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


Confronted the Fate Of
Lovers Who Wait
Too Long.
THE sun, dwarfed 70 hard red bal, had
dropped behind the level. sharp-cut line
where sly and prairie stopped. Grain
aelds lay spread out. . dark. nat monotone
under . sheet Of cold. gray cloud. Close
rssfsA poplars shivsrsd sibrlantiy in . chill
sreezs- Yet the boy and girl merged into
sns dim blot on the steps Of the shallow
porch. In front Of q big. square. mud tinted
house. were caught into Q romance world as
soft and warm and entrancingiy beautiful a.
Isvs ever nnds.-
But. presently. Lon BAXTER broke its spell
II can't AK you to marry me. yet Edna
not until I have home ready. II you viii
van--
-oo. Lon. Edna came back to Grindon.
Iowa. with protest In her luminous face
why shouid 10 wait for that7 Why
shouldn't> DO my share in making the
homsr
-Bscanss WIN never let my wife 20
throuSh what my mothsr did can never
Est away from thatA- The boyish faee
already shadowsd By pein-brsedins expert
sncs. SGT fn hard hnss- II can So Il now
ths day she disd- The little bedroom Oh the
kitchen hks an evsn-shs'd cooked for
threshers an day-snd her sasptng and night
hE for breathi And my father bending over.
Twisting hin hands and meaning. rtS the
sunsd mnrgags that-s killed herr.
Btttng tears stood in the boys sysa Not
even the olasp of Ednas tender hands, the
brusA II her fresh chssk. could take the sting
from that memory. The rasptng chant Of
frogs nIlsd thstr earE moonlsss dark wrapped
than o,oss; fur the frst tina. Lon's breeding
passion found spesah:
Il hated that msrtgass ~ n ffw.s living
thtns1 wantsd 10 tar Ito torture It IKE
cat doss = mousA hatsd my father. too
He always vurksd nks . horse-you know.
Bdna-and he szpectsd me and my mother-
sonstmss I fsft that he was DOWNRIGHT
G1sL"
Ths wisdom of womanhood was strong IN
Edna, though she wss bot eightesn- She
knew words would draw out burtsd bitter
neaL Gently she led him on TO speak
only the year aftsr ma disd he come
hers one night and showed ~ children .
ioux. dirty paper. covered with figures and
hloez. Il was the m@ts.ss. Ssxid Ths
l.st can't w.s paid He ltttsd The stow Nd
and dropped II sn - ths Goals and - IN
stood by and watched II burn Thsn hs sl-
most whispered. Il with mother could I seen
THAR I oouldn't bold tn thea 7 told him
rd nsvsr rnortsass anything = mtns-rd
die nrst- And tn cid man at down and
spoks quist-afmost - n he w.s apo,ogiEing
to ms-said hs bmrsvsd nonsy nrst whsn
ma was siok and had 10 have . dsctor, and
medicine. and nouishinE food Tnsn ths
Erasshoppers come three years runntn', and
he bad to borrow to keep u IN from starving
and freezing, and after that, httls Emmy died
and that meant another loan I could 49,
there hadn't been nothing elss for him to DO.
hadn't ought b have blamed him so-and
II did fsei different after thas-Sus-
His vuics was hard with dstsrminattpn.
But made w my mind right then that I'd
nsver lot myself b trappsd ths way hs was.
I'd never have . wffs and children untn I
v.s fred - I'd nsv,r nssd b horryw-r
nrtgaSs-
With ths swest. clear sense tnx9 w,s hsrs
NINA spoks
-Yes. Lon But that ean't b. you know.
fhtnEs happen. good and bad. and married
fnfks Just have to take the chances tossther-
"A man ought to have his fArm clear and
comfortable house before hs asks . woman
b beEin to TAXA ehances," Lon. boySue, pro
aounoed
That vM taks . long ttms-years, psr-
hapa- Ednas voice bad lost some Of its
jay tim
No I sm young and strong. and can
vurk. God How IN work for you. Ednar
Il know. I understand how you fssl.- she
admitted But shyiy. Il am young and
strong. too. Lon. And am not afraid Of
vork. sdthsr-wtth you"
Hb arms tight about her. hope and giad-
nsss pulstng high IN the swift rebound Of
ysuth. he told her confidently.
-Thersn be work enough for you when I
have the farm and the house ready-that
wont be long"
Brave words-easily said
But how were these words to be made
goodf That was the question with which
young Baxter wrestied all through the rush.
ing days Of harvesting and threshing the
crops Of Ednas father-he was only . hired
man on the Goodrich place. How was he to
secure . farm Of his own? How was he to
nranarA hor,,a for r1ra C<o1rf,t&-