The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-06-30
RESOLUTIONS
Chanter %


thing that ever happened to her was
Humphreys enforced absence of a
week-or as it turned out, OF a little
more than a week.
First there was the awful emptiness
of the little house. The last part of
her ride had been in the gathering
dark, 1t was quite dark when she reach
ed home. The kitchen stove was out,
no dinner-purposely-was prepared.
But Mile lit the lamp, and after
reading the note, went mechanically
about making up the fire and cooking
a meal from canned foods. A neighbor
ran in to ask whether she minded be-
ing alone at night, and sat and talked
and commiserated with her upon being
alone
But the rest OF the women took It as
a matter OF course. They were used to
having their husbands away months,
even years at time-why should Mil
lie mind being alone for a week?
ut is lonely" she offered.
Yes, but then it's only week." was
given here for consolation.
AS Humphrey was away there was
no use cooking big meals, so she lived
on eggs and canned things, woman
fashion, meals that took only q few
moments to prepare. She went out on
her horse every day to take up time
once she began an elaborate canning
of fruit, when the supply store got in
an extra large lot of sugar. She scald
ed her hands and after a few weeks
her canned stuff fermented-but al
least she felt virtuously domestic while
she worked. Her nose grew red from
the steam and heat and her hair wild
and sticky-but 1t did not matter, be
cause there was no Humphrey to see
her.
She never knew how much she miss
ed riding up the trail to meet him, unit
rfhe rode that way and met only hi:
Assorkmen coming back And wher
Jones himself returned alone, ant
stopped to tell her that Humphrey haC
gone on to the city to wind up a dea
they were both in, she sat In her bed
room and cried for an hour
Humphrey came back jubilant.
Il guess we can go back prett!
SOON he said. THAT is, If you want
Hated to leave you alone, but this wa
chance, and we had to jump at it."
He poured out tumble of details
about timber and acreage, about buy
Ah6 a DOW MN pIdulHS Hillls run
ming a creek into a sluice down
mountain to carry logs, shipping t
Portland. even about buying a ship Il
send lumber across the Pacific.
Mile listened absently She on1,
understood that at last Humphrey hat
put over the big deal he Away
planned, and they would have none,
enough at last to go back to Wissa
keagan-if they wanted
Not much at first" Humphrey said
But in year or so it will begin t
pay. OF course, if I'd had more to pu
in, my share would have been bigger
But we can buy little house in tow
again, with mortgage on it, and in
few years have as much income as W
used to have-and after that, more"
Mile smiled at him. She was bus
cooking big dinner for him-like al
the other wives In the settlement
whose first duty on the arrival o
their men" was to feed them enor
NOUS amounts of food.
SO we can go If we want Mill
said, sitting for a moment at the tabl
while the dinner cooked.
Yep! Only" he laughed a little
do you want to, Mile? I sorta lik
it here. Don't you? It's done you
heap of good" He went on, obviousl
wgathering up his courage. You're S
different out here. You used to sna
my head off most times when I opene
my mouth back home. Now, l be1ev
you like to have me talk"
Evidently he expected a lecture fc
this daring speech. But Mile onl
smiled little.
Il guess we had too much of eac
other back home" she said. st &c
tired Of you. and expect you did
me, too. 1t is different here, we're di
ferent from these other people. We
we have to depend on each other"
She had very nearly expressed |
Only the truth was that she had CON
to depend upon Humphrey in her oil
way, since she was under his inf
ence exclusively.
She got up and went back to the Ike
ties on the stove. Humphrey came b
hind her and slid one arm awkward
around her