THE HESPERIAN
"I ain't allns this ere bad," he replied
apologetically. "ItTs this ere wet weather
makes my ' rhemuatiz worsc'n generTl. I
cahrt sleep much oT nights anT it most draws
me doable of daytimes. Wall, if you've
got all yer luggage we might as well be a
pnllinT out I reckon."
"Yes, I suppose so," she acquiesced and
followed him toward the wagon. "But how
am I ever to get into this thing ArenTt
there any steps at all and most X climb over
the wheel 2" she asked as she came to it.
"ITm afeered ye will,. Deborie. ThatTs
the way me and yer ma has done far the
last twenty year er more. Yon used to be
spry enough to git into it Deborie. 'T
"Well, for mercyTs sake pa, donTt call me
Deborfe,TTT she mimicked. "ITve changed
my name Deborah, and the girls call me
Deb or Debbie'
"Tain't sich an improvement as I kin sec
and Deborie wuz yonr grandma's name, as
good a woman as ever drawee! breath, but
If ye don't like it I reckon me amI yet ma
fcrni git t'calHw ye Deb r Debbie. TT
Old Mr. Dobsora climbed into the seat
beside his daughter and started the horses.
"Dear me, what a wretched hole this is.
The houses look like chicken coops. It must
be awful to ipend a whole life time here. I
sxrppose the fashions are years' behind the
times. r'
"Wall, thars some mighty good people
here and in the surrormdinT country. The
church is a proapira every day and the' Lord
is a bIeaainT us mightily. And as fnr
fashions, we've got something mote impor
tant flock after, with souls a perisbinT
around us fur the bread oT life,"
'The'y perish anyway so you might Just
as well enloj yourself," then she continued,
"We might just as well have those blankets
over our Sap the way the cold scroop in
behind. This seat a regular old sky
scraper anyway. Carsrt you drive a little
faster? We'll never get home at this rate
and Vtx freezing to death,"
"Mebbe yotxrd best take the blankets and
git right down in the bottom uv the wagon.
The roads is pretty heavy and its nigh onto
three mile."
"Most anything would be better than
this," she replied and did as he suggested.
It seemed hours that she sat there shiver
ing, listening to the dismal chop-chug of the
wheels as they sank almost to the hubs in
the gummy mud, before she heard the
"Whoa, Dick! Whoa, Doll!" which told
that they had at l3st reached home.
She stood up stiffly, shook out the skirt of
her dress and peered into ths darkness
around her.
On her right she could see a dim light,
shinning from a lower window and straight
ahead, the slanting roofs of the old wood
and smoke houses.
"I guess you kin git to the house,11 her
father remarked as he helped her down and
began unhitching. "If JohnTs upT Jest ask
him tTcome and help me with this trunk.
Its liable to git wet by morninT.Tr
She stumbled over logs and chunks of
wood, until she reached the path leading to
the house, then walked firmly along until
she came to the flat, irregular stone in front
of the kitchen door. Here she paused.
There were the rain barrels and cellar
door on one side and yes, there was that old
well curb with its rope and pulley on the
other aide, ''it did seem strange thai pa
didnTt get a pump if nothing else," she
mused and thinking of the work attached to
pulling a backet of water to the top of the
weather beaten curb, she turned the door
knob and walked in,
A stream of tight fell in her face, blind'
ing her for a moment, then tbmgs began to
assume definite shape and she saw her
mother approaching. But before she hud
reached her Deb had seen everything in the
room, even to the young mm sitting in the
shadow of the stove with his feet faced
against the wood-box.
What a homely, cheerless room it was.
That hideous paper on the walls and how
abominable for the floor to be painted pink!