White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1936-10-15

from far place to find you and
could he water your flock for you?
No, / still think it would be bet
ter to be by the pear tree with a
sprig Of blossom in your hand"
When she had reached the end
of that dream, she found herself
back in the barnyard a little dazed
in her mood of idle and purpose
less wanderings, and there came
rushing back to her the vision OF
Spared disappearing in the dawn
with Jasper, and of Jesse riding
away on sudden notion. The I'M
balance returned and she followed
it through the sweet-potato patch
where the plants were beginning
to trail the sandy earth with slen-
der green tentacles, and down to
the creek. There was satisfaction
in this kind of idleness, the cows
in the quiet of afternoon under
chestnut tree staring into the great
peace beyond the world of wearied
flesh. She drifted without haste
to the sparse clump of willows where
the water ceased flowing over the
serrated slate bottom and lapsed
| into the profound peace of the mill
dam.
docs running water like to slip
into the pool and stop and lie
down like a tired eve, or does it
| try to get away again and run
down to the mill and tumble with
the big wheel, clasping it's paddles
and pulling it around while the wa
ter eases itself down to the creek
bed again like Jesse swinging to
the ground from the top branches
of a young sapling. I guess it's
like sheep and people, that way,
and sometimes likes to lie quiet
and sometimes likes to pull on a
wheel and go some place else just
to be where you're not"
The shepherd, springing before
her around the willow trees, gave
low growl and retreated a step.
Cynthia looked. 1t was nothing
more startling than blacksnake,
and that was nothing at all because
Spared always kept one in the
corn-crib to catch mice. But while
she was yet speaking this to her.
+ self, she felt her stomach tighten
involuntarily and a wave Of sick
ness gripped her abdomen and con-
tracted up into her throat. The
thick black reptile was in the act
of swallowing coppered-colored
toad with blue warts on its back.
1t had already sucked into it's gull
let both twitching hind legs, and
the lubricating slime from it's ex-
i, tended mouth was oozing out in a
white froth to engulf the quivering
, front legs and the trembling throat.
The CLASSY eyes of the terrified
, toad bulged out in a death panic.
1t seemed to Cynthia that they
, were fastened upon her, and she
became the suffering animal, en-
dowing the toad with her own re-
WILSON'S, feeling her own legs en-
. quilted and absorbed into the rep
tile.
i She picked up a stick and punched
, the snake on the neck. Fright sud-
denly seized it. In trickle OF slime
j it elected the toad, and slid in ter
| ror back into the bushes across the
} path. Cynthia controlled the pang
t of nausea as she watched the par
: alyzed toad try to move it's help
! less legs. She pushed it gently I'M
, der a ledge in the rock bank and
: left it there.
!. She stood for a moment where
she had sat watching the bubbles
and the minnows relaxing but still
, disturbed and breathless. There
= now, Cynthia Pattern, what are you
4 going to do and think next, any
way? Why did you go and do that!
3 Snakes have to live too; and you