Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-12-21

before dragging the barrel up the steep pitch
ahead. This invariably was the period for
depressing thoughts - when man almost
doubted himself. He thought of his bride,
Marge, seventeen, Massachusetts bred, and
her love of the old-fashioned New England
Christmas.
This is going to be one hell of Christ
mas, -" he grumbled. He got between the shafts
again and pulled like horse The heavy bar
rel of water fought him every inch of the way
up the hill. He just barely made it, and the
muscles in his legs were trembling from the
strain.
He sat down on the barrel again and
gasped for breath. while his heart pounded
against his ear drums. Chad could see his
hundred and sixty acres now, and the ten-by-
twelve frame shack. The patch of white on
the prairie was Margie, gathering buffalo
chips for fuel.
Before sour faced Eli Fleming had fore
closed the Riddel mortgage, Riddel had loaned
Chad team once week to haul water the
mile and half. But after the foreclosure the
generous rancher had loaded his family into
his wagon and gone on.
If ranchers kept failing, Eli Fleming would
soon own the whole country Many insisted
that was his purpose, but Eli claimed he
would deal generously with the right men, He
loudly argued that he was a banker, not a
rancher, and-the right men in community
could do more for him than he could do with
the soil And his stern-faced wife, who really
had the money, always nodded.
The Conway mortgage was due December
twenty fourth Chad might pay it off if his
spuds brought in any money. If not - Well.
Fleming would own another homestead.
He hauled the barrel to within half mile
of the shack before resting again. He could
see Margie's washing hanging on the line -
dirty brown sheets, and undertakings of the
same color. A man can't haul wash water a
mile and half, so she had used water from
buffalo wallOw.
he HAD found her sobbing after she had
hung it up to dry. Never mind, " he had said,
some of these days this shack will be big
white house with trees around it, You'll have
kitchen like Peg Marshall over at the Lazy
NJ You'll have running water from deep
WE'LL not buffalo walow. You'll have a
machine to do your washing - maybe they'll
hook up washing machine to a steam engine
sometime and make womans work easier"
Margie had smiled through her tears.
Chad she had said, you re the most hope
full person ever did see You think nothngs
impossible The next thing, you II be saying
men will travel in flying machines"
Il hadn't thought of it before" he had
answered, but don't see why not"
Whenever he sat on the barrel and rested,
he wondered if he was really practical man.
He wanted those he loved to have the best of
everything, and he made them promises which
he was confident of keeping. But facts seemed
forever knocking his plans into cooked hats.
This country needed hard ruthless men.
Sentimental, soft men would never win the
approval of those who counted - such as Eli
Fleming.
Well. he had been warned of all this in
advance. A week after his wedding, Fred
Davis had come over and said, Coin to
Kansas, Ell? Figgerin' on homesteadin' Ell?
To succeed out there, you have to be harder'n
the hubs of hell and have imagination"
I've imagination" he had said.
But you're sckly."
Kansas will build me up III grow hard"
Kansas will kill you"
''I'll find that out" he had said, remem-
bering Kansas had beaten Davis.