Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1927-04-14

an hours notice. went to her
boarding house with calm face and
steady eyes, for that was her way.
When she reached her room she
went straight to her desk and took
three letters from one Of It's pigeon
holes. These she spread out in the
order of their receipt, placing the one
of the morning below the others. Then
she read:
North Dakota, January 1, 1915
Dear Edith: / got here two months
| ago and expended four of my five hun
dred dollars IN As good cows, which l
| think | got at a bargain. | believe
| understand cattle pretty well, dear,
even If / did make a failure of my
farm back there. The other hundred
dollars ! put into dugout and some
blankets and provisions. 1t is hard
but bracing country out here, and this
morning the thermometer is "a degrees
below zero. / am glad you have the
/ government position. 1t will be bet
ter than keeping house for that uncle
of yours. But this is enough now, be-
cause you said / must make good by
actions and not by words.
tom BURKE.'
North Dakota, April l, 1911
Dear Edith: Two years later. Have
40 cows now, 35 yearlings and 30
calves. Had my fingers and toes
frozen several times, and can ride n
wild mustang as well as most of the
cowboys. Shot five bears and traded
three Of the pelts for my mustang.
This Is about all the real action so far.
tom,
triple x Ranch, N. D., April ],
1919.-Dear Edith: You notice I have
my ranch now, with my brand, though
1T Is government land and still live
In dugout. But have 26O cows, $50
yearlings and $50 calves. / have hired
Swede to help me. In four more
years, at the rate of Increase SO far,
II shall have over a thousand head OF
cattle. Then I shall sell and return
home and buy my old farm That is
my great ambition now-and you"
She read the three letters with as
much Indifference as though the writer
was a stranger; but then she knew
them all by heart, and five years Of
silence was in her mind With the
same Indifference she opened the let
ter of the morning and began to read.
But as her gaze went over the sprawl
ing letters her eyes widened, her face
went white, and through binding tears
she threw herself upon the bed and
sobbed bitterly.
ooh, Tom, Toni" she moaned. II
was hard, so hard! But l was only
trying to make man OF you and you
were man all the time inside ought
to have known Oh, Tommy, Tommy
1t was all my fault"
Five minutes later she rose, bathed
her face and took up the letter for Il
second reading:
mo Ranch, No Cattle, N. D., April
1, 1924-My Dear Miss Dunning: +
have failed to make good and am
merely writing this because you may
hear of my returning to the old neigh
borhood. | hope to find some sort If
job there, perhaps as driver of milk
wagon. You will find this letter almost
nnreadable, for / am writing with my
left hand, and it comes awkward My
right was amputated after the great
blizzard.
1.-THE year after wrote you before
l took my herd farther up into the
northwest for better grazing and built
another dugout. For q year or more
all went WELL and the herd increased
to over 800. Then came the great
blizzard. T struggled with 1t for three
weeks, but in the end being driven
over a hundred miles, with four-tifths
of my herd dead and myself frozen to
uselessness for the time being. When
got out half of the few cattle left
were gone.
But there seemed no reason why
one-armed man shouldn't make good
so started in again and had built the
herd up to half its former size, when
the big snow of last winter came and
buried great lunches of the cattle I
am now being cared for by a good
friend Of mine named Scott. He has
purchased the thirty head of cattle
had left, and as soon as my broken
leg mends enough for travel, which
the doctor says will be before the end
of the month, shall start home. The
cattle money will pay the doctor and
my fare.
Il hope your government work is
proving congenial, and that you have
or will have some one to bring into
your life the happiness that my in
competency has denied me. Sincere
ly yours. THOMAS BURKE"
poor boy!" murmured Miss Dun
ming as she kissed the letter. '.He has
much more than made good and
shall be so proud Of him."
She went to her desk and removed
the contents of small drawer, which
represented her worldly wealth, few
hundred dollars saved from her sal
airy and fhe deed to lot far nm Four