Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1919-06-12
hours. could tale =. easy msA A.
seven o'clock the marc and I started

seven O'CLOCK the marc ana started
again. well fed and eager to 10 on.
It was Sumner morning that short
ems the road-even that Of the youns
lover. Its air was sweet with the
breath Of the meadows. The daisies
and the clover and the cornflower,
and the wild roses seemed to be wav.
Ing q welcome to me, and the thorn
trees-shapely ornament Of my native
hills-were In blossom. A cloud Of
pigeons swept across the blue deep
above my head. The great choir Of
the fields sang to me-bobolinks, song.
sparEPws. meadowlarks. blueblrds.
warblers. wrens. aud far away in the
edge Of spruce thicket I heard the
flute of the white-throated sparrow.
I bathed ut brook In the WOO 10
and put on clean silk shirt and lie
out of my saddlebags. I rode slowly
then to the edge of the village of Can.
ton and turned ut the bridge and took
the river road, although had time to
spare. How my heart was beating "A
I neared the familiar scene! Ths
river slowed its pace there, like a dis.
corning traveller. to enjoy the beauty
OF Its shores. Smooth and silent was
the water and in 1t were the blue Of
the sky and the feathery shadow-spires
OF cedar and tamarack and the reflect
ed blossoms Of iris and meadow rue.
1t was a lovely scene.
There was the pine, but where was
my lady? I dismounted and tied my
mare and looked at my watch. It
lacked twenty minutes to eleven. She
would GOMEZ had no doubt Of 1t, !
washed my hands and face and neck
In the cool water. Suddenly heard
q voice I knew singing: Barney
Leave the Girls Alone" turned and
saviour mother, my son. (These
last lines were dictated to his son.)
She was in the stern of a birch canoe,
all dressed in white with roses in her
hair. raised my hat and she threw
. kiss at me. Old Kate sat in the bow
waving her handkerchief. They
stopped and Sally asked. In q tone of
playful seriousness:
"Young man. why have you come
here?"
ITO get you," answered.
what do you want of me?" She
was looking at her face in the water.
II want to marry you," answered
bravely.
"Then you may help me ashore If
you please. I am in my best. white
slippers and you are to be very care.
full"
Beautiful She was the spirit of
the fields of June then and always.
! helped her ashore and held her In
my arms and. you know. the lips have
q way of speaking then In tho old, con.
vinclng, final argument Of lo.n. They
left no doubt in our hearts, my son.
"When do you wish to marry met"
she whispered.
"As soon us possible, but my pay Ii
only sixty dollars month now"
1--WE shall make it do" she an.
swered. "My mother and father and
your aunt and uncle and the Jackets
and the minister and aumber of our
friends are coming In a feet Of boats"
eve are prepared either for picnic
or wedding" was the whisper Of
Kate.
Lets make it BOTH" proposed to
Sally.
"Surely there couldn't be better
place than here under the big pine
it's so smooth and soft and shady"
said she.
"Nor could there be a better day or
better company" urged. for was
not sure that she would agree.
The boats came along. Sally and /
waved q welcome from the bank and
she merrily proclaimed;
TITS to be a wedding"
Then a cheer from the boats, In
which I Joined.
I shall never forget how. when the
company had landed and the greetings
were over, Uncle Peabody approached
your mother and said:
"Say, Sally, I'm goin' tv plant kiss
on both o them red checks o. yours,
an do It deliberate. too"
ae UU IL anu 80 QlO aunt Deel 0nO
old Kate, and I think that, next to
your mother and me, they were the
happiest people at the wedding.
-
There lisa lonely grave up in the
hills-that Of the stranger who died
long ago on Rattleroad. One day ]
found old Kate sitting beside it and on
q stone lately erected there was the
name, Enoch Rome.
ut 10 very sorrowfui," she whis.
pered. HE was trying to find me
when he died"
We walked on in silence while I re.
called the circumstances. How strange
that those tales Of blood and lawless
daring which Kate had given to Amos
Grimshaw had led to the staying of
her own soni Yet, 80 it happened,
and the old wives will tell you the
story up there in the hills.
The play ends Just as the night is
falling with Kate and nue. entering the
little home, 90 familiar now, where she
lives and iS ever welcome with Aunt