The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-02-13
EVENING STORY
The Log Cabin.
BY n RAY BAKER.


would have holiday on the morrow |
in celebration of the statesman's birth |
anniversary.
She looked up from the book and ,
the owner of the waving hand, a tow
headed, Ginlinutiye lad, with wide, |
staring blue eyes, asked:
Teacher, did the book say Mr.. Lin I
coin was born in a log ca bin 90
The teacher nodded her head, and,
with a smile, replied:
Eyes, Roger, he was, and when |
read further you will learn that he |
lived for long time in that cabin, |
and that he had an old shovel for |
slate on which to do his sums"
The tow-headed youngsters face be- |
tokened exceeding interest in the sub |
ject.
IF that's so, teacher, then Uncle |
Frank can be president some day, |
can't he? He lives in log cabin right |
down at the other end of Cedar Gulch, |
and he studies a lot, tho 1 guess he
hasn't any Shovel to do his sums on
Delia's smile became brighter, and
she responded:
He certainly has a chance to be |
president, Roger. So have you and
every other boy born in the United
States--that is, if you study faithfully
and work as hard as Abraham Lin
coin"
She resumed reading from the book,
but her thoughts were not on the life
of Abraham Lincoln. Her mind was
| dwelling on that cabin at the end of
Cedar Gulch. where Uncle Frank
lived. She knew this Uncle Frank
very well, indeed.
Frank Richards was not an old, be-
whiskered residenter On the con-
| trary, he was young man of 2S-a
| rather attractive young man, Della
thought. He was a prospector, who
spent weeks at a time in the noun
feir n Lob,
never had found any pay dirt that
was worth while
The first time Della ever set eyes on
Frank was a year ago, shortly after
her advent to Cedar Gulch as an in
StructOr OF the youthful inha bitantS.
She was having trouble with a burly
worker from the Eureka Gold Stamp
ing company's plant. the only industry
of which Cedar Gulch could boast
The trouble was over the punishment
meted out to the laborer's 13-year-old
son, who had persisted in standing on
his head in a corner of the SchooIroom |
and who was taken unawares by Della
while in that upside down attitude and
raped severely with a ruler.
The lad had rushed home, tears
streaming down his face, and evident
ly had used his ina ginat ton in relating
his treatment at the hands of the new
Sacher, for the father appeared the
next noon and made sundry threats
against Della
I'D advise you to go back to work
and think it over" Della rejoined and
turned to go into the school building !
where the pupils were assembled for
afternoon classes.
This reply infatuated the laborer, |
who, advanced toward her, swinging
his arms and shouting:
'I'll teach you to rawhide a son of
mine."
He CT; ~ht Della with one hand and
raised the other as If to strike her
Della, terrified, struggled frantically to
get away.
Better go slow there. Ben Brooks"
drawled a quiet voice, and an angular
arm reached out and a muscular hand
seized the laborer by the shoulder.
Without apparent effort that arm
drew the man backward, and he found
himself sprawling on the ground, look |
ing up, dazed, at young man who |
was bowling coolly toward the teacher, |
a wide-brimmed hat sweeping the
ground.
Then and there Frank Richards
started "a-wooing." He took the new
teacher for horseback rides on the
slopes of the Cedar Hills, and he was
her escort at church socials. where
prospectors with cowhide boots and
cowboys in picturesque attire mingled
with the women folks who lived in
Cedar Gulch
1t was all very interesting. from the
standpoint of the picturesque, if moth |
ing more. to Della Angel, and she en-
joyed herself immensely. She felt she
would have continued to enjoy it had
not Frank displayed serious intentions, |
which reached a climax one day while |
they were on one of their rides he
blint1y proposed to her. Naturally, |
she refused; for what business had
, she marrying this uncouth prospector?
But was he uncouth? Certainly his
clothes were coarse; but who was
there in Cedar Gulch that pretended
to follow the dictates of style? Even
she temporarily discarded her best
raiment after she had been there less
than a month.
His manner was as courteous as
could be expected from any man in
the very proper east from which she
hailed, and no one could have been
more polite in his treatment of her.
Occasionally an "ain't" crept into his
conversation, but that was not an I'M
pardonable sin.
She had heard it before she came
west. Frank Richards was little
rough in his way, but he was not I'M
couth, she finally decided. He was a
! cavalier of the mountains, and his
heart was pure gold. even tho his pick
and shovel failed to unearth the
precious metal. Still he was just a
prospectcr.
All this passed thru Delia's mind
| while she was reading the biography
of Abraham Lincoln to her pupils. She
heard one class after she had read as
far as time permitted, and the chill
dren were dismissed to lay plans for
spending the holiday.
But Delia's work was not thru. Writ |
ten tests had been held the previous
day and she had to stay until a late
hour at night correcting the papers.
Finally the last of these was examined
and the percentage of errors marked |
in a corner of the first page. Then |
Della leaned back in her chair and
res yxac
over Cedar GClch. Thru the window
she could see an occasional light |
flicker into the gloom and cast ref1ec- |
ton after reflection on the snow
paved streets of the Settlement.
From drawer of her desk the