Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1921-10-28
CHAPTER XVII.
ain Dale Lauahs.

&ne 0Lner size OF the river the HoWllhS
wind snatched sprays of blue wood
smoke. The Morelands had gone to
farms lying around Gainesville in the
lowiand, on each of which a fair-sized
first payment had been made. the bor-
roWed capital was TO remain borrowed
for another year. The Morelands were
already losing their outlandishness
and growing into universal respect.
David MoreIand's dream was at last
being realized.
Then Dale frowned heavily. If only
he could do as much for Babes peo-
plel But he 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 his parents. He found
little pleasure in answering their let
ters, for he was still somewhat bitter
toward them-toward his father be-
cause of his fathers i'll treatment OF
David Moreland and David Moreland'S
people; toward his mother because she
had let him go hungry for mother-love
as baby, as child, as boy, and as
a man; toward them both because he
had been reared do-nothing.
The door opened suddenly, and BY
Heck came stamping in with gust OF
cold air at his back. He carried in
one hand the mail satchel; in the other
was his eyer-present rifle. After throw
ing the satchel to the floor at Dale's
feet. he turned to the glowing wood
stove.
I'm dang nigh friz, BILL he chat
tered. my gosh, / couldn't be no cold
ERIN what / EN- eff I'd ha' elm the
nawth pole neck-ed. Say, Bill, why'n't
We burn coal std O wood? Igod, it's
hotter"
Goal is worth money. Wood isn't"
Dale ran through the mail 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
a letter which bore the postmark of his
home city.
Tt was from Babe Littleford. Since
he paid so little attention to the letters
OF his parents, they had requested her
to write to him-they wanted him to
come home for Christmas dinner.
Wouldn't he come?
He arose and paced the Office floor
for two or three minutes, then he sat
down at his desk and dashed off let
ter that contained only two sentences.
By Heck sat beside the stove and
watched his god with thoughtful eyes.
He understood, he believed. How any
woman on earth could turn down a
man like Bill Dale was utterly beyond
him. By Heck was great deal like
good-natured dog. =.
If Bill would only laugh, 1t would be
good for him. 1t had been so long since
he had heard Bill laugh By Heck de-
cided that he would make Bill Dale
laugh.
"0ld boy?"
"Well?"
"Do We want me to tell We funny
Jale?' drawled Heck He barely heard
the answer
IT guess / don't mind, By"
Heck's sympathy made him gulp.
But he swallowed the lump that came
up in his throat and began brayely:
zone time the was a Teller named
Smith. Odd name, Bill, amt it? 'Hoss-
fly Smith. they called him, cause it
was said at he could easy shoot
hossfy often a hoss's ear and nevel
break hide on the animiIe. He was a
hellion, too. One time Hossf1y, he was
a-tryin' to git appointed the chairman
O. some sort o. politics doin's, and on
that same day he was a-drinkin' sort
q tol'able heavy. They agreed to
make him the Temporary chairman, but
Hossfly, he didn't want that. So he
hops right up in the middle o. the meet
sn'. and he hollers out and says:
'Feller citizens he says, I want
80 be the permanent chairman l amt
a-goin' to act in the capacity of a
burned Temporary chairman; abso-
d-n-lutely ain't!'
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 temporary and permanent
We'll they knowed Eb had it a.
comm to him right then, and they lis
tened fo' it. Hossfiy. he addresses the
whole meetin'. and this here is what
Hossfly says:
Feller citizens says he, 'Eb
Wright thar lows don't know the diff
ference atween temporary and perma-
aent. I'll prove to you that / do know
the difference. Eb Wright says I'm
drunk. l am. That's Temporary. Eb
Wright is a poke-nosed idjit. That's
permanent ="
Heck finished with a lazy laugh:
"Haw, haw, haw! Hee-haw, hee-haw ~
THAT story" Dale said YEARLY.
"has been told on dozens of politicians.
1t has become a part of the history of
this state"
''Well, my gosh!" moaned BY Heck.
He thought deeply for moment, de-
cided that Bill Dale wouldn't laugh at
the story of Tom jones' pig-which
had drank all of a gallon-pail of but
ternilk and then gone to sleep in the
Aelf-same pail-and went on:
Here's one, by Jake, AT amt been
sold on dozens O. politics men. And
every word of it is the solemn, dyin'