Sioux County pioneer. (Fort Yates, Sioux County, N.D.) 1914-1929, 1921-08-04
CHAPTER i i I.
An Aunt Errant. /

Never had life seemed more fair and
smiling than at the moment when
Aunt James letter descended upon me
like bolt from the blue. The fact
ts. ! was taking vacation from Aunt
Jane. Being an orphan, was sup
posed to be under Aunt James wing,
hut this was the merest polite fiction,
and am sure that no hen with one
chicken worries about It more than
! did about Aunt Jane. I had spent
the last three years, since Aunt Susan
died and left Aunt Jane with all the
money and no one to look after but
me, In snatching her from the brink
of disaster. Her most recent and mar
row escape was from q velvet
tongued person Of half her years who
turned out to be q convict on parole.
She had her handbag packed for the
elopement when confronted her with
this unpleasant fact. When she came
to she was bitter instead OF grateful,
and went about for weeks presenting
a spectacle Of blighted affections
which was too much for the most self
approving conscience. So 1t ended
with my packing her OF to New York,
where l wrote to her frequently and
kindly. urging her not to mind me but
to stay as long as she liked. sS Is
Meanwhile / came up to the ranch
for long holiday with Bess and the
baby q holiday which had already
stretched itself out to Thanksgiving,
and threatened to last until Christ
mas.
As to Aunt Jane, my state Of mind
(. was fatuously calm. She. was stay
ing with cousins, who live in a suburb
and are frightfully respectable. 1
was sure they numbered no .convicts
among their acquaintance. or indeed
any one from whom Aunt Jane was
likely to- require rescuing. And ifs Il
came to q retired missionary I was;
perfectly willing. IA
But the cousins and their respect.
ability are Of the passive order, where-
as to manage Aunt Jane demands ag-
gressive and continuous action. Hence
the bolt from the blue above alluded
i to. 81 "a. s.
was swinging TRANQUILITY In the
4 hammock,sI remember, when Bess
brought my letters and then hurried
awsY because, the baby. had fallen
downstairs. Unwarned by the slight
est premonjtory thrill. kept Aunt
James letter till the last and sIximmed4
\ through all the others. ;;s44 3 &. ; S8.
II At last I came to Aunt Jane /
II ripped open the envelope and drew
ont the letter fat one, but then
Aunt James letters are always fat.
Nevertheless. Il a. 4 spread out the;
close,dlled pages felt i mild wonder.
4 Writing 60 large, 90 black, 90 stag.
\ gerng, 90 madly nnd erlined, must In
dictate something above even h Aunt
James usual semoti onal level. Per-
haps An sober truth there was ~ mis-
. sionary ii \. ssss
Twenty minutes later staggered
Into Bess' room. ss;s an!
Hush II she said. ''Don't wake the
baby I" &, ! ,S3 1, ;ss i,3
aBsby}orsn no baby, !. ] whispered say,
agely I've Set tos have 4 stime-table.
4; leave for the city tonight to catch
4 the first steamer for Panama Z, U
Later. while the baby slumbered
and I packed, 4 explained. This was
dlmcult; not that Bess 10 ass i zen
eral thing 6btuse, but because the pic
Il ture Of, Aunt lane embarkin9 Tor
some wild, lone isle of the Pacific ~
the hesd Of q treasury. eiing esxI,pe.I
4 tiition VIZ enough TO shake the strong
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