The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-12-18
CHAPTER XVI

After the first blank moment of sur
prise | turned, not to Spool or Mrs.
Alton" or the boy, but to Jean. There
was momentary RIGHTEOUSNESS, but
almost instantly Jean had herself I'M
der control; she was more the artist
than l knew. | began to realize how
far her artistry carried.
This is newsl" she cried. "When
did" She stopped short. A wave
of color flushed her face. Gerald did
not admit of casual explanation
Spool and his wife and still stood
as though rooted TO the floor. The
woman seemed to avoid my gaze, but
when at times l caught a glimpse of
her face there was something finer
than embarrassment in it; there was
embarrassment, ii is true, but some
thing almost seraphic as well.
Suddenly, Il think we women should
go over to Twenty-Five" Jean ex-
claimed. Marjorie must know the
great news. Come, Jerry!"
At the door the collie joined them,
capering uneasily in the snow. Spool
way along the well-trodden trail
across the gully; then we stabbed his
oxen in silence.
Back in the house, Spool drank cup
full of tea and rolled me a cigarette
] never smoked cigarettes except I'M
der Spoofs malign infiuence-before
he showed a disposition to talk. Then,
seated on one of my rough benches
behind the blue haze of his own to-
bacco smoke, he spoke.
Il married this woman that you
know as Mrs. Alton five years ago
Christmas day. You will understand
why Jacks wedding was something of
an anniversary to me. In course of
time Gerald was born. Up until then,
and for some time afterward, every
thing was all right.
Then = something happened. In
what / chose to call righteous indig
nation l turned her out. Perhaps it
was more mortified pride, or just blind,
beast jealousy. Never mind. Through
1t all i gave myself credit for being
just, even generous. l gave her half
of my ready money, which wasn't
much; I've never been much of a
money-grabber, Hall; it has always
seemed such an inconsequential BUSH
ness. But l gave her half of what
had, and settled on Gerald the small
income l could command, and let her
keep the boy. That was the biggest
thing. / see good deal of it through
different light today, but for letting
her keep the boy / demand some credit
still. I've done one or two hard things,
Hall. You know. That was one of
them
He finished his cigarette and Lit an
other.
"Then l came out here" he contin-
ued. at seemed the wisest thing to
do. / was settling into the hope of for
getting it all and making new start,
when she followed me-" He held up
his hand as if to silence me, although
i had made no move TO speak. II don't
blame her-now," he said. But then
last summer, you knew-it rather
interfered. / may as well be frank.
with you. / had an idea that Jean
would just about complete section
Two. She's a wonderful girl, Jean.
You know-the other day. :.
That was one of the hard things
was thinking about when 1 spoke of
them moment ago.
Frank, she lit thousand old fires
of memory that morning. Moving
about in my room; sitting at my table !;
pouring my tea-G--d, man, do you
understand? 1t was too much for any
body. / don't know what
would have happened. At any rate,
ask you to believe that was making
my fight. +. Then you came"
He threw away half of an unsmoked
cigarette and rolled another.
''Then spent some sleepless nights,
Frank, old boy. l was glad you had
come. and even in my gladness for that
sometimes I wished you We hui
mans are such queer mixtures; beyond
analysis But the more I admitted
these things to myself the more had
also to admit that something might be
said for Alice. Alice had once been
to me all that 1t now seemed that
Jean might be. / wondered If, by
some miracle, that might not come
again. Women are strange creatures.
Besides. wanted tremendously to
see the boy.
$50 yesterday hitched the oxen and
broke trail over to widow Atoms
My Affections had brought me to a
sufficiently humble frame of mind to
let Alice say her say. For awhile she
couldn't say anything; just wept, you
know, and cried my name over and
over, and sometimes Gerald's. Mighty
uncomfortable for a man standing
around and feeling that In some way
he's to blame for 1t all.
well. when we got down to facts
she had come in the hope of raising
money by means of homesteading sc
that she could educate the boy. But
when she found, through old Jake
that / had located here, she wasn't
above following And yet she was
afraid of me; afraid she'd meet me
somewhere; afraid I'd come over to
her homestead; and all the time hop.
ing / would! Women are strange
creatures.
well, we talked it all over, and
and for the first time In his narrative
Spoofs face lighted with a gentle smile
IL didn't go back to Two last night
at all. We're planning sort of quin-
quennial honeymoon progress about
the district. and. properly enough. our
first call is at Fourteen. And now that
that's off nay chest. behold man