Jasper County Democrat, Volume 23, Number 73, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 December 1920 — COMRADES of PERI [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

COMRADES of PERI

By Randall Parrish

BYNOPBIS. CHAPTER L—Tom Bhelby, A rancher, ride, in to the frontier town of Ponca looking for- a good time after a long spell of bard work and loneliness on the ranch. Instead, he runs Into a funeral — that of Bad Calkins, a retired army man of whom little la known. A girl, still in her teens, survives Calkins. CHAPTER IL—McCarthy. a saloonkeeper and Ponca's leading cltlsen, decides that the girl, now alone in the World, should marry. Shelby starts a' hunt for eligible husbands ghd the minister goes to confer with the girt. . CHAPTER lll.—She agrees to pick a husband from a score of men lined up In her home. To his consternation, she selects Shelby, who had gone along merely Is a spectator. He declines the honor. Indignant, the girl dismisses the assemSlage. Later. Bhelby goes back to make IB explanation. She receives him good aaturedly. CHAPTER IV.—Leaving her, Shelby funs into two of the rejected suitors, and in a fight worsts them both. Angered It (heir remarks, he returns to the girl, letermined to marry her. If she will have Mm After his explanation she agrees to marry him. CHAPTER V.—The wedding takes slaoe the couple set out for Shelby’s fflrw-h with them Is the “Kid," MackItn whom Shelby has hired as a helper on the ranch. On the way the girl tells her husband her name Is Olga Carlyn. and also tells him something of the peculiar circumstances of her Ufa CHAPTER VI. A Blow of Treachery. It was a desolate home-coming—-the great stars overhead, the tinkle of distant water, the silence and blackness all about, and the dim outline of the cabin barely visible amid the surrounding trees. The girl held her breath with lips pressed tight, staring around Into the vagne shadows and permitted Shelby to gently swing her between the wheels to the ground. Some way the strong grasp of his bands brought back to her a sense of courage. “Is—ls there no one here?” she' L asked, afraid to venture a step In the gloom. “It Is terribly dark.” “I’ll remedy that In a minute,” ( he - said, pretending a cheerfulness he was. far from feeling. “Hey there. Kld,‘

stake out yer horse, and come here' and hold these broncs until I light up Inside. Don’t move, Olga; there Is a steep bank just beyond. I’ll only be gbne a minute.” “But where, is your herder?” “Out with the cattle, probably.; he doesn’t sleep here, and had no idea when I would be back. Now hang on tight to these reins, Kid, and I’ll help you presently. Would you rather go with me, Olga?” -res," she said, her voice trembling slightly in spite of every effort at control, “I "would rather not be left out here.” ( “All right; this Is the path; don’t be afraid. I won’t let you stumble. Now, one step up; that’s it.” He flung open the unsecured door, and stepped Into the dense blackness of the interior.' She could see nothing, but heard him rummaging about, and finally caught the tiny gleam of a match. The next instant this had becomb the flame of an oil lamp, and the whole Interior of the room became revealed in the yellow flicker. In spite of every attempt to Bteady herself, her heart gave a sudden throb, and she clutched at the door Tor support This was even worse than she. Tiad pictured. “A bit tough looking. I suppose.

Shelby said with a hasty glance about. “Sorter surprise, this brtngtn’ a wife back with nje. N* ver reckoned on any such thing, or I’d a cleaned the shack up .ji bit However. Til straighten things around in a Jiffy, as soon as I show the Kid the corral. Here** a chair to sit in," and he dumped Its load on the llaor. “You ain’t afraid to watt here, are your “Oh, do; I will be all right You need not hurry." She made herself say these words calmly, looking him frankly In the Yace, yet as he weis outside, elbsing the door behind, him, seemingly quite satisfied with her readiness to abide the situation, she bowed her hen<V on the dirty table, and her body shook with sobs which could no longer be restrained. So this was what she had come to—this l She had kept herself np all day with dreams; and this was the realization. She lifted her face and looked about, the tears still misting in her eyes; then she suddenly laughed, and stood up with cheeks glowing, and lips firmly set. It was a horrible mess, to be sure, yet the place Itself was not so bad; she had lived In far worse; and once put in some degree of order and cleanliness It might prove fairly comfortable Indeed. She surveyed the scene, as revealed by the yellow flame of the lamp, her heart beating faster. This was to be her home. She had come here as mistress. It mattered not so much «what It was now. but what she should make of it. Her slender form straightened with new determination. There was yet another door, and she looked out through it Into a small lean-to, the Idrap held high over her bead This was evidently the kitchen, containing, as it did, a small cook stove, a sort of roughly built closet, and sink, the latter stacked with unwashed dishes. An armful of spilt wood lay on the floor, and a half slab

of bacon hung to a nail. Olga gave vent to another laugh, but this time there was no hint of hysteria in It She had found herself. Dressed still In the long duster, she set down the lamp on a small table, and dropping upon her knees, swiftly kindled a fire In the stove. As the wood began to crackle cheerfully, she searched the closet for materials, rejoicing to discover -some dishes yet nnused, together with remnants of food sufficient for her purpose. There was Sugar, condensed milk, a few knarly potatoes, a small sack of flour, and a half can of coffee. She dumped these out on the table, and began humming a tune, as she added the slab of bacon to these treasures. She was too busy by now to give another thought to the dirt and disorder about her. Shelby was kept outside considerably longer than he had anticipated. The buckskin, In spite of a slxtj-mlle Journey, retained viciousness enough to kick the lantern out of the Kid’s hand and smash It Into smithereens, thus compelling the two to work In darkness. Macklin, unacquainted with the surroundings, was of little use, an<J most of the work had to be done by Shelby In person. When It was all over with both men were sweating profusely, tired and angry, the Kid cursing everything from the creation of the world. Shelby, suddenly remembering the girl left alone in the house all this time, lost the last grip on his temper. “Shut upl" he barked savagely. 'Tve had Just enough of that What did you expect anyway—a reception committee an’ a banquet? Come on In, npw; we’ll bustle up some grub. Here, yon might as well tote a few of those things along with you.” Both men loaded up with packages from the buckboard, the Kid still swearing under his breath, but Shelby grimly silent. He was rememliering what that Interior looked like, and wondering how she was taking such a home-coming. He could not but contrast the dirt and disorder to which he had brought her with the Immaculate cleanliness of the shack where she lived In Ponca. The memorymade him half afraid to go In and face her eyes. He lifted the latch

hesitatingly, the bundles on the other, arm piled to his chin, and stepped across the threshold. Then he stopped suddenly, with his mouth wide open, the Kid pushing In behind him, even more heavily laden. She stood in the middle of the floor, with cheeks flusfaed, and eyes smiling. “You boys can pile that stuff on the table,” she announced brightly. ‘T’ve scraped those papers up in one corner, so there’s plent£) of room, Never mind about bringing the rest In now; sup per’s ready.” Shelby put his bundles down with out a word, his eyes quick to perceive the chairs cleared of their debris, the floor swept, the ashes back in the stove. He could hardly comprehend the miracle. She led the way gayly, leaving her broom in a corner, and carrying the lamp. The lean-to kitchen had been transfigured, and actually presented as homelike appearance. The dirty dishes were shoved out of sight, the floor swept, the fire In the stove blazed cheerfully, and the table was covered with the essentials of a truly appetizing meal. She set the lamp down in the center, fully rewarded by the expression on the faces of the two. ‘'You boys wash up there in the sink,” she commanded; “use that piece of sacking for a towel; It was all I could find. Then we’ll get busy.” If Shelby was to live a thousand years he would never lose memory of that meal. The grateful warmth of the stove, the neatness of the table* the good fellowship with which she perved, all coupled With the wonder-' iftfl surprise, left upon him an _lmprtsslon never afterward to be Wotted ou*. She talked about what shewas

going to do; about what he had purchased In town; about anything which came Into her mind that she could manufacture conversation from. He told of their adventures outside, and made her laugh heartily over the Struggle of getting Ihe Kid's pony safely Into the corral. The Kid himself said little, eating heartily hut In silence, only occasionally lifting his eyes from the plate. This pretense at modesty did not semi like the Kid. and Shelby found mniself observing the fellow with some wonderment. His looks were not at all prepossessing, now that he saw him more plainly revealed In the lamplight, and he was some years older than he had supposed. The fellow had a hard, arealpated face, and his lips were thin, with a distinctly cruel twist to them. Shelby had Intended putting the man In that bunk In the front room, hut now decided the stable was good enough for his use. As soon aa they were through he hunted up a second lantern. “Take the rest of that stuff off the buckboard, Macklin," he said shortly. “aDd stow It away In the cellar-cave Just to the right of the house, I’ll be out presently, an' we’ll fix things up for the nlght.“ Aa the fellow disappeared Shelby’s eyes encountered those of his wife across the table; “And whaj are you going to do?" she asked directly. “Why. help you with these things, and then clean the shack up a bit; It Is In worse shupe than I realized." She shook her head positively. “Oh, no, mister man. This Is my house, and I am going to take care of it —all alone. I have seen your style of housekeeping, and I prefer my own. You go on, and finish the work outside ; when you pome back It will look better in here."

Shelby went out. Macklin was seemingly busy at the task assigned him, the lantern hung to the broken branch of a convenient tree, lighting his path. Without even speaking, the ranchman passed by down the steep path leading toward the stream below. He was some time In completing hls-task, when he finally emerged once more from the stable, the only gleam of light he could perceive above came through the log-chinks of the cabin. He wondered what had become of Macklin. yet gave the matter no special thought as he toiled slowly up the path, his mind more deeply Interested In the reception awaiting him within. He passed close enough to the buckboard to assure himself that his orders had been executed, and, believing the fellow had probably re-entered the house for some purpose, passed on directly to the front door. No one was In the main room, nor In the chamber behind. They remained exactly as he had left them. The sllepce startled him, and he advanced swiftly toward the kitchen, where the light still burned, visible through the open door. It aTso was deserted, the dirty dishes yet setting on the table untouched. Good God! what was the meaning of this? What had occurred? The outer door stood ajar, and he sprang anxiously forward, peering Into the blackness. There was no sound, no movement;,the blaze of light had blinded him, and he stepped outside so as to see better. He had taken but one step beyond the protection of the partially open door, when something

struck him, and he went staggering down, as though his skull was crushed by the savage blow. (TO BE CONTINUED.) Many of the fruits and 'vegetables now eaten were almost unknown to our forefathers. Not until Henry VIII’s time were raspberries, strawberries or cherries grown in England.

"A Bit Tough Looking, I Suppose."

He Went Staggering Down.