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Show THE .JORDAN .TOURN AL. MIDVALE. UTAH We were so tremendously alone that fa seemed tbe world wu tull ot ourselves and God. But a gaunt phantom of doubt and uncertainty stalked us even on those moonlit walka. ------~-- EIG HB Author ot .. The Cow Puncher." .. The Homesteaders•• eop,.n~ht WINTER LIFE ~ SYNOPSis-Lured by h\s touryear-old playmate, Jean Lane, Frank Hall, aged six, ventures n the forbidden wall of a dam, In a small On tarlo town. He falla Into the water and Is saved from possible death by clln~;ing to Jean's outstretched arms. Next day Jean Informs him that because of their adventure or the day before he Is In duty bound to marry her. He agree3 when they are "crownups." With Jean's• brother, John, also aged six, Frank begins school. Two years later they are joined by Jean and }'rank's sister, Marjorie. A little later Jean confides to Frank, In verse, her hopes of some day becomlnc "Mrs. Hall." Be accepts the "proposal.'• 1-..,rank is fourteen when his mother dies. The boys are eighteen when John's father Is killed In an accident. Two years later Franks father and John's mother are married. Dissatisfied with conditions, and ambltloua, the two boys make plans to go to Manitoba and "home1tead," the girls agreeingto co with them. They set out. At Regina they meet "Jake," who agrees to find them satisfactory homest~ads. He does so, and the two friends file claims on Sections J.<'ourteen and Twenty-two. Jake sagely advises the adventurers In the purchase of supplies, and In a was-on drawn by a yoke or oxen, and with a cow, the four arrive at their future homes. Construction of "shacks" and the making of a garden are their t\rst occupations. A young Englishman of the name of "Spoof" Is a neighbor. They call on Spoof, who Is living In a tent. Spoor, on his return visit, discloses himself as a man of varied social attainments. Prank's jealMarjorie disousy Ia aroused. covers that they have a new neighbor. "He" turns out to be a Mrs. Alton, a widowed Englishwomen, who, with her threeyear-old son Gerald, has taken up a claim. Frank and John leave the homestead• for a time to do harvest work for wages on a longer-established farm. They encounter Jake, who tells them of his adventure Into rnatrlmoay. After two months' r&bsence they return to their homes. Jean's enthusiastic welcome encouragea Frank. The land sections begin to t\11 up with settlers of all naJake and his wife tionalities. have located In the neighborhood. r"malns atra.ngely Mrs. Alton aloof. Winter seta ln. Frank and Jean enter Into a marriage enC"agement. It Is well understood that John and :llarjorle are soon Frank almost to be married. loses his life In a snowstorm. CHAPTER X-Continued -9As the frost settled down about me I at length, by a great effort, sprang out of bell and went groping for my clothes. I was not yet pioneer enough to know that It Is fine business in very cold weather to sleep with your clothlng, or at least your underwear and socks, under your pillow; It lessens the ordeal of that first break from the wann blankets Into the wintry atmospbere. At It>ngth I found my clothes an~ scrambled into them, chattering and blowing prodigiously tn the operaNo man-still less womantlon. knows what haste he can develop In his dressinc operations until he has a below-zero temperature as a ba pacemaker. l<'lnllinjt matches I lighted my lamtt and sallied forth Into the malu room. The boards beneath me creaked dilmally as my weight came upon them; a drift of snow several teet In length and the shape of a great fish had tormed across the room as a result of a crack 1n the door; the stove was Ice cold; the water palls were frozen over; the little clock on the shelf had atopped. My watch was of better mettie and revealed the fact that It was aeven·thlrty. We had slept well. I made shaYings from a- poplar stick In ttle wood box and soon had a tine llrt roaring. When once It was started the great draft of the storm drew It impetuously up the sheet-Iron pipes, and I was o!Jiiged to apply the damper. 'No more unhappy Irony can betall be homesteader than to burn down hll shack In bls attempts to warm It. "Good morning, Frank!" said a voice which set the pumps ot my heart K"Oing to jig music. I thlnk Jean's \'oice was really her most wonderful quality; she was enough ot the artist to appreciate and cultivate the fine manners of the voice. It had the lilt of singing birds, the limpidity ot purling water, the softness of roseleavel ln the twilight, the tinkling of silver b"lls at dawn, and If 1 can think ot any other fil.'llre It had that, too, tor me In those old love-hallowed days of mine. "Good momlnc, Frank. No word of Jack?" "No word, Jean." "He Is all right. He Is over at Fourteen, and not up yet, I'll wal:'er. Now euppose you co Into the men's apartme~ts and face the wall-that fire loots most Inviting!" I did att I was bidden, In part at least, while Jean dressed by the fire. After a little •he gave me the "All clear I" and 1 swept out and seized my anus. . • . It was a very her won ertul way to begin the day. ''There now," she expostulated at length, "let me get the vorridge on. That's more to the purpose." "PorridgA 111 po•Jr buslneR!l when mere'• lnvinl' to hf' «1one," l•rgued. Spoof Into the house, and I turned our own oxen out and put his In the stable. We were soon to learo the cause of Spoof's absence from our threshold for a full three weeks. Lt seemed that to prott><'t his extensive supply of personal elfects Spoof had bought a padlock for his sllac'i, and one frosty morning this padlo<'k fell to the ground. SIJOOf picked It up, and, wishIng to use his hands for some other purpose, thrust the Iron link of the lock In his mouth, thinking to hold It there a moment. He had no trouble holding It, but sud1lt.>nly found to his dismay that he couldn't give lt up I The frost In the Iron had, with an eft'ect very much like fire, seared his tongue and hung on so tenadously that when at last he wrenched It out It carried some of the flesh of that tender organ with lt. "I couldn't speak," Spoof explained, In telling of his misfortune, "and there were so many things I needed to say just then." His predicament had been bad enough. }!'or several days he had been unable to eat. "So I've come over here to make up for it," he added. After the first outburst over Spoof's arrival bad subsided an embarrassing silence yawned across the path of our conversation. There were great things to be said and no one to say them. The girls glanced shyly at each other, ar,.d at us, and Jack, by pantomime behind Spoof's back, sought to convey the information that I was elected spokesman. So for Jack of preparation I plunged in bodily as one may take a cold dip when he lacks the will power to do It slowly. "Jack nnd I have also bad a misfortune, of a sort," I said. "\Ve, too, have lost the use of our or,ans of speech, permanently." Spoor narrowed hls eyebrows quizzically. ''Then my ears make up for It,'' he said. "I hear you as usual." "It Isn't In et!'ect yet," I explained. "We are to be married at Christmas. Behold the parties of the first part," That Gilunt Philntom of Doubt Closed In Upon Me. and I waved a hand at Jean and Marjorle while I turned a phrase of Jake's to good aceount. Spoof sprang to his teet. "Oh, by Jove, lr<>w wonderful! What lucky dogs! Your pardon, ladles, tllat my first word was to them ; I fear my envy outweighed my good manners-If I have any left. A bachelor's shack Is not exactly a school of polite behavior. It is my visits at Fourteen whlch have saved me from becoming quite a sa vage. 1-1 feel that I should make a speech." He was as good as his word. Mountlng a chair he gaYe us a bantering dissertatlon on the joys and perils ot. married life, to which we listened with much seriousness. But underneath, and running through his words, was something which 11.!1 his banter did not hide. Spoof was playing the ga~e, but I wondered how many little yellow devils were skewering his heart. The practical part of It was Spoof's ready offer of his help In arrangln~: details. The problems of securlnc the services of a minister and buying the marriage licenses demanded attention. Even so ethereal a thlug as marriage cannot entirely escape the humdrum of the material, but It was a tlme when we felt strangely incapacitated for the commonplace. We were llying too high tor earthworms; larks or eagles were our prey. Jack suggested that we had thought of driving to the nearest railway statlon, some thirty miles distant, for the ceremony. We understood that a min· later was located there and tllat tn~ young man who ran the poolroom was Intrusted with the duty of Issuing marriage licenses. He carried a small stock of tobacco as an auxiliary to his pool bul:'lness and a small stock of jewelry as an auxiliary to his tohacco tuslnPss and a smull stock of wedding lkenses as an auxiliary to his jewelry hul;!nes;o:. I •·It would tl!ke you two davs to make hildren Cry for CHAPTER XI By ROBERT STEAD "You won't always think so," sbe rE-plied as though with some strang!' glimpse of prophecy, and set busily about preparing breakfast. [n these operations she discovered that everything that <'OUid free:r.e had frozen; we melted the butter until it ran over the stove and then ,,.e gathered It up and spread It on the toast. We could not ufford to be fastidious. We ate and drank, and laughed and were happy and cared not a tuppence for all the storms th:tt ever blew! About midforenoon came a sudden smash at the door, and Jack precipitated himself into our presence. He was masked in snow, but his first glance was at me, and [ knew by the sudden drawing of his lips the relief It was to sire me safe and well. "1 was afraid for you, Frank," he sui(]; "ufrald you'd try it." "I did try It." And then I told him the story of my attempt. "We have a great deal to be thankful for,'' Jack said, soberly, when I had finished. "A very l:'reat deal, Indeed." "Yes, more tlmn you know," I returned, joyously, eager to spread the good news. "Jean has consented to be my wife." Jack refused to be excited. "Congratulations, old boy,'' be said, pressing my band, "but, really, that ls hardly a news Item. Jean has been-well, on the point of consent tor a Lon~:, Ion~: while." "Oh, Jack, that Isn't fair I" "Sorry, sister, perhaps It Isn't quite. But you two have been so beastly slow over this business you',·e tied up the whole progress of events, and now you want me to be surprised about something tllat's long overdue." "\Vell, It's settled now, anyway,'' said I, "and as soon as you and Marjorie can rnake up your minds we will fix a date." "As soon ns ~Iarjor1e and I can make up our minds!" Jack exclaimed. "Son, our minds were made up months ago. We've been waiting, waiting. At last we concluded that we really must speed thlngs up a little, so It was arranged that Marjorie would send yon over here last night, and I would accidentally miss you In the :ully and I:'O over to Marjorie's. 0! course, we didn't know there was a storm comln:. It rather overdid things from a conventional point ot view, but fortunately Mrs. Grundy hasn't moved out here yet.'' "Why, I never thought of such a thing!" cried Jean, lnuignuntly. "How can you-?" "Ot course you didn't, you old dear,'' said Jack, drawing her within his arm, "and, I'll bet a wedding present, neither did Frank. And listen, little woman, you're getting one of the best little chums and one ot the whitest men beyond the Red river and the Rockiesand beyond. .And as for you, you old son-of-a-gun,'' punchlnl:' me In the ribs, "if there are two angels ln the world today one of them Is Jean Lane." Although the storm still raged daylight now struggled through the wind· swept screen of snow, and there was no great dan~:er In mak.lnc the short trip from Twenty-two to Fourteen. Jack confessed that Marjorie was uneasy for me so I went home very soon after his arrival. Marjorie ftew Into my arms as I opened the door. "I was sc> frightened, Frank, so frightened!" she whlspet·ed, In half sobs. "I didn't know it was going to be such a storm. I was almost sure you'd come back and when you didn't I couldn't help wondering, and every little while through the night I would waken and see rou fighting In the snow; fighting, and stumbling, and falling." She wrapped her arms about me and pressed her cheek against my face. "Oh Frank, Frank, It's good to have you here!" she murmured. 1 had never known Marjorie to be so demonstrative. She came of solid old Eastern stock that carries lts heart a long, long way ln. I was not psychologlst enough to realize that If ever there wus to be a time when Marjorie . woulcl be very human she was now enterlng lt. "There, there," 1 said, comforting her as best I could. ''It's all over now. And llst~n-1 have great news. Jean and I are " be--" "At last I" she Interrupted. "Well, that shows what a little planning will do. You deur old silly, did you suppose--" "I know all about It-now. Jack confessed. But your little joke nearly cost me rny life," and 1 went on to tell of my battle with the storm, taking care that It should lose nothing In the telling. In this I hope I measured up to the established standard of the typical Westerner. Marjorie was penitent. "I am so sorry,'' she said. "I had no Idea that might happen. Oh, Frank, wouldn't lt have been dreadful?" "It wollld, but It Isn't. On the contrary, It Is worth it." Spoof drove over one Sunday early In DC<'emher after an absence of three wPeKII. We saw his oxen breaking tra!l for an hour or more before they ~ame up to our door. .Jack and Jean had also seen them commg, and rushed o,·er to Fourteen to sbare .In extending ""elcome. £t Is only among- we Dioneers tnat real wel"omea ocl"ur. Jack tweDt - b:r Robert Stead that trip with old Buck and Bright,'' "Perhaps more; Spoof protested. they're soft with being stall-fed and may quit altogether on the road, and you may not find a convenient annful of hay with whlciJ to fix them. Fancy ha\·lng to send word, 'Wedding postponed on account of the Indisposition of Buck and Bright!' No, you must leave all these things to me. You boys are too !Jusy with-much more Important business-to be worried about details." Spoof made his plans joyouqly. If he was not happy at heart over the fact that Jean was to m11.rry me no one could have read lt In his face. He would have a minister, he would have licenses, he would have wedding rings -leave It all to him. A week later he came pumng across the crusted prairie, in broad-soled Canadian felts. "Admire my scows," he commanded, ns he hove them Into Tlew. "Twin schooners of the deep-" "Travelinll' in ballast,'' Jack Interrupted. "Nay, laden with good tidings. A.b., there she breaks out a line of signals,'' ancl Spoof started to wig-wig a message which none ot us could decipher. "'l fear thee, Ancient Mariner,' " said Jean, "but what are you driving at?" "Just this, that the contract lt let to one John Locke, minister, the lowest, and, In fact, the on!) bidder. He will be aided and abetted by an !ndlvldual called Reddy, for reasons which will be obvious when you see him. Reddy, !Ike Jake, appears to harbor no surname, although no doubt tor omcia! purposes he $igns something to the marriage license. They will be out by ml8afternoon Christmas day, and the ceremony wlll take place In the main drawing room ot my country residence on section Two. Carrla~:es at fourthirty. You see, I lost no time In going to town-" "You to town, with those 'bullocks' of yours!" Jack exclaimed. ".And you Ubeled Buck and Bright by suggestIng-" "1 went to town, but not behind my bullocks. There are aome things I will not do, even for 10 great a friendship a1 I bear for thee. I had a driver nnd a spanking team ot. mules." "Mules? Whose?" "Our .American friend, Burke. lent hts team and hlmse!f for the occasion. The tact 1a he had misgivings about lending the team without himself, so he came along. He was afraid I would not treat the mules dlplomatlcally, Nothing, I assure rou, was, or Is, further from my Intention. But, my word, such language I Driving bullocks Is only a beginner's course compared with the demands made upon a muleteer. • • . Burke rose very ;:reatly 1n my estimation." So we lett the details In Spoof's hands, glad enou~:h to be rtd ot responsibility for them. There was much to do, and Jack and I found ourselves banished to Twenty-two while the girls made use of the shanty on Fourteen for operations concerning which we were permitted to haYe nothing but Their wedding splendor curiosity. must, we knew, be deslgnPd with such skill as Marjorie and Jean possessed from the best of the clothing they had brought with them trom the East. Love may laugh ' at locksmiths, but lt has to bow to dollars and cents-when the trousseau Ill under consideration. Money, as Marjorie once remarked, may be bad for the heart, but it's good for the appearance. But there was no money to be had for this occasion, and Marjorie and Jean cut their cloth accordingly, literally as well as figura· tively. Also, the news had to be broken to those at home. Each of us wrote a letter, although, to saye postage, we enclosed them all In one enYelope. There had bePn little correspondence since we came to the homesteads, mainly because we were as yet thirty miles ' from a post omce, and letters might lie for a month without a chance of delivery. But this was something to be written about. 1 recall that there was moonlight just then, and night on the prairie was a base of l"ory cupped with an intangl!Jie bowl of blue. Always there was the nip of frost In the air, but It was a nip that was not unpleasant, and by no means did It succeed In confining us within doors. During these bright nights Jean and I took long, neYer-to-be-forgotten walks across the I snow-piled, moon-swept plains. could feel her 6rm little figure swaying with mine In our strong Btride across the wlnd-packed snow, while our !lhadow&-our shadow, I should layfell In grotesque caricature by our side. There were moments when we were very, verv close to the Infinity which bounaea us on every hand, and th .. wonder of that great, white, silent ocpan would surge Into our hearts and mingle with the wonder of our love. A quarter of a mile from the shanties and we w•l·e as Isolated from all livIng thlho,.,. ,., It we ha_i) been let down In the midst of the Pdt'iir sea, or drawn by some mighty spirit Into the farthest void of soa<'e. Even the boisterous wind pata attention enough to blur our foorprlnt!ct out behind us and so complete that sense ot J.n1lnlqr of isolation. That gaunt phantom of doubt gradually closed In upon me. I resolved to fight lt, but Its very Intangibility batHed my eft'orts to throw 1t olf. When I stru<:k, It was not there. When 1 gripped it, my lingers closed on space. When I challenged Jean's whole-heartedness she burst Into tears and asked what proof she <'OUlu give that she had not given. And it was because she burst Into tears that · the phantom stalked me all the closer. Had sh• laughed and callPd me a silly boy 1 would have believed her. Nothing came of it, however, and the days wore on untll one forenoon we saw Spoof's tall figure looming up across the snow-waste that lay between Fourte~n and Two. We made li m welcome, but he would not slt down. "Sorry, but I can't stay," be explained. "Jake Is in a bit of a mess. Just came over to Two to tell me about it. It seems the cogitation nut on his base burner-you kDO\V the bl~r coal stove Jake puts on so many airs about-bless me If I know what a cogitation nut is; rummy old name, don't you thlnk?-but at any rate It has come loose so Jake posted over to borrow a left-hand monkey wrench with which to tighten lt. It seems he can't get at It with an ordinary monkey wrench; must have a left-hand one. I hadn't such a thing about the place, and of course I to! d him so. "'Danged unfortunate; says Jaln~- excuse the adject!Ye, ladies-and he stuck out his chin and massaged It In a way that showed he was worried more than he admitted. "'It w111 be a!I rlrht, won't it?' !!aid I, trying to buck hlm up, and really knowing not~lng about lt. "'Well, 1t may be, and 1t may not be,' said be. 'It we're lucky nothing wm come ot lt.' "'.And ln case 10u're unlucky?' I queried. ",'Then the bottom will fall out of the stove and the shack will burn down -maybe before I get back. We can't leave It without a fire in this weather, you know.' "So seeing that old Jake was 1:1 a bit ot a mess I volunteered to come over and borrow the necessary tools from you. It took quite a welillt oft' his mind, I assure you." Jack and Jean, as usual, were with us- at the time and from a corner where he was out of the range ot Spoo:f'1 vision Jack waa semaphoring me an Improvised hush signal. "Too bad the day 11 so dull," Jack said, looking out of our window 1D the direction of Jake's homestead. "Can't aee a thing. His llhack may be buroed by thls time. Perhaps Jake and' Bella Donna are already on their way here tor shelter." "Oh, aurely uot I" exclaimed Jean. "Surely that would not happen I" "Quite possible," her brother In· sisted, with the firmness of one who is prepared tor the worst. "When the co~:Itatlon nut works loose you never know what may happen. And the worst of lt Is we haven't a left-hand wren<'h on the pla<'e." "You haven't I" said Spoof, plainly concerned, "I say, that'a rather rotten." Your best chance 11 "l:m't 1!1 Burke. Burke has quite a lnyout of tools, ano, besides, he's an ingenious beggar. No doubt he wl!l be able to fl.x you up." Marjorie had already drawn a cup of hot,. tea, and Spoof drank lt while he stood. "Ah, that's better," said he, as she took the empty cup from his hand. "Wonderful how n cup of tea bucks a fellow up, Isn't 1t7 Now I must get along. Fancy old Jake on hls back under the stove holding that nut In pluce• with his fingers!" "Or with Bella Donna's curllna: tongs," Jack suggested. ''Burke will fix you all right,'' and we waYed him away. It was one of those gray winter days, and he faded out of sight In a few mer ments. I noticed that Jean's eye1 followed ' Spoof until the mist had engulfed him. Then she turne<l quickly to Jack and me. "It there Is auy danger, don't you think yeu should 11'0 to Jake's at once?" she said. This fool's errand mily be funny, but the result mily te aerioua. Who can tell? (TO BE CONTINUIIJO.) Reminded "The storm bui"St upon us ao llld· denly and \'lolently that we had no warnln~: or Its 11.pproach," said the tornado \'lctlm, relating his experience• to a friend. "in an Instant the house was demolished and acattered to the tour winds. How I es<'aped being torn to pieces, I do not know ! We--" "G--good gra('lousl" said :r.tr. Meeke, Jumping to hl.e feet. "That rE".lllnd• me 1 1-I almost forgot to post a let· ter for m7 wife I" By Direct Command They were diacuaslnt: the adYent of their baby sister, but neither <'ou1u give a satl8factor7 explanation of the new arrival. At last the elder bo7 said: "'I know how It was." "How?" asked his brother. "Why," he exclaimed, w1th an afr 4 relief and decl!llon. "God said, '1.« there be Ph)'lll.e,' a.nd tber• wu PhYllla." MOTHER~·- Fletcher's Castoria is especially prepared to reEeve Infants in arms and Children all ages of Constipation, Flatulency, \Vind Colic and Diarrhea; allaying •· Feverishness ansmg therefrom, and, by regulating the Stomach and Bowels, aids the assimilation of Food; giving natural sleep. ~ To avoid imitations, always look for the signature of Ahsolutelv Harmless- No Opiaus. Physicians everywhere recommend it. 1 Railr~ad A Weak Fi•h A l<eventl.'en-mlle sectiOn of the Yo"rm sure Jack never proposed to ·emlte Valley railroad is being re- ll girl before. ne acted like a fish built at a higher elevation to prevent 11ut of water." It from bE>Ing drowned by water Im"How so?" pounded by a big dam now being built "He actually gasped."-Boston Trunon the 1\Ierced river in California. scrlpt. Lilt For Proved safe by millions and pre~cribed by physicians for Colds Pain Headache Toothache Neuralgia Neuritis Lumbago Rheumatism I DOES NOT AFFECT THE HEART ] Way He Felt, Anyway Det..ned She-What di~ you see on your Yoyage? He-Sick.-Cincinnatl Enquirer. "Can you tell me what a grass widow Is?" "The widow of a vegetarian." :Matrimony worries a woman tess Epicures are people who dislike to 'liter she gets Into it than hefore. waste good hunger on poor victuals. ''They haven't missed a single day at school!" "They're well all the time. The doctor says they are the healthiest children he knows. "He told me constipation is what makes so many growing children sickly. Poisons from the waste matter spread through the little bpdies, and lower their resistance to disease. So I'm very careful to guard against constipation. I simply give them a little Nujol every night. "Nujol isn't a laxative at all, you know, but it keeps them just as regular as clockwork. They like it, and the doctor says it's just the thing for them." Nujol h~lps Natur~ in Nature,s own Wtl'J matter and thus permits Mothers are the best friends thorough and regular elimiof Nujol. When their chilnation, without overtaxing dren's health is at stake they the intestinal muscles. seek the remedy that medNujol can be taken for any ical authorities approve belength of time without ill cause it is so safe, so gentle, effects. To insure internal so natural in its action. cleanliness,itshouldbe taken Constipation is dangerous regularly in accordance with for anybody. Nujol is safe thedirectionsoneach bottle. for everybody. It does not Unlike laxatives, it does not affect the stomach and is form a habit and can be dis. not absorbed by the body. continued at any time. Nujol simply makes up for a deficiency-temdruggist for Ask Nujo today and let porary or chronic your children enjoy the -in the supply of -. .... .. ... perfect health that ia natural lubricant only when in the intestineS. TitlE INTIEIINAL. L.UBIOIC:ANT possible their elimination ia For Constipation I tsoftens the waste normal and ~ar. Nujol _ rour |