The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1920-03-19
A CHANGE
OF HEART
BY CAROLINE LOCKHART

! f..-.s.......ss.~. /
! (Copyright)
| Il hates kids; j despises kids" said
Dad Walker qderulensly, as he rubbed
"a clean place on the window-pape and
,oos.d ut the household goods OF
Doudy, the squawman, going into the
log shack across the street. There
eight OF them Doody young uns. If !
| got the right count on them. They
mil, round so fast It's ube countili'
sheep"
"Some folks is all-sarns pigeons" OBJ
served bsc5n-Rind Dick who was mix
ing bsking powder biscuit ~ ilie dish
psn.
"Er Belgian hares, err French Cana
| dians, er field-nice, er--"
Hes come up of the reservation
| 70 put his kids in school, reckon"
he furnishes the school and we
| furnish the teacher. Personally my
| self" declared Dad, sourly 81 don't
aim 10 educate eight DoOdys sitter this
year. I've paid school taxes and
packed schoolmarms back and fortl,
from the railrosd as long as Pm 60
in to-"
'Egi!l, them DOodys ought to be
company for us this winter, with
everybody moyin' out Of the camp"
Company won't have n0thin' to
do with 'em. hates halfbreeds worse
nor pizen, and don't want them kids
10 Git in the habit of runnin' over
here. They're liable to pick up some
thing"
"Tiats so" Bacon.RiDd replied dry.
ly. 'rrhey might steal the stove, or
the bunk, or that thirty.pound bear
trap"
Makes no difrrunce; and II they
start visitin' here, I'll. tell 'eIn where to
yet III at"
by dwelling upon the Doodys and
the manner In which they would oyer
run him during the winter, Dad be
came Il kind OF mODoInaniae uDOn the
subject, and each morning WHOM he
looked through the window-pane he
| demanded with the same regularity
with which some people comment upon
the weather:
"Whateyer kin a man think Of his
| self TO marry blanket Sapaw?"
To his surprise, be WAS not molested
by the DOOdys.
When the days grew short and the
towering mountains surrounding the
abandoned cpppercsmD Of Swift Wa
ter made thep even shsrtsr, tho fAHg
evenings seemed interniDahle. BACON
Rind thought wistfully sf tie Dosdy
family, whose shrlsks Of e2nberant
laughter frequently penetrated the 81
lence which lay between the two part
ners. long since talked out.
"rhsSe SHOWS Ousht'tO have brought
the sheep down" he said one day. re-
garding tha white m0untains specp-
iativsly. y b'leeve III get R!lly Upton
and take . hunt. ] hanksrS for sheep
rnyat You won't be lOnesomA?'
Lonesome! Me:" Dad sported. 81
Was seven months alone onet, whar'
the Nnber was No thick you had to
lay on your back 10 see the sun"
So Bacon. .Rind packed his camp out
At on n cayuse and started with Billy
Upton for tho hills
Bacon.Rind WAS RlnheAd--Dad
never had thought Of him ~ anything
else; yet he missed his partner un-
commonly. He had TO admit that.
Late ono afternoon hs washed a
place on the window, lower down
where he could sit ana look at the
"iniaR outfit' across tina way. He was
lonely: he had TO admit that. too, and
1t looked kind of soeiable Ia see the
black heads bobbing behlnd the win
dows at the log holKe opposite.
Dad oiled Ills boots with bear grease
aud darued his seeks: Nsn, when la
could think al nothing else - DO which
wou,d enable him to kill time. he took
his AZ out 10 the grindstoRe, although
1t was already so sharp he could al
isost cut hair with 1t.
~ Bacon-Rind aln't back pretts
soon," he said peeyiShly, I1l cit vorss
nor the wild man knowsd In Wisecn
sin, who lived IN 4 holler tree and ct 8
deer st = slttin'."