Richmond Palladium (Daily), Volume 34, Number 160, 17 April 1909 — Page 6

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ULLO Suffronee.'

Sophronia Miranda Powers, idly sitting atop the stake-and-rider fence in front her father's cabin, a faded, red sun bonnet pulled over her eyes, started so at the unexpected greeting that she most tell off hear seat. Then, as she took a fresh hold on the top rail to steady herself, she looked up in delighted surprise St a little girl before her mounted on a pony. "Wy, Jane Kooser," she cried, "how ye skeered meP "Didn't I sneak on you, though," said Jane. She lipped from the big, man's saddle that nearly covered her tough little pinto and climbed up beside Sophronia. "Wat ye doin' daown here?" asked Sophronia, edging along the top rail hospitably to give Jane plenty of room, "hit ain't mail day." ' "I know hit," retorted Jane loftily; "hit ain't mail day er Sunday." Sophronia saw at once that she was bursting with some important news; but knew that she could not ' hold in long, so wisely concluded not to ask any more 'questions. Jane settled herself comfortably and stuck one bare foot behind the lower rail to Keep trom iauing off. There was a long pause. -"Thir's ,a woodtick on yer neck," said Jane Anally. I Sophronia removed it indifferently and dropped it into ) the grass. There was another long pause, l "W'v daon't ve ask me w'y I come?" demanded j Jane at last; "here I be, plump in front of yer house -an ufy!" Sophronia puckered up her mouth thoughtfully. It was five miles to Jane's, over a mountain trail that was on end most of the way, and she .knew that it was omething very important that could bring Jane out except on mail daxs and Sundays. She ventured a guess. "Thir's goin' tuh be church." Il "Nop," answered Jane. V"Mebbe thir's a new teacher conunV V' "Nop," said Jane again. Sophronia tried hard to think ot anotner reason. But Jane could not wait. She got down from the fence and stood in front of Sophronia, her eyes big and dancing with excitement , "Guess, guess," she cried, hopping up and down. Sophronia shook her head. "I kain't," she said ; tell hit" ' "Suffronee," began Jane, lowering her voice, thirs (folks from th city a-campin at our ranch!" Sophronia straightened up and let her bonnet fall toff. 1 'Thir's five uv 'em," Jane went on. "Sal-a-ra-tus!" gasped Sophronia. , i "A man an' a woman an' two boys an a girl." : "Ye doan' sayl" ; -I do."Cn I come an see em?" Sophronia asked presently. 1 "W-e-n," answered Jane importantly, "ye kaint totiflay." . "Termorrer?" persisted Sophronia. ' Jane jerked up her pony's head, put one bare foot leisurely into the stirrup and then half turned. Sophfonia was watching her eagerly. Oh, termorrer will do," said Jane. She swung lerself on by the pommel and headed the pinto down the valley. ' "I'm goin' tuh th' Three Mile' Place," ahe added, "tuh drive up a caow fer the strangers. So long." She held her head high as she rode away, Sophronia ' looking after her and thinking of the city folks. She was quite excited over the news of their coming; for, I since her third birthday, she had seen but thirty persons, including the four families in the little valley; i the mail man, who came once a week as far as the Three Mile Place; Miss Freeman, the school-leachcr, who spent four months of each year in the twelvcj ty-fif teen school-house ; a Methodist minister, who If reached once a month in Summer; the assessor; and the school-superintendent from Weaverville, the county eat. Now she was to see five more and all at once! A fresh breeze from off Mt Shasta, sweeping across the foothills, tumbled her hair, puffed out her apron and chilled her. But still she sat on, picturing the happiness to-morrow would bring, until, when at last she climbed down, she was cold and stiff and her mind was so busy that she dragged her sunbonnet behind her fcy one string all the way to the house. She went to bed as soon after supper as she could, fpr she wanted to cover up her head and have "wake idreams." She even forgot her regular evening task f driving the turkeys' out of the "digger" pines and into their coops so that the coyotes might not scare them down and eat them. She remembered her neglect when, late in the evening, she heard her mother shooing nd scolding. "Thet young 'un'," Mrs.' Powers was saying, Vn j think uv nothin', seems like. Ev'rything on th' ranch c'd jus go tuh grass fer all she cares. Went tuh ;ted 'thout gettin' these turks daown." Then she heard her father from the next room (defending her. He had been ill with the chills and fever "ofTn on," for several weeks. He had them every Summer, though, and never bothered to take medicine for them, staying in one day to "shake" and the next to "chill," and working whenever he could, just as the other men in the hills did. Of late he had been worse than ever before and often delirious, so that he talked a great deal. His low, weak voice at last lulled Sophronia to sleep. The first two years of Sophronia's life were spent in Missouri. Then the Powers family came to California in a prairie-schooner drawn by four mules. During the journey Sophronia spent most of her time on Iter back in the wagon looking up at the cover; and t , seemed to her as if the broad, white canvas was big as the rook of a house. To Mrs. Powers it

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was the trip that was wonderful ; and she declared that they must have traveled as far as once around the earth. - But then she had never studied geography or seen the ocean. In thevwagon, on its long, tiresome travel across the plains, were Sophronia's rag doll and doll bed, piled on top of her father's and mother's things, and her high chair roped at the back. But best of all her little, big-cared donkey, the gift of her Uncle Will, trotted along behind the schooner all day and lay down with the mules to rest at night, Her father used to put her on the donkey's back very often when Mrs Powers was getting the meals over the campfire, and hold ' her there while the donkey walked around. In this way Sophronia and the donkey got acquainted early and soon grew to love each other. He was just Sophronia's - age and had been named Scraps because he would eat anything. " But Sophronia called him Straps at first because she could not pronounce her ch's, and afterward because she had the habit. Straps was brown on top and dark-cream underneath. In winter his hair was long and shaggy ; but in Summer-time he got sleek again. He had a clipped mane that stood up stiffly as if he were scared all the time; and his short tail was clipped, too, except at the very end. where there was a bunch that he .used as a brush to keep the flies away. His hoofs were tiny and round and had fringed cuffs of creamy hair at the top. His big nose was very soft, and whenever he saw Sophronia coming he wiggled the long hairs on the end of it. But the most wonderful thing about him was his voice which was precisely like the big saw in a lumber mill. When Mr. Powers reached Trinity County, he "located" in Long Valley which lies, shut in by high foothills, exactly where the letter "N" is on the map. After clearing a level stretch of trees and underbrush, he built a two-roomed, log cabin with a lean-to of shakes where straps could be tied while the barn was going up ; for Sophronia would not be parted from her donkey, and it was too cold for her out in the clearing. Sophronia and Straps led free, lazy lives, and both carae in for a good share of scolding from Yit:. ?ov-

A DIM LIGHT WAS BURKING AT THE HEAD ers; because Straps was of no account on the place; and Sophronia could not do kitchen work. If anyone tried to ride the donkey on an errand, he would stop on the way, as likely as not, to b rouse and not even so much as flick his tail when he was hit; and if the little girl was set to work on the dishes, it took her so long that her mother would finally get angry and tell her to "git out'n th house." Then Sophronia and Straps would wander away to gather pine nuts in the woods or to fish in the noisy trout streams. Or they would travel and travel and travel, as far as Bella Vista, a high point down the valley from which they could view the world. v On these journeys to the world's entrance and back, Sophronia often wondered if she did not love Straps better than her father and mother. But when this thought crept into her heart, she put it out instantly, for she felt that it was wicked. However, she was certain she cared more for him than she did for Miss Freeman, who had once told her how Straps came to have a long, dark stripe running down his back, and another across his shoulders both forming a wonderful cross! And after she had heard about Bethlehem and the manger, she loved Straps more than ever.

The day after Jane's call, Sophronia awoke so early that she saw the sun come up over Twin Peaks; and when Mrs. Powers entered the kitchen at six o'clock, she fount! her washed and combed and trying vainly to button her best pink apron up the back. "Wall, Suffronee," she said, "w'at on earth's struck ye? Is Mount Shastie goin to stan on hits head?" Sophronia kept on trying to button her apron. "Come a-here." said Mrs. Powers. Sophronia walked slowly over to her mother and stood quietly while her apron was being fastened, Mrs. Powers scolding all the time and giving a jerk now and then that threatened to snap off all the buttons. "I s'pose yer goin' to gad," she said. Sophronia nodded and then went out to saddle and bridle Straps before breakfast. She ate her bacon and potatoes hurriedly and rode away toward the Kooser ranch. For the first mile of the trail Straps lopedT Then the path began to ascend the mountain and he settled down to a slower gait. Sophronia let him go as he wished, for she was so busy thinking that she did not even push the chaparral out of the way when it hung across her path. 4 When she reached Jane's, Mrs. Kooser came out to ask her into the house. But Sophronia would not get down. . "So ye came tuh see th' city folks," said Mrs. Kooser. "That's nice. How's yer pa an' ma? Well?" Sophronia told her how sick her father was. "LanV laughed Mrs. Kooser, "ye daon't call th' shakes nothin', do ye? He'll be all right soon." "I reckon," answered Sophronia. Then she and Jane, sitting straight, in their big saddles, their toes thrust into the loops above the long stirrups, rode off to the alfalfa pasture to see the city folks. As they neared the camp, their madrone switches sent Straps and the pinto in at a gallop. The strangers came out to watch them canter up. Jane got off her pony when they stopped, but .Sophronia stayed in her saddle. She was very much interested in f.vc hammocks that swung between the trees and

OK THE BED, AND NEAR IT ON A CHAIR SAT HER MOTHER, in the great pile of canned things near the sugar pine that was the "kitchen." The city lady, who was not a bit "stuck up," Sophronia thought saw her looking at the canned goods and gave her and Jane each a tin of sardines. Jane thanked her several times, but Sophronia could not open her mouth. "Cat's got 'er tongue," explained Jane glibly, and the city boys laughed. Sophronia shook her head slowly, and put out a tiny bit of her tongue to show that Jane was wrong. The boys laughed louder than ever. But Sophronia did not notice them, for just then she caught sight of the dearest little fellow in the world, with long yellow curls and big, brown eyes. He was looking at her donkey. Suddenly he spoke, and then she knew that he was a little girl in blue overalls and not a boy at all "Papa," called the little girL running behind the wagon. She came back talking very excitedly and -leading a tall gentleman in funny knee trousers. "Isn't this the dearest, cunningest donkey you ever, ever saw?" she said. Her papa looked at Straps. "I wish I could have one " she continued; "can't I, papa?" "We could ride it, too." said her brothers.

The little girl went up to Straps and put her hand on his nose. "Is he tame?" she asked. Sophronia, did not answer. "Does he "kick?" said the little girt "Naw," answered Sophronia, for she did not want any one to think hard things of Straps. - "Oh." sighed the little girl. "I trisk I had him. Papa, buy him for me, won't you?" ; Sophronia's eyes grew very big, and she pulled on her bridle reins. f "Papa," urged the little girl, "please buy him for me, The city gentleman smiled up at Sophronia. "What will you take for him?" he said. Sophronia's eyes got still bigger, and her face grew red. She pulled on her reins again adn gave Straps a sharp blow with her switch. "G'up," she said, g'up." - "111 give you a twenty for him," said the city gentleman as he held up a big gold-piece. , Sophronia never looked at him. Before anyone could stop her, and with Jane shouting for her to come back, she was oil across the alfalfa as fast as Straps could carry her. It was late that night when Sophronia got home. She crcjjt over the fence carrying the bridle in one hand and her sun-bonnet in the other. Afraid lest the city gentleman would come down during the day and try to buy Straps, she had stayed away until dark; and to make .sure that he could not get him. she had gone to the Three Mile Piace, hidden the donkey in a pasture and then toiled back home alone over the trail. The house was very quiet when she opened the kitchen door, and, though she was hungry, she undressed for bed. But before turning down the quilts, she pushed open the door leading into the front room to see if her father and mother were awake. Her heart- stopped beating for a moment as she looked in. f A dim light was burning at the head of the bed. and near it on a chair sat her mother, her face buried in her hands. Beyond lay her father, looking very long and still, his face showing plainly against the white oillow. She saw that he was either much worse or dead! ' . She waited, watching them sadly, before she spoke "Ma," she whispered at last

HER FACE BURIED IN HER HANDS Mrs. Powers lifted her head and looked around. She had been crying, and her eyes were swollen. "Ye back?" she asked, also in a whisper. "Yes. Is pa worse?" Sophronia had come in, her long, flannel night-dress trailing about her. Her mother nodded, and they both tiptoed out Mrs. Powers carrying the lamp. They sat down at the kitchen table. "He's powerful sick," said Mrs. Powers, "an we've got tuh get him tuh a doctor as quick ez we c'n or hell die." She began to cry, holding her apron over her face and moving her head from side to side. Sophronia watched her with a frightened face. I trOb, don't cry, ma," she said. Mrs. Powers looked up. "Thet's easy tuh, say." she answered: "but how're we goin' tuh git him to Weaverville? The mules is on th' range an' hit ud take a week tuh fin' 'em. An' I haint got a dollar tuh hire any one tuh pack yer pa doawn or tuh pay fer a day's stay whsn I got there." she began to cry again. Sophronia, shivering in her thin dress, wished she were grown up. ?f hain,t hcd strop"", he ye?" asked her mother. "Ye'U be sick the next" Sophronia turned to the cupboard and took out some food. Then she remembered the sardines, and went to her pocket for them and put them on the table. Her mother caught sight of the tin. "Ye hain't been tuh taown, hev ye?" she asked. -"Naw," answered Sophronia, "a lady campin at Kooser s give hit tuh me an' I saved hit for pa."

Her mother took the can up and turned it over and over in her hand. Then she put it down. "He kam't eat 'on." she said; "eat 'em yerself." After her cold supper Sophronia lay down "jes for a minnit" to get a wink of sleep. See meant' to sit up part of the sight with her fatter and let her mother rest But she was so worn oat with her long ride and her walk from the Three M He Place that ahe fell asleep at once. The sun was shining in at the window, and her mother looking white and scared, was standing beside her bed. "Suffronee," she whispered hoarsely, "ye'd better git up an git some one yer pa!s worse ag'in." Sophronia was on her feet in a second and put ting on her clothes. Her mother went back to the pan of potatoes she was peeling for breakfast But Sophronia made up her mind not to wait for anything to eat So when she was dressed she reached for her bonnet "IH go right away." she said. Then, suddenly, she saw the bridle lying on the floor and gave a frightened gasp. She had forgotten that Straps was three miles away! ' r,."h,' m.a,V Jr Straps at th Three Mile Place! What 11 I do?" She began to explain, telling about the little girl who wanted the donkey and her own fear that the city gentleman would come for h'lTi "An they re rich," she said, -they've got At baasmocks !" Her mother listened, too sad to scold, her tears making little plashes in the potato pan. -Do yer besV was all she said. - Down the trail to the Three Mile Place Sophronia ran as fast as her feet could go, the bridle swinging beside her and knocking against her ankles at every step. She. had plenty of time to think while she ran. and she blamed herself for leaving Straps so far from the house that he could not be ready at any moment to go for help for her sick father. An hour later she came up the trail toward her home at the head of a strange procession. Behind Straps was "Old Joe," a Modoc Indian who lived near Bella Vista, and on each side of the pony he rode ' were strapped the front handles of a long canvas stretcher. Another pony, ridden by Joe's son. carried the rear handles. The procession halted in front of the Powers cabin, ?u J. ,ian. freed his ny fron stretcher. i hen Old Joe went into the house to help Mrs. rowers make the sick man ready for his long journey to Weaverville, thirty miles away. Sophronia was not there to help for she and the boy were traveling tha trail to Kooser's at a hard gallop. They did not stop at the house when they reached it but went hurrying on to the camp of the city people in the alfalfa. When they rode in, Sophronia slipped from her donkey's back and ran forward to where the city gentleman was standing. "Please, sir." she said, panting with her hard ride, "please, sir, I'm wilhn tuh sell Straps." She held out the bridle reins to him, her face very pale but determined. " W-h-a-t 1" cried the city gentleman, gazing down in astonishment at the little pink apron, "you're willing to sell your donkey? Well. well, well !- "Yes, sir," said Sophronia; "pa's sick an ma needs the money." . The city gentleman put his hand into his pocket very slowly and drew out a big twenty-dollar niece. And you're selling him to help," he said holding oat the gold. "Well, you are a brave little woman." . Sophronia took the money and, holding it ' very tightly in one fist turned to give Straps a good-by kiss. "Dear Straps," she said, putting her arms around the long, soft nose, "good-by." She laid her wet cheek against him for a moment, kissed him, and then without a word mounted behind the Indian and was gone! It was the boy who gave Mrs. Powers the twenty dollar piece, and she took it in great surprise. Thcr was no time to ask questions, however, and she nut on her bonnet as quickly as she could and helped the Indians lift her husband into the stretcher. They were ready for the journey to Weaverville. But where was Sophronia, who was to ride the horse in the lead? Mrs. Powers, calling loudly, began to search for her everywhere.' After looking through both rooms, she went to the back door and shouted toward the barn. There was no answer. Then she hurried out to see if anything bad hardened to the child. As she turned the corner and came in sight of the stall that had been the home of the little -donkey so long, she saw her. Curled np and Pairing with sobs, Sophronia lay on the straw-covered around, "efface hidden in Straps's old saddle blanket One afternoon, four weeks later. Sophronia sat on the stake-and-rider fence in front of the cabin, thoughtfully swinging her feet She was thinking of Straps and wondering where he was. She knew the city folks had gone, and, of course, they had taken him ' with them out into the big world that she and he bad newed so often from the top of Bella Vista. So she would never see him again, ride the brown back with its wonderful cross, or pull the long, silky ears. And at the thought with swimming eyes and ""quivering lips, she drew her sunbonnet far over her face Just then she felt a hand gently touch her shoulder. nd her father spoke. "Wall, Suffronee," he said, jsnt this th'. puniest day? Sh'u'd think ye'd be off ridm aroun on Straps instead of sittin' here. Whar is the little feller, enyway?" She hesitated a moment before she answered. "Hee Sone," she said at last "GoneT exclaimed her father, "whar?" sick!"" Sr ,Uered Sophronia, "when re was Mr. Powers did not answer. But as he leaned against the fence, the tall pines and jthe tnanzanitas blurred and danced before him and be cleared bis throat several times. H".' in.-the ,on Pae that followed Sophronia suddenly lifted her head and listened. What was that? From up the trail had sounded a harsh, prolonged sawing like the big wheel of a lumber mill: Haw-hee-haw." Her heart thumped wildly against her pink apron as she strained her eyes toward the edge of woods listening eagerly for a second cry. There it was again! "Haw-he-haw." Could it be? yes, it was Strap's voice! Sophronia nearly feu off the fence in her excitement: and by the time Straps had come into sight across ,Be WM ronnin like mad to meet him. calling his name at every breath. Mr. Kooser was on bis back and let him come at a gallop. A moment of joyous rushing together, and Sophronia had her arms around the donkey's neck and w" k?ssm him and sobbing in pure happiness. ,a"d Mr- Kooser as he dismounted: e . n ke tamed to Mr. Powers, who bad come up Le's go in," he said, "I reckon theyH want 8pelL Ye see." he went on as they started tor the house, I brang 'im daown 'cause that city man sed tuh me. sed he. Thet little Powers kid was so brave an on selfish, thet HI ies leave her this here donkey as a present when I go-tub kinda square things up.