a lot, little
person. Nature fitted us in a good
many ways to be mates. But you've
gone through a pretty drastic siege Of
isolation in this rather grim country,
and / guess 1t doesn't seem such al
alluring place as It did at first. i
don't want you to nurse that feeling
until it becomes chronic. Then we
would be out Of tune, and 1t would be
good-by happiness. But l think ] know
the cure for your malady."
In the morning he began his hay
cutting. About eleven o'clock he threw
down his scythe and stalked to the
house.
"Put on your hat, and let's go inves-
tigate a mystery" said he. II heard
a COW bawl In the woods a minute
ago. A regular barnyard below"
"A COW bawling?" she echoed.
"Sure7 What would cattle be doing
away up heref"
THAT'S what I want to knowT" BIZ
laughed. "Tve pever seer a COW north
of Fraser-not this side Of the Rockies,
anyway"
They saddled their horses, and rode
out in the direction from whence had
arisen the bovine complaint. The
sound was not repeated, and Hazel
had begun to chaff Bill about a too
vivid imagination when within a half
mile of the clearing he pulled his horse
up short In the middle Of q little
meadow.
Look r.
The track Of a broad-tired wagon
had freshly crushed the thick grass.
Bill sQuinted at the trail, then his
gaze swept the timber beyond.
Somebody has been cutting timber
over there" he enlightened. II can
see the fresh ak work. Looks like
they'd been hauling poles. Let's fol-
low this track a ways"
The tiny meadow was fringed on
the north by a grove of poplars. Be-
yond that lay another clear space Of
level land, perhaps forty acres in ex-
tent. They broke through the belt Of
poplars-and pulled up again. On one
side Of the meadow stood a cabin, the
fresh-peeled log walls glaring yellow
In the sun. and lifting an earth-covered
roof to the autumn sky. Bill whistled
softly.
Along the west side of the meadow
ran a brown streak Of sod, and down
one side of this a man guided the ham
dies Of a pillow drawn by the strangest
yokemates Hazel's eyes had e for
many q day.
"For goodness sakeI" she ex-
claimed.
"That's the true pioneer spirit for
you" Bill spoke absently. "He has
bucked his way into the heart Of a
virgin country, and he's breaking sod
with a mule and a COW. That's adap-
tation to environment with a venge-
ance-and grit"
there's b woman, too, Bill. And
see-she's carrying a babyf" Hazel
pointed excitedly. "Oh, Bill"
The man halted his strangely assert
ed team to watch them come. The
woman stood a step outside the door,
a baby in her arms. another toddler
holding fast to her skirt. A thick
bodied, short, sQuare-shouldered mar
was this newcomer, with a round,
pleasant face.
"Hello, neighbor |" Bill greeted.
The plowman lifted his old felt hat
c~ourteously. His face lit up.
"Achl" said he. "Neighbor. Dot
iss a goot word in diss country we're
dere iss no neighbor. But 1 am glat
to meet you. VIII you come do der
house und rest a vIle2"
"Surel" Bill responded. 'But we're
neighbors, all right. Did you notice
G cabin about half a mile west of
here? That's our place-when we're
at home.s
"So" The word escaped with the
peculiar rising infection Of the Teu-
ton. 81 half saw dot cabin ven We
come here. But / dlnk it vass aban-
don. Veil, let US to der house go.
Id viii rest der mule-und Gretchen,
der COW. HahI"
He rolled a blue eye on his incon-
gruous team. and grinned widely.
"Come." he invited; mime wife be
glat."
They found her q matron of thirty
odd; fresh-cheeked. round-faced like
her husband, typically German. with.
out his accent Of the Fatherland. Ha-
eel at once appropriated the baby. 1t
lay peacefully In her arms. staring
wide-eyed, making soft. gurgly sounds.
'The little deart" Hazel muir
INJURED.
"Tauer, our name ISIS the man said
casually, when they were seated.
"Wagstaf. mine is Bill completed
the informal Introduction.