Plentywood herald. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1908-current, 1929-06-13

NfabAAGNo AN 81 III
stepped close.
1T amt no fault Of mine. Jake" he
whispered. but this here cOOk-noW?
Well, sir, he's a Wum-mun."
1t was the end of a far from perfect
day; Jake Ingham lost his temper. His
face grew several shades lighter and
his eyes changed to blue mica. He
swore. He swore long and fluently and
with considerable variety for S o young
a man. In the midst OF his eloQuence
there entered the new COOK.
Jake turned Immediately upon her
and spoke as follows: Women, he said.
had no sense, least Of all had they the
sense to keep away from places where
they were obviously not wanted, that,
SenseleSs as most women were, she, the
new cook, was perhaps the least sens
ible of her sex, otherwise would she
not have been able by the lightest ex-
ercise of her imagination TO picture to
herself how little likely a m would
be to get a welcome from a rancher
whose place was chock-full of having
hands. not a bed, not a corner, not a
blanket to spare? And the work was
heavy work, a strong mans work.
There was no one TO loaf about watch
ing a chance to lift and carry for a
woman
He'd say nothing about Larky's in
sanity in allowing her to come, because
the whole country was well aware that,
when women were concerned, Larky
was an incompetent. BY his own ad-
mission, made repeatedly before wit
nesses. his wife had married him
against his will and in the teeth of his
determination to marry another girl
/. Larky had left the room with
an air of sensitive dignity at the first
mention of his name and his place had
been Immediately taken by Tim with
an expression of having been Larky
from the beginning Of the interview
but hadn't she sense enough to see for
herself that Larky was a fool? Had
she so little experience of a ranch in
haying season, his ranch in particular,
a bachelors, a h~omesteader'S, cOmpar-
atively a newcomer's-not to know that
there would be M possible place on it
for a woman? Evidently not.
Evidently she had neither n nor
4 imagination, less OF both than even the
average members of her sex. Well, in
that case she didn't have the sense nor
the imagination to cook for him. Shed
have to go back down the valley to
Timber without an hours delay
He stopped and realized that he had
stopped for an extraordinary reason,
because literally he had not another
word to say. For the first time in
months, perhaps in years, he had been
allowed to reach the extreme limit OF
his powers of self-expression on a given
subject. He stopped, and clear-eyed
the pressure removed from his brain,
looked at the new cook.
She was a thin young girl with a lit
tie patient face and very direct kind
eyes. She wore a clean calico dress
over which she had put on a mans
threadbare mackinaw coat. The cuffs
we're turned back SO that her capable
quiet hands were visible. She had fold
ed them quantity together at her waist
will I cook supper for you and the
boys, Mr.. Ingham, before l go?" !.
"Er-yes, please" Jake answered
Saul has refused to do as much as fry
a piece Of bacon. He says sine we
don't like his cooking he's not going tc
cook. We're about starved, Miss :"
The girl smiled. She had square
white teeth and a big sweet mouth like
a boys.
I'm Myra Gerry. Mr.. Larky sure
did his best to get a mar cook, sir.
There wasn't a n to be had. came
to oblige ;"
I'D be obliged" said Jake confused
!, ly, IF you'd forget everything I've Just
said and stay and cook for us. You
can have my room and I'll move over to
) the clubhouse. I've a camp bed. vii
! you begin again and can you forget
my bad mannerS?"
20, sure; that's easy. In the hayine
season / savvy how a man feels. II
} this boy here will show me where the
} stove is . I'll get to work"
! Tim led her out. Before the door
closed, Jake heard him say: Il reckon
/ you like dogs, Miss Gerry Say
. you had oughter see my dog, Jumps
e After supper, pride yielding to the
social instinct, Saul helped the new
4 cook clear up. The others, appeasec
S and soothed by a process OF delicate
: internal satisfactions and adjustments
draped themselves about on the front
porch. There was the still and elo-
quent end of evening to change it,
colors for them, to melt the mountain.
" and stretch shadows across the rost
gray plains.
g Jake set his shoulders against a pos
b and rolled a cigaret of sudden ant
e complete contentment. Chickadees wer
e singing light heartedly, the big high
kneed western crickets keened in
h money chorus. His breath was tn
It smell of the new mown fields. Insid