The Holbrook news., 1921-05-20
CHAPTER VI-continued.

She made herself say these wor,ls calmly looking him frankly in the face. yet as he went outside. closing the door behind him. seemingly quite satisfied with her readiness to abide the situation. she bowed her head on the dirty table, and her body shook with sOhs which could no longer be restrained. So this was what she had come tO-this! She had kept herself up all day with dreams; and this was the realization. She lifted her face and looked about. the tears still mist ing in her eyes; then she suddenly laughed. and stood up with cheeks glowing, and lips firmly set. It was a horrible mess, to be sure, yet the place itself was not so bad; she had lived in far worse and once put in some degree of order and cleanliness 1t might prove fairly comfortable in deed. She surveyed the scene. as re- vealed by the yellow flame Of the lamp, her heart beating faster. This was to be her home. She had come here as mistress. It mattered not so much what it was now, but what she should make of it. Her slender form strengthened with new determination. There was yet another door, and she looked out through it into a small Iean-to. the lamp held high over her head. This was evidently the kitchen, containing as 1t did, a small cook stove, a sort of roughly built closet. and sink, the latter stacked with un- washed dishes An armful of split wood lay on the floor, and half slab of bacon hung to nail.
 Olga gave vent to another laugh. but this time there was no hint of hys- teria in It. She had found herself. Dressed still in the long duster, she set down the lamp on a small table, and dropping upon her knees, swiftly kindled a fire in the stove. As the wood began to crackIe cheerfully, she searched the closet for materials, re- jOicing to discover some dishes yet unused, together with remnants of food sufficient for her purpose. There was sugar condensed milk, a few knarly potatoes. a small sack of four, and half can of coffee. She dumped these out on the table, and began hum- ming a tune. as she added the slab of bacon to these treasures. She was too busy by now to give another thought to the dirt and disorder about her.
 Shelby was kept outside considera- bly longer than he had anticipated. The buckskin. in spite of a sixty-mile Journey, retained viciousness enough to kick the lantern out of the Kids hand and smash it into smithereens, thus compelling the two to work in darkness. Macklin, unacquainted with the surroundings, was of little use, and most of the work had to be done by Shelby in person. When 1t was all over with both men were sweating profusely. tired and angry, the Kid cursing everything from the creation of the world. Shelby. suddenly re- membering the girl left alone in the house all this time, lost the last grip on his temper.
 "Shut upr he parked savagely. "Ive had just enough of that. What did you expect anyway-a reception committee an a banquet? Come on fin. now; we'll hustle up some grub. Here, you might as we'll tote a few of those things along with you"
 Both men loaded up with packages from the blackboard, the Kid still swearing under his breath, but Shelby grimIy silent. He was remembering what that interior looked like. and wondering how she was taking such a homecoming. He could not but con- tFast the dirt and disorder to which he had brought her with the immacu- late cleanliness of the shack where she lived in Ponca. The memory made him half afraid to go in and face her eyes. He lifted the latch hesitatingly the bundles on the other arm piled to his chin. and stepped across the threshold. Then he stopped suddenly, with his mouth wide open. the Kid pushing in behind him, even more heavily laden. She stood in the middle of the floor, with cheeks flushed, and eyes smiling.
 "You boys can pile that stuff on the table," she announced brightly. I've scraped those papers up in one corner, so there's plenty of room. Never mind about bringing the rest in now; sup per's ready"
 Shelby put his bundles down with out a word, his eyes quick to perceive the chairs cleared of their debris, the floor swept, the ashes back in the stove. He could hardly comprehend the miracle.
 She led the way gayly, leaving her broom in corner, and carrying the lamp. The lean-to kitchen had been 4rans1gured, and actually presented a homelike appearance. The dirty dishes were showed out of sight. the floor