The Kendrick gazette., 1920-03-26

and manly Difference he paid her. She
was quite sure that he would at any
give his life, if needed, to de-
fend her from injury-and accept the
transaction as matter Of course. His
physical endurance was inexhaustible
and his knowledge Of prairie and foot
hill seemed to her almost uncanny. He
read every sign of footprint, leaf, wa
Grand sky with unfailing insight. He
had no knowledge Of books, and she
had at first thought him ignorant. but
as the days went by she found In him
q mine of wisdom which shamed her
ready-made education.
After such ride they one day dis
mounted in grassy opening among the
trees that bordered mountain canyon.
In crevice they found a fiat stone that
gave comfortable seating and here
they rested while the horses br0wsed
their afternoon meal on the grass
above. Both were conscious of grad
ually increasing tension in the at
mOsphere. For days the boy had been
moody. It was evident he was harbor-
ing something that was calling through
his nature for expression, and Irene
knew that this afternoon he would talk
of more than trees and rocks and foot
prints Of the wild things Of the forest.
"Your father is getting along WELL"
he said, at length.
EYES," she answered. HE has had
good holiday, even with his broken
leg"
"You will be goin' away before long,"
he continued.
"Yes," she answered, and waited.
'Things about here amt goin' to be
the same after you're gone," he went
on. He wore no coat. and the neck Of
his shirt was open, for the day was
warm. Had he caught her sidelOng
glances, even his slow, self-deprecating
mind must have read their admiration.
But he kept his eyes fixed on the green
water.
"You see." he said, "before you came
it was different. I didn't know what
was missin', an so it didn't matter.
Not but what was d0g-sick of 1t at
times. but still thought was livin'-
thought this was life. and. Of course,
now know it amt. At least. it won't
be after you're gone"
"That's strange" she said, not in
direct answer to his remark, but as q
soliloquy on it as she turned it over In
her mind. "This life, now. seems
empty to you. All my life seems
empty to me. This seems to me the
real life. out here in the foothills. With
the trees and the mountains, and-and
our horses, you know"
She might have ended the sentence
in way that would have come much
closer to him, and been much truer,
but conventionality had been bred in
to her for generations and she did not
find it possible yet freely to speak the
truth.
"It's such a wonderful life." she con-
tinued. zone gets so strong and hap
py In it."
you'd soon get sick Of It," he said.
I'VE don't see nothin'. We don't learn
nothin'. Reenle, I'm eighteen, an
bet you could read an write better'n
me when you was SIX"
ibid you never 60 to schoolr she
asked, in genuine surprise. She knew
his speech was ungrammatical, but
thought that due to careless training
rather than to no training at all.
"Where'd I 60 to school?' he de-
manded, bitterly. "There amt school
within forty miles. Guess I wouldn't
have went If / could" he added, as an
afterthought, wishing to be quite hon.
| est in the matter. "School didn't seem
to cut no fgure-until JUS lately"
"But you have learned-some?" she
continued.
"Some. When I was little kid my
| father used to work with me at times
He learned me to read little, an
to write my name, an a little more
But things didn't 60 right between him
an mother, an he got to drinkin
more an more, an JUS making b
of it. We used to have a mighty fine
herd of steers here, but it's all sho,
to pieces. When we sell q bunch thu
old man III stay in town for month
or more, blowin' the coin and leavin
the debts go. I sneak couple o.
steers away now an then, an with tn
money keep our grocery bills pait
up an have a little to rattle in m.
jeans. My credits good at any stor'
in town." and Irene thrilled to the not
of pride in his voice as he said this
The boy had real quality in him. "Bu
I'm sick of it ALL" he continued. "Sicl
, of it, an I wanna get out"
"You think you are not educated,
I she answered, trying to meet his out
burst as tactfully as possible. 'Pel
I haps you are not, the way we think o
, it in the city. But guess you coul
| show the city boys good many thing
q they don't know. and never will know.
e Irene makes a promise