The Washington herald., 1921-04-24

SNoou dl IHo WiuooWs
his finger nails and shrieking and
moaning at the monotony. To me,
Etienne was just about as unbear-
able as the snow; and so, seeking
relief. I went out on the second
day to look at my horse. slipped 20
stone. broke my colIar-bone, and
thereafter underwent not the snow
test, but the test Of fat-on-the-
back. A test that comes once too
often for any man to stand.
However, l bore up cheerfuily.
was now merely a spectator. and
from my couch in the big room l
could lie and watch the human in
terplay with that detached. impas.
sive, impersonal feeling which
French writers tell US is so valu-
able to the litterateur. and Ameri-
can writers to the faro-dealer.
Il shall go crazy in this alb
ominsble, understandable place.
was Etienne's constant prediction.
Never knew Mark Twain to bore
me before" said Ross. over and
over. He sat by the other window
hour after hour. a box of Pittsbur1r
stogies of the length. strength. and
odor of a Pittsburgh graft scandal
deposited on one side of him, and
''Roughing It." The Jumping
Frog" and Life on the Mississippi
on the other. For every chapter
he lit new stogy. puffing furiously
This. in time. gave him a recprren,
premonition OF cramps, gastritis
smokers collie. or whatever It Is
they have in Pittsburgh after a toe
deep indulgence in graft scandals
To fend off the collie, Ross pesorted
time and again to Old Doctor Stills
Amber-Colored U. s. A. Collie Cure
Result, after forty-eisht hours
nerves
Positive. fact never knew Mark
Twain to make me tired before
Positive fact" Ross slammed
"Roughing It" on the floor. When
you're snowbound this away you
want tragedy, I guess. Humor just
seems to bring out all your cussed-
ness. You read a mans poor. pitiful
attempts to be. funny nd it makes
you SO nervous you want to tear
up the book, get out your bandana
and have a good. long cry"
At the other end of the room the
Frenchman took his finger nails out
Of his mouth long enough to ex-
claim: "Humor! Humor at su.n a
time as thees! My God. shall go
crazy in thees abominable-"
Supper" announced George.
These meals were not the meals
of Rabelais, who said, the great
God makes the planets and We make
the piatters neat" By that time
the ranch-house meals were not af-
fairs Of gusto; they were mental
distraction, not bodily provender.
What they were to be later shall
never be forgotten by Ross or me
or Etienne.
After supper the stogies and nm
ger nails began again. Ny shoulder
fached wretchedly. and with half
closed eyes tried to forget 1t by
watching the deft movements oi
the cook.
Suddenly saw him cock his ear,
like dog. Then. with a swift step
he moved to the door, threw 1t open
| and stood there.
The rest of US had heard nothing
what is it, George" asked Ross
The cook reached out his hand
into the darkness alongside the
lamb. With careful precision ht
prodded something. Then he made
one careful step into the snow. His
back muscles bulged a little under
the arms as he stopped and lightly
lifted a burden. Another step in
side the door, which he shut me-
thodically behind him, and he Dump
ed the burden at safe distance
from the fire.
He stood up and fixed us with a
solemn eye. None of us moved un-
der that orphic suspense until,
"A woman" remarked George.
.ss ss
Miss Willie Adams was her name
Vocation, school teacher. Present
avocation. getting lost in the snow
Age. yum-yum (the. Persian fol
twenty. Take to the woods IL yol
would describe Miss Adams A
willow for Cgrace; a hickory foI
fibre; a birch for the clear white.
ness of her skin: for eyes, the blue
sky seen through treetops; the sill
in cocoons. for her hair; her voice
the murmur of the evening Jun.
wind in the leaves: her mouth, the
berries of the wintergreena,f 4, finger.
as light as ferns: her toe as small
as a deer track General ifnpres.
sion upon the dazed beholder-yot
could not see the forest for ths
trees
Psychology, with a capital p anc
the foot of. lynx. at this juncturt
stalks into the ranch house. Three
men--ali snowbound. Count me oui
Of II, as did not count. anyway. J
never did, with women. Count The
men. a. cook, pretty young ,wo.
cook out, Of you like. But note tht
effect upon Ross and Etienne Girod
Rose dumped Mark Twain in 4
he discarded the PittsburEh scan