Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-10-21
ed the boulevard and then turned
southwark. MacAllister was. as he
had said, taking a roundabout way:

6ouLuWaIQ. MaCAlllSter was, as ne
had said, taking a roundabout way:
of going through it, which was the
shortest road to the Mendall house.
MacAllister had a d1sagreeable bit
OF news to give Mrs. Mendall. It had
been one OF his reasons for wanting to
take her home, but he did not want to
venture upon it while he/was angry.
He had several ways Of Kidding him
self of his frequent fits of irritation,
and n was to talk steadily. He be-
gan to talk.
""Fe can't guess anything what 1t
was Xix hereabout when I was q boy,
Mrs. Mendall. All this we're travel
Ing was just rolling prairie. Not a
tree: not a roof. Sixteenth street.
that's the center of down town now,
limited Iaclasse. That was no more
ahouts, and here we are now with
streets numbering westward to Fifty
second, and miles to the north and
Eouth. We lived on Sixteenth
about where the City Bank is now
and the whole prairie was our back
yard. Sixteenth was ankle deep with
dust. in the summer. and knee deep
with mud in the winter-every street
in town was. One Of my fist
memories is getting stuck in the mud
and being hauled u by my step
mother. I had new clothes on-that
earned me the first licking I remem-
Der getting The Indtants walked up
and down Broad street in that day; It
was so great surprise for any house
wife in town to find an Indian sitting
in her kitchen when she came into it,
and h fed him, and quickly-unless
her, husband happened to be about.
place" 'haae'a
And I suppose you love it," Mrs.
Mendall said. in tones that meant
How can you?"
Yes, I love it" MacAllister return
ed with a fash Of feeling. II love the
very breath Of it! and it's not Just
because I've put up my fight here and
won out. It's the flesh and bone Of
me- I've gone east-I often go east
n I've gone abroad. but I don't draw,
"a free breath until I'm back on the
prairie again. I mind when
I was just old enough to climb to a
horses back. riding all over where we
are now, dreaming I owned the whole
OF it. was always for acquiring. and
not Just to hold, but for the sake of
developing. It seemed to me it would
be a big thing to build up q town and
make the prairie feed 1t.
But Q a few years got diverted
from the thing l really wanted to do.
Ny father was a thrifty Scot: when
was niteen he put me in his store, and
J didn't like It. Besides, my step-
mother was a bit too much for me. So
I made up my mind I'd fend tor my
self. I mind, before 1 ran away, I
decided the only bit of property I
owned, my scrazgly bronco which "a
acquired OF an Indian for the price of
a drink. to Baesby. Eaesby's always
been something Of an tdeal!st; he felt
ne could8tmprove that bronco, and
anted three dollars to add to my lit
Tie hoard hated to part with tho
romeo ! rather liked hirn for his
devilfsh Ways. Some things he ala
we're unusual-when he'd ba1k he'd
SIT down on his launches like a dog,
and the worlds coming TO an end
wouldn't have moved him. Bassby
didn't get much chance to reforn,
him, though, 20. a few days after he'd
bought him the bronco sat down on
the Union Pacific track ana thar end
ed the brcnco--a1d very nearly ended
Esssoy, 9 I've always
me to the extent of committing sui
eide"
MacAllister had talked htmsel,
llis anger in doing so, though his
"reminiscences only led him into rest-
less dissatisfaction with himself. 4
mood that had been upon him since
n morning, a few days before, when
he had carried his rage over hid az.
stroyed plant to Marie and had left
her with feelings deeply stirred. He
2 9 living owe the past, ana It