Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-30
When Morning Breaks.


From the front porch Lefty Bene.
dict watched her husband drive away
down the Brook road. He was going
10 town IA miles away to get the
horses shod. 1t would be night before
he returned. and that meant a long
day of loneliness for her.
The little mountains farm was the
dreariest place imaginable. but never
drearier than now when summer was
at the turn. For Winter meant
paralysis. No one came, they could
not get away. they We're shut up. Will
With the chores and little wood
chopping and tinkering. Lefty with
her homework. They had no tele-
phone. no vlctrola. no car; they were
too poor to possess such things. 1t
was all they could do to live and pay
off the mortgage which Wills parents
had placed upon the place.
When they We're young they had
not minded so much. but now they
we're no longer young. Lefty felt
his fact anew each day. There were
silver threads in Wills black hair.
her bright bloom had faded and she
looked tired about the eyes. TOO
light for heavy work" VIII said to
her. But she continued 70 do the
heavy work-Iifting milk ,)ails. feed
ing calves, doing big wash7 as in the
hardest way
Now as she watched her husband
leave her she realized that what she
found hardest in her life was lonel-
ness. She wanted neighbOrS, women
TO talk to, chance to see things. an
opportunity 10 enjoy human contact.
Suddenly she shut her eyes. press
ing her palms hard over them. Ill
and the bacl, horses had come to the
turn.
Il mustn't watch him out of sight. y
she thought. its bad luck. The
shred Of old superstition chung 10 her
and, although she knew it was SUCH
she would not play with it.
There was ironing TO he done. veg
ctables to gather from the garden
and the Young cattle TO watch lest
they get through the broken place in
the fence which WIZ had mended
temporarily. Poor VIII. He did each
day the labor Of two men. His slen-
Ger shoulders, once so fine and
straight. yer" growing stopped with
all this heavy burden bearing. She
sighed TO think OF il.
All morning Lefty kept busy. for
busy people are not so lonely as idle
ones. She talked to the dog. sang
little, ratified pots and pans Il good
deal II was good 10 hear a noise
sometimes.
At noon She ate u bit of dinner.
Her appetite was poor. She Just dld
not care 20 eat, that was all.
After dinner she did some mending.
sitting on the porch and watching
The break in the fence. She was ut
t"rly alone now, for the dog had gone
off to hunt a woodchuck Having
been UP since O'Clock. she was
cha
against the enOrmity Of mapping in
the shank of the day. she fell asleep.
A great noise awakened her-thun-
der. The sky was black as night
and wind. presage Of storm stirred
the apple trees.
She feared a storm.
'Tll have to get in my chickens,
she thought.
The tiny things lurked in the grass.
but she had them all collected and
safe in her apron when the rain be
gan TO fall.
Laden with the peeping. uneasy
apronful of chickens. she ran to shell
ter. and as she closed the door the
storm broke III a madness of noise
and confusion.
The chickens were cold and she
wrapped them up in an old shawl
and placed them near the stove.
The dog came Scurrying homeward,
drenched and lolling.
Lefty, CHANGING from the window,
saw that the brook which came down
through the fields had swollen into
a red, angry torrent She stared at
It with diSmay as suddenly it spilled
over into the corn field. washing out
half an acre of the grain.
Days Of hard work wiped out in
q few minutes. She wrung her hands
and Sobbed.
Darkness came on apace. Lefty
MIXED the COWS early. The storm
had dW!ndled to a gray driZZle. but
the little brook still roared.
When O'Clock came she prepared
supper and set it to keep hot. From
that time she simply waited. with
fear in her heart least VIII be not
able to get home.
Hours passed while she listened
and hoped. AT last she went to sleep
with her head on the kitchen table.
1t was midnight when she Weakened
stiff about the shoulders and heavy
of spirit Her first thought was of
VIII. But there was no sign of him.
She thought of that long IA miles of
wild road, of the stream he must
cross. of the mountain he must climb.
lie must have met with dangers and
hindranceS or he would come home.
Never before had he stayed away
like this, for he knew that she was
timid.
She could not go to bed so she