The Washington herald., 1921-09-04
THE CYCLONE

Prosser found him tossing with t.~er. For
three weeks he lay helpless with . low fever
that left him weak and dsspondent- But
through It all he would not >permit ths
Prossers to write to his father or Edna
Molly rebernously asserted that she would
take the responsibility on bsr own shoulders.
and wrote Edna q long letter. But her hus-
band refused to mail It without Ions osn-
sent
But he's too sick to insO Ubsk otS>S.
Molly scoldsd- Hes weak a. . baby tn mind
az well a. In body!'
Forget IT. Jim 1o6sd. Lon G@r
may BE- as wobely - . kitten On his legs.
bot hh head b all right He knows what's
what-talks irrigation plant all the time
And stin no rain cams. Lon was up and
about A he saw months Of hard labor
for man and for beast-turnsd int useless
visps Of straw and all his carefully matwsd
plans changed into me dreams the subtle
hardening Of character and softsntns Of
Judgment that turns the boy into the man
went on within him
It was the man who cot DOWN one Sunday
afternoon before the rough board table Of his
shack and wrote:
II made q big mAr.-ks when picked ost
my homestead II seems there IL liable 70
Be one dry year out Of three In this section
Of the country. IN have 10 put IN . wind
mill and an irrigation plant bsfors I can
build the house. can't ask you 10 wait any
longer, Edna 1 sposs your father vas right
II hadn't ought to have asked yoa 10 marry
ma. And you ought to have sai1 no. nrst
OF. So. dear girl, you are frss. ry TO
forget me. and forgive me for taking % much
out Of your life-you know how II has been
With me"
He ssnt the latter saA. a. he ptuksd his
stunted corn, be brooded despairinsly over
his failure. When Prosser shouted:
Here, old mani Your girl hasnt forgotten
you-it's fat oner' He took the suvs'ope in
a hand that shook.
Alone, he read: Unlese yeu mads . mis-
take in picking me out, too. Lon. We will
keep on waiting tosether-H you insist on
waiting
In SPITE e hsr loyalty he hooked ahead
that dismal winter With determination rather
than the confidence that had carried him
forward thus far. The nrm conviction and
the courage that had counted each hindrsncs
simply a. . delay almost went cut q him
-Perhaps have been wrong from the start
maybe I'd ought to have borrowed the
money and married Edna that frst year he
ruminatsd- II might nat have made such
= fat failure that way. though everything
vas against me-
He had taksn out his ffnal papers now and
could sasily place . mortgage On his land.
Edna, knowing this, wrotse
The way n open. now, Lon By borrow
ing $500 you can build Q house that will
b pisnty good to start with, and sm sure
can save you $500 in . year o. two IT'S
business. dear. Everybody borrows In order
70 make. know how you fesl-but b rsa-
sonabls." a.-..
Yet, though Lon Acknowledged that he
was unreasonabls; though he knsw IN his
own soul that his tsar was !ooward1y; though
he felt that his desire for happtness matched
Edna's own; the dread Of debt had become %
insrsinsd and the obstinacy bred of the ions
struggle was % unyisldtns that he oouid NOT
bring himself to aCt upon her counsel.
There was . dinsrsncs aftsr that No
complaints, no rsproaches appeared In Edna,
letters: but there was less Of the cheerful
sxpsotation and Of details Of her daily ming
And Lon. toiling winter and summer now
from day'waks to the last streak Of night
was too snsrossed IN his night 10 give much
hssd 10 anything not prsssnt and tangible
Sometimes weehs elapsed bstwssn theiI
lsttsrA
nsw ysar's crop was promiEins wen d
ths harvest. threshins, and marksting ar
went through without disastsr Lon wosid b