The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1921-11-11
CHAPTER XVII.

Bin Dale Laughs.

BIN Dale sat thinking OF what bic
had done thare in the Big Pine ccun'
Try. From the stone-and-clay chin.
neys of the cabling OF the LittIefords 90
the other side OF the river the bowling
wind snatched sprays Of blue wood
smoke. The Morelands had gone to
farms lying around Cartersville In the
1ewland. on each Of which fair-sized
FIRST payment had been made. the Dor
rcwed capital was to remain borrowed
for another year. The Morelands were
already losing their outiandishness
and growing into universal respect.
David Moreland's dream was at last
being realized.
Then Dale frowned heavily. IL only
he could do as much for Babes peo-
plei But be couldn't. The men OF the
Littlefords still worked the coal mine.
They received almost twice the custom
airy wages. but even that wouldn't buy
them farms and educate their children
Under his eyes lay two unanswered
letters from bis parents. he found
LITTLE pleasure In answering their let
toward them--toward his father be-
cause Of his fathers III treatment Of
David Moreland and David MoreIand's
people toward his mother because she
had let him go hungry for mother-love
AZ q baby, as q child, as boy. and as
u man; toward them both because he
had been reared do-nothing.
The door opened suddenly. and BY
Heck came stamping In with a gust OF
cold air at his back. He carried Ia
one hand the mail satchel; In the other
was bis eyer-present rife. After throw
Ing the satchel to the door at Dale's
feet. he turned TO the glowing wood
stove.
TIN dang nigh friz. Bill,n he chat
tered. my gosh, couldn't be no cold
er'n what EN- eft I'd ha' elm the
nawth pole neck-ed. Say, Bill, why'n't
ye burn coal Std o. woodf Igod, It's
hotter
"COai IL worth money. Wood isn't"
Dale ran through the mali hastily.
He threw aside letter from the Alex
ander Crayfield Coal corporation, which
took the entire output Of the mine at
an extraordinary figure, and picked up
q letter which bore the postmark Of his
home city.
IL was from Babe Littleford. Since
he paid SO little attention to the letters
OF his parents, they had requested her
to write 10 him--they wanted him to
come home for Christmas dinner.
Wouldn't he conner
He arose and paced the Office floor
for two or three minutes. then he sat
down at his desk and dashed or let
ter that contained only two sentences.
BY Heck sat beside the stove and
watched HIS god with thoughtful eyes.
BE understood, he believed. How any
woman, on earth could turn down a
man like Bin Dale was utterly beyond
him. by Heck was great deal like a
good-natured dog.
II Bill would only laugh, II would be
good for him. II had been 80 long since
he had heard. Bill laugh. BY Heck de-
eided that he would make Bill Dale
laugh.
.Old boyT'
''Wellf'
EDO ye want me TO tell We a funny
taller drawled Heck. He barely heard
the answer:
II guess i don't mind, By
Heck's sympathy made him gulp.
But he swallowed the lump that came
up in his throat and began brayeiy:
"One time the was a Teller named
Smith. Odd name, Bin, amt TIT 'Hoss-
fly Smith, they called him, cause 1t
was said at he could easy shoot
hossfiy often a hoss's ear and never
break hide on the anlmlles He was
hellion, toos One time Hosshy, he was
h-tryin' to git Appointed the chairman
o. some sort o. politics doin's. and on
that same day he was a-drinkin' sort
o. tol'a0ie heavy. They agreed to
make him the Temporary chairman, but
Hossfy, he didn't want that. So he
hops right up in the middle o. the meet
In, and he hollers out and says:
"'Feller citizens he says, Il want
to be the permanent chairman Amt
a-goin' to act In the capacity OF a
burned Temporary chairman; j abso-
d-n-lutely ain'tp
His old inemy. Eb Wright, he yells
back and says smart-like: Set down
thar, Hossfly,' says Eb---'you're drunk,
and you don't know the difference a.
tween temp'rary and permanent
swell, they knowed Eb had 1t a.
comm to him right then, and they lis
tened 10 1t. Hossfiy, he addresses the
whole meetin'. and this here lis what
Hossfly says:
"'Feller citizens says he, .Eb
Wright thar lows don't know the DIFF
ference atween Temporary and perma-
nent. I'll prove to you that do know
the difference. Eb Wright says I'm
drunk. / am. That's Temporary. Eb