Evening star., 1928-12-21
Judith's Wilderness.
JUDITH KINCH sat before her door
with eyes shaded BY her hand,

JUDITH KINCH sat before her door
with eyes shaded By her hand,
looking anxiously down the trail.
~ She was awaiting the. first APP
pearance of Zack and Betty, her
boy and girl. who had gone to town
early that morning Zack was IA and
Betty II. and since the death OF Sam,
her husband, the three had had hard
work to exc a living out of the worm
out mountain farm. But Judith was
brave and the children had stood nobly
by her. This year their potato crop
had been unusually abundant and, ow-
ing to the fact that much rain had
fallen in the lowlands and her little
farm being on the side Of steep hill
which afforded wonderful drainage, Ju-
dith was hopeful that her potatoes
would bring a high price. Not that she
wished others to suffer loss, but usually
her potatoes were poor on account OF
lack of moisture. This morning, bright
and early. Zack and Betty with the
help of their mother had loaded the
first load of their precious crop onto
the old wagon and. hitching the mules
to the rig. had taken them to the town
to sell. Judith would have gone, too.
only she had spra!ned her hip and telt
that she could not bear the Joltlng OF
the heavy wagon. Now, at O'Clock IN
the afternoon, she sat listening LOT tne
first rumbling sound which would ap-
prise her of the fact that her chnoren
were returning to her.
AS Judith sat waiting she uncon-
eciously reviewed her life. First there
had been her girlhood spent in an
Eastern State, and then her courtship
and marriage to Sam Kinch who as
q Young man promised much and as
husband failed to fulfill that promise.
His rowing disposition had finally land
ed them on top of this high mountain,
far from neiehborS and friends and so
moor that there had been little more
than a bare living, and then, when they
had been about to give up and go back
East. Sam had been seized with some
unaccountable malady from which,
after a lingering illness that lasted for
several months. he had finally died ana
left her with debts and two young chill
dren Judith sighed as she thought of
all this. not so much for herself as for
Zack and Betty. It was too bad that
they should not have their chance.
They were both bright children and
would take readily to education, and
with the proper training would soon be
able to eXtricate them all from this
state of poverty. But where was the
money to come from? If all went well.
the money and credit from the potato
crop would barely keep them through
the coming Winter, which every sign
indicated would be hard one; but just
here Judith caught the first rumble of
the wagon and, arising, went slowly
forward to meet it.
Judith sent "hoo-hoo!" down the
trail in response to the shrill whistle
that always announced zack's approach,
and after a few moments the creaking
old wagon came into view. But instead
of just Zack and Betty on the high
seat. there was a third person, small
and slender boylish figure, who sat be-
tween her children and seemed to have
some difficulty in accommodating him
self to the jolting wagon. AS they drew
UP in front of where Judith was stand
ing, she noted the cleaning pallor of
the boyish face that looked eagerly
down at her. Why, he was only boy!
Not many years older than Zack.