, 1925-02-25
Don't you think h. sosht 70 20 d

Don't you think he sosht 70 70 b
schoOl?"
"But sure"
Having begun. she could not 20
back. Doesn't your wife want Roelf
to go to school any moreT'
"MaartJe? But sure"
She gathered herself together:
ton. "Then why doesn't he 60 Il
school. for PHYS sakeT
Klaas Pools pale blue eyes were
fixed on the spot between the horses
ears. His face was serene, placid, pa
tient.
"Roelf he works by the farm"
Selma subsidized, beaten.
Dusk was coming on. The lake mist
came drifting across the prairie and
hung. a pearly haze, over the frost
nipped stubble and the ~leafiess trees.
1t caught the last light in the sky and
held 1t, giving to fields, trees, black
earth. to the man seated stolidly be
side the girl, and to the lace Of the
girl herself IN opalescent glow very
wonderful to see. Selma, seeing 1t,
opened her lips to exclalm again and
then, remembering. closed them. She
had learned her first lesson IN High
Prairie.
The Klaas Pools lived In a typical
High Prairie house. They had passed
a score like 1t in the dusk. These
sturdy Neutrality-suspicious. had built
here in Illinois after the pattern of the
squat houses that dot the lowlands
about Amsterdam, Harlem n Rot
terdam. a row Of pollards stood stiff
ly by the roadside. Yard and dwelling
had a geOmetrical n%eatness like that
of a toy house in a set of playthlngs.
Peering down over the high wheel
Selma waited for Klaas Pool to assist
her in alighting. He seemed to have
no such thought. Having jumped down.
he was throwing empty crates and
boxes out of the back of the wagon
So Selma, gathering her shawls and
cloak about her. clambered down the
side of the wheel and stood looking
about her in the dim light, a very
small figure In a very large world.
Klaas had opened the barn door. Now
he returned and slapped one Of the
horses smartly on the flank. The team
trotted obediently Off to the barn. He
picked up her little hlde-bound trunk
She took her satchel. The yard was
quite dark now. AS Klaas Pool opened
the kitchen door the red mouth that
was the open draught In the kitchen
stove grlnned a toothy welcome at
them.
A woman stood over the stove, a
fork In her hand. The kitchen was
clean. but d~isorderly. with the disor-
der that comes Of pressure of work.
There was a not unpleasant smell Of
cooking. Selma shifted 1t hungrily.
The woman turned to face them. Sc
lima stared.
This. she thought, must be some
other-an old woman-hls mother,
perhaps. But: "Maartje, here Is
school teacher" said Klaas Pool. Sc
lima put out her hand to meet the other
woman's hand, rough, hard. calloused.
Her own. touching 1t. was like satin
against a pine board. Maartje smiled.
and you saw her broken discolored
teeth. She pushed back the sparse
hair from her high forehead. fumbled
a little, shyly, at the collar of her
clean blue calico dress.
PLEASED to meet you," Maartje
said. primly. Make you welcome"
Then. as Pool stamped out to the yard,
slamming the door behlsd him, "Pool
he could have come with you by the
front way. too Lay Off your things"
Selma began to remove the wrappings
that swathed her-the muller, the
shawl, the cloak. Now h stood, a
slim. anonymously elegant little fig
ure In that kitchen. The brown lady's-
cloth vas very tight and basqued
above, very fiounced and hustled be-
low. "My, how you are young!" cried
Maartje. She moved nearer, as II I'm
PEELED, and fingered the STUFF OF Sell
mas gown. And as she did his Selma
suddenly saw that she, too. was young.
The bad teeth, the thin hair. the care
less dress, the Uttered kitchen. the
harassed frown-above all these,
standing out clearly. appeared the look
Of a girl.
"Why, / do believe she's not more
than twenty-eight !" Selma said to her.
self in a kind of panic. Il do believe
she's not more than twenty-eight."
She had been aware of the two pig
tailed heads appearing and vanishing
In the doorway of the next Evil
IDENTIFY her hostess was distressed be-
cause the school teachers formal en-
rance had not been made by way Of
parlor instead OF kitchen. She fol
lowed Maartje Pool into the front
room. Behind the stove. titterlng,
were two yellow-halred little girls.
Geertje and Jozlna. Of curse. Selma
over to them. smiling. (which
Is GeertJei" she asked. And which
Jozina." But at this the filters be
came squeals. They retired behind
Tia rattnl lIaal. h.,I.uasl. "a tho ..raad-