White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1937-01-14


ing down the hollow. 1t was stir
ring with spring and there was
whispering among the trees on the
hillside. She could hear Reuben in
movement in the room behind her.
Under the moon the pear tree by
the we'll looked to be bursting into
full bloom under the pent-up urge
of it's nature. Reuben's movements
had ceased and the room was quiet
She turned from the window. Reu-
ben was standing by the foot-post
of the bed. She moved joyously to-
ward him through the dim mOOnglOw
Abral had gone before daybreak;
out into the great world at last.
Jasper had taken one of the pillow
mules to Poplar Bottom to turn the
ground. Jesse was getting ready the
Finemare and the mules for the
journey to the river and the boat.
Jane and Lucy had the breakfast
prepared.
While Jesse and Reuben were
strapping the small trunk and the
new telescope on the pack-mule,
Cynthia made last visit about the
house. She took down the Boone
powder-horn and Sparrel's pioneer
clothing and looked at them. She
went into the medicine room to
smell the herbs her father had left
there. She charged Jane to watch
over the things her father had left
in the desk by the mantel. She
went into the weaving room for the
last time and sat by the loom, feel
ing the tears form, lifting in her
hands ball of yarn, the last one
Julia had dyed. 1T isn't so easy to
leave everything. Maybe Jane will
learn to use it. She takes hold of
things. But it isn't so easy" Then
she took the two volumes Of the
history worn yellow by Sparrels
thumbs through the years when he
read to her, and few packets of
the fower-seeds Spared had gath
cred from Julia's garden, and
packed them to carry away with her.
She heard through her tears the
voice of Reuben speaking to Jesse
and there was laughter in it. She
thought of the cottage in the or
chard above the rivers. The cherry
trees would be in bloom when they
got there. That would be her place,
as Wolfpen had been Julia's and
was JAMES. 1T isn't so hard to leave
everything, going with Reuben"
Jesse rode away with them. Jane
stood at the kitchen door, as Julia
used to do when Spared was riding
over to town. She waved to Gym
thia, and Reuben lifted his hat, re-
turning the farewell. Lucy and
Jenny and their children were in the
yard. They found Jasper at work
in Poplar Bottom and babe him
| good-by there. "Take care of your
SELF" he said, "and come up and see
us now before long"
They took the more difficult trail
| around Cranesnest because Cynthia
did not want to pass the spot where
her father was struck down. At
the top of the mountain they
stopped to look down for the last
time into Wolfpen. The mill was
silent and the pond was dark with
the shadow of the hill behind it.
The shelf Of graves was hidden by
Cranesnest. The house and orchard
were far away, tiny and quiet. Un-
der them Poplar Bottom looked to
be standing on edge. Jasper was
blowing, the old iron pillow blade
flashing in the sun when he turned
at the end of the row. He strobe
the burrows like his father, only it
was not Spared. He called to Spar
rel's mule in the cadence of Spar.
rel's voice; it lay poised in the hol-
low like thin fog and then float
ed up to Cynthia's ears on the
mountaintop. 1t was only an echo
of Snarrel's call.