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Show THE SAUNA SUN. SAUNA. UTAH Ett ROBERT STEAD Authpr of The Cow Puncher, "SKY AN' GRASS" four-year-o- ld She was seventeen now, and my wondering eyes had of late beheld her trim girlishness giving way to the first entrancing curves of womanhood. Her light step, her grace of motion, her clear, pink skin, her sensitive lips half d teeth, parted over rows of her eyes large and dreamful, all whispered in some vague way. In the ears of my boyhood that Jean was not as other girls; whispered of Jean the Jean had artist Jean the idealist not gone Into the mill with the other girls of her age; she had continued longer at school, and then had taken np the study of music. Among the limbo of personalities which drifts into the bywaters of little towns, she had found, too, an artist ; a man apparently of talent, who had sought the seclusion of our little milling center In Ontario for reasons which were his own. He hajJ immediately recognized the artistic strain In the girl and had bent his own genius to call it forth with no thought of reward other than the joy of seeing It grow. You are wonderful, Miss Lane, he had s;ild, after the first few lessons. You have perspective apd proportion, which are the greatest things in life. I think I am a very stupid pupil, You Jean had murmured In answer. are very patient with me and all for nothing. For nothing! You leave me" your debtor! You pay me a thousand times! You have given back to me a purpose inllfe an excuse for being alive! Ah, know yet Miss Lane, you do-n- ot how empty a life can be. But you are an artist and some day you will dip your brush in pain perhaps In sorrow and regret and after tliat you will paint It Is the law. Jean told me these things that Sunday afternoon, and asked me if I knew what he meant I did not; but I knew tine artist had given Jean an Instants glimpse Into life, and It was nqne the easier for me to suggest the loneliness of a homestead somewhere west of Manitoba. Do you think you could dip your brush In In the Saskatchewan? I . ventured. I know, she said, simply. Jack has told me. I will go, If you and Marjorie go. It seemed to me that the reference to Marjorie came almost as a second thought ; at any rate, I flattered myself with that idea'. We hnd no difficulty In persuadlng ray father and Mrs. Lane to fall In with our Ideas; In fact, they accepted Faour plan with some enthusiasm. ther even Insisted upon selling one of the farms and giving the proceeds to establish ourselves In the. West. It was little enough, as we were to learn In due course, but Jack and Ihad also saved something of our earnings, and during this particular fall and winter, we were unusually penurious. Nall down every dollar, said Jack, and we all were busy with our nailing. We prepared, to start for the West about the end of April, and, as It came about, my father and Mrs. Lane ar- well-forme- 1 CHAPTER II 2 I need not. follow the events of the next yhar or so further than to say that my father developed a habit of putting on his good clothes in the evening and brushing his shoes, and walking over to see whether Mrs. Lane might not need some help with the affairs of the farm. Jack found hie one evening in September cutting .firewood in the uncleared portion of our farm yn by jIip big pine. The sun was almost setglobe ting; it hung like a blood-rethrough an avenue of maple trees, and Its slanting light struck the autumn, foliage with a wizardry o colbr and beauty. swtflown on a log and. when I paused In my work he said, Youre too Industrious, Frak ; if you are .not careful youll die rich. .Come over here ; I want to . talk to you. I took a seat at his side an for a minute or two .he punched the earth With stick, as though uncertain how ' . to open his subject. . I guess youre as much awake as I am, frank, he said at length, "so . you know whats on the books. You mean about my father? was . going to add, and your mother, but I stopped ; someway, it seemed out of "And place. But Jack filled It in, d Jk myniother. 'Then we both sab silent for awhile. .Has he' said anything about it to you? I ventured, "He hasnt men- , tioned it to me. No, said Jack. Then, with one of. his unexpected touches of humor, Im not sure, that he knows about it yet. But mother does. Well, its all right, isnt it? I said, After we had had our laugh. Your mother has been pretty much a mother to Marjorie and me since our own left us. Shes O. K. Tm not eompiain-- . tag. . Neither, am I, Jack .agreed, so far as they are concerned. But Just l;ow about us? We've got to get out. WhyS Jack turtutd his full blue eyes on me with assort of. pity. Do you think e Marjorie Is going to jtlay .epond to a new mother? .You dont know . your sister, Frank. In a moment I knew he was right He had not asked me if I thought .that Jack would, play second fiddle to a new father, but that,, ,t.pa. may have been in his mind. Well, what are we to do about " . It? Go West! the'0 said, emphatically. Go West! I am beginning to think . its the only thing for p young do, anyway. Wlitft Is there here for us? Dhidge rfvvay In the mill, seven to slx, seven to six, seven to six seven to six, week In, month In; fhn, sonje. day, paugtft .on - a. shaft, and they stop the- - mill just long enough to untangle your remains. And that Is lifej. By G d, Frank, Its I see Im going to iret ife-as see It! . . . I turned to him was. the first time I ha,d heard him use . such an expression.' His teeth were set;- his thin lips were, pressed tolumigether; his eyes were big-annous In the twilight; his pose was a picture of resolution, even o defiance. All unknown' to me, Jack Lane a man, and his exclamation had had more of prayer than of pro- . fld-3I- I got a team of buckskins that's tougher than Little Eva In an Uncle Tom's Cabin show, an' a democrat boneshaker that scuds across the prairie they meant We knew what It was for like the shadow of a cloud. (He had men to spend their lives In clearing his poetic turns, had Jake). "I got a ten, twenty, or forty acres, but here tent, but youll need your own blankets. lay a kingdom fresh from the hand of After breakfast well go over to a store God and ready for the plow. And a an buy a lay-oo' grub." How long will we be away?" piece of that kingdom In the still farther West 320 acres of that kingdom Well, natrally we have to Agger on was to be ours! driving out a good spell. Aint no free And as much more ai I can buy land nowhere close to a city, a from year to year," said Jack, as he spelled It out, with a though picking up the thread of our whimsical mixture of pride and ridithoughts, his face alive with enthu- cule like this. Now Ive a spot In siasm. Boy ! he said, banging me on my mind I thinkll suit you boys right the knee, theres no limit; theres no down the calf of the lg. It'll take us limit 1" I clasped his hand In mine with a pressure that told more than words. All that day we continued through the prairies, with here and there a belt of scrubland to cut across the vision. All that day we rambled more and more In the field of fancy happy Imaginings of the things we would do' with those farms of ours which lay out there, somewhere to the westward, waiting only to be claimed. And as evening came on we watched our first prairie sunset. There were no quick dusk and darkness, as In the East ; the sun hung long in the western sky, and .as It descended swung steadily to the rufnorthward. As It fell feather-lik- e fles of cloud almost overhead burst to color In the richest mauves and crimsons, and long ribbons In the west floating like golden Islands in a sea of amber, caught the glow and silently unfolded a glpcy-o- f- pink and yellow and orange and crimson and burnished 1 . CHAPTER III Jack and I were early about tn the morning, Intent upon making our prosWe asked a pecting arrangements. casual question of an early morning lounger at a livery stable some of these fellows seemed to get up at daylight for the express purpose of lounging and he flung hlg voice over his shoulder Into the recessea of the barn. Jake I he called; two guys here to see yuh." Jake waa evidently feeding his horses, for we heard the rustle of hay and caught a whiff of lta fragrance, but presently he came stumping down the main thoroughfare between the stalls. He was a short man with an waistline quite the opposite of the lean and lanky Westerner our Imaginations had been picturing. Well," he said, bringing his weight to a poise on his pudgy feet, and scrutinizing us closely through shrewd, eyes. You fellows lookin d fer land? . Thats what, said Jack, who was already beginning to pick up some of the direct vernacular of the West. We want a man who knows the country to show us about." Im your gazabo," said Jake. I know every badger hole from Estevan to Prince Albert. I know every patch of stlnkweed from Aycqlfi .to Swift Current. Ive druvthls country till there as aint a coyote between Montana an the SaskatchiYan river but know's the You boys rattle o my hit luck with your first throw bone-shake- r. runnln1 Into me like this. Then, with d a sharp squint through his eyes, and dropping his voice to a confidential note, How much money you . . got? . Enough, said Jack, but. none to waste.. What are your rates? Jake seethed to be turning a problem heavily In his mind. I like you and fellows," he said at length, make you a special price. Usual get seven dollars a day an found fer drivin, an fifty dollars for locatln. Thats fer each gent. Now I calls you two boys one gent an' makes you the same price seven bones an a grubstake whether we lilt oil or not, an fifty plunks ;extra If we do. .An No question about that. I know two claims that's . jus sittln up an yelpin fer you lads to come along. We withdrew and talked the matter over for a few minutes. In spite of and Jakes unprepossessing-appearanc- e boastful language there was something calf-close- e fanity in it. .presently he continued: Ye can g 6 out to that new- country, .west 'of Manitoba, and take up a homestead In a fev years we will have each. "I Will Go and Keep House for You,' land enough to make a dozen of these She Said Frankly, "jf Jack and Jean Ontario farms. Others are doing It . Go, Too." . . so can we. And it wont be so hard for us. The worst- thing,, usually, Is ranged a domestic event on the very . the liveliness; holding It down In a day of our departure. The affair was shack, three yea.rs or more, all by quiet aud unpretentious; ceremony In But we can get claims at eleven, and .dinner at ohee self. beside each other, and, although well- Mrs. Lanes Mrs. Halls, I should say .have te have separate shacks, the where Marjorie and Jean served, and girls will keep house for us, so It we all tried to live In a joyous glow wont he' so bad. which was strangely shot through with He had touched on something which streaks of unhappiness. That night at had already come Into my mind. Will six v, left for the West. After two days and two nights we the girls go? I questioned. . - . rch the-chu- - - he said, and again he Frank. seemed to speak from some superior wisdom of his own. those girls will go with us anywhere we ask them anywhere! brass. I turned to look at Jean. ' She sat by the window where the fellow light blocked out her fine profile against the drab background of the car, and mingled In the richer yellow of her hair. And her blue eyes were all as the long, fine lashes drooped and rose and drooped and rose. And In the corner of her eye I eaw a little pearl gather and grow until, unrestrained, it stole across her cheek. Regina shouted Jack ; Regina I" springing to his feet and beginning to gather up our effects, for we had agreed that this should be the base of our search for land. We were ready to disembark by the time the train had come to a stop, and our first glimpse of the prairie city was that of buildings silhouetted against a saffron sky,, and wide streets and open spaces and the foundation work of the metropolis ' that was to be. half-close- - . Ill start get the outfit together. over-develop- fel-low- to -l- The Homesteaders the line of his extended arm Far across the plains I saw a flashing light, as of a heliograph. The window of a settlers shanty, twenty miles from here, If Its a foot," he explained. Look how green the grass Is. The evenin light makes It WNU 6tfrkf Copyright by Robart 8 toad Lured by bi playmate, Jean Lane, Frank Hall, aged six, venture on the forbidden wall of a dam. In a email Ontario town. He fall Into the water and Is saved from possible death by clinging to Jean's outstretched arms. Next day Jean Informs him that because of their adventure of the day before he Is In duty bound to marry her. He agrees when they are "grownups. . With Jeans brother John, also aged six. Frank begins school. Two years later they are joined by Jean and Franks sister Marjorie. A little later Jean confides to Frank, In verse, her hope of some day "Mrs. Hall. He accepts Frank Is fourthe "proposal. teen when his mother dies. The boys are eighteen when Johns father Is killed In an aftcident. SYNOPSIS. OR lowed passed through Winnipeg. It was In the grey of dawn, and we did not get off, bn, through the window we caught a gill-.- se of lines of lights down a wide ml winding street. .. saw us on the prairies; not Iay!i-hWhen I laid the proposal before the ldiieuded, to be sure, but the well sertled country of the Iortage Marjorie, she listened with a which suggested that the plains where Industry was already fructi! 'ng In trim houses and bams, Idea was not entirely new to her. t farms. And yet I will go and keep house for you, and oni rly, she said, frankly, if Jack and Jean here and there was now the unbroken go too. sweep f the prairies, and our eyes Tt was Sunday afternoon nefore I lanced and something caught our had an onumtunlty 10 speak to Jean. hreaih as we tried to inuigine what ; t well-kep- we-will. appealing abo.u.thim. We returned presently with our minds made up. Jack Well lake your offer, Mr. commenced. Jake," he Interrupted. "No mister. right, Jake, well take your offer. When do we start, what do we take, and where do we go?" Jake looked Interrogatively at the n.oming sun. Then, Had breakfast? All lie demanded. No. Well, fill up. Free Farm Building Helps that way, somehow." It was true. The grass had taken a deeper shade of green with the light falling aslant across It. The sun hung like a yellow ball In a sky of cham. pagne, and the long shadows of our horses and wagon streached down the slope of the little hill. But most Impressive of all was the silence, a silence as of heaven and earth brooding, brooding, brooding over this scene as they had done from the dawn of time; eye, and before that, far Into the vague aeons of eternity. I wished that Jean might have been there. We made our camp on the hill, If we can be said to have made camp at all. Jake found a little slongh (pronounced slew) of snow water not far away, and he unharnessed his horses and hobbled them nearby. I was fussing with the tent when he returned. "We wont need that, son, and 1 thought there was a note almost of affection In his voice that made me warm to the man. U.uldnt rain tonight on a bet Clean out the wagon an you two boys sleep on the floor of It You get the benefit o the springs that way, an Its dryern the ground. "But where will you sleep?" "Oh, Ill roll up somewhere. Tm an Jake gathered some dry grass and buffalo chips and out of an astonishingly little fire he soon bad the tea boiling. Then he fried bacon and laid the strips of hot bacon on slabs of bread. And we ate bacon and bread, und then jam and bread, and drank hot black tea, while the slow twilight settled down about us. Concret - ... tells in everyday language how to use concrete (or building drives, walks, steps, porches, and other permanent improvements which every home needs. Complete Instructions make it easy to estimate the materials and to mix, place, end finish the concrete lor these improvements, "Permanent Repaire on the Farm tells you howto repair old buildings quickly and easily, and at low cost. The Information on Concrete Barn Floor and Feeding Floors will help you add many dollar to your net profits. . "Plane for Concrete Farm " contains supplies of blue prints, and shows you, step by step, how to put Buildingt up Concrete Silo, Dairy Barns, Hog Houses, Milk Houses and many other iorma of Concrete Construction. VCTiah tt you OTS taint to build a new building, or repair on old buildint, th tat fret ." When daylight came we had breakfast and started on our Journey again. The day was much the same as the one before, except that we were now well out on the Once In a while, at great distances, we could see a homesteaders shack, a little isolated sentinel box of the vanguard of All Right, Jake, Well Take Your settlement. Once we were Intercepted Offer. When Do We Start and by another team and democrat, much like our own, which cut across our Where Do We Go? tralL The driver asked If we could about three days to go, an a day to spare any water. We gave him half look It over, an three days to come of what was In our keg, and he exback, which knocks the hell out o a tended his plug of chewing tobacco week, dont It? An It might be longer." all round. We chatted a few minutes, Yon see, we have our sisters here. and then with mutual friendly shouts We have to give them some Idea and waving of our arms we were off "Sisters I Jake exclaimed, evidently again. In some panic. We camped that night by ajstream They ain't goln of which Jake knew, because there was along? No. Theyll s'ta'y here until we get little water on the prairies, even at the settled." first of May. Next day we drove all Thats all right, then, said Jake, day, and later Into the evening than visibly relieved. "Well, you tell em usual; It was quite dark when we a week or ten days. stopped. We related the morning's transac"This is the place," Jake said, but tions to the girls, who accepted the sit- you cant see It tonight nave a good uation with resignation, as It had been sleep and well size er up In the. agreed that they would stay in Regina mornln." while we did our prospecting. They We tried to eat breakfast without would at once set about to find cheaper concern, but we were hurried and lodgings, or a couple of rooms where nervous, and eager to see how our they could keep house; they insisted Judgment would tally with Jakes. On that they were quite able to shift for the road he had tried to explain to us themselves. They would leave word the system of survey, and we had a of their new location at the hotel. general Idea of It In our heads. Now The forenoon was well gone by the he took a township map from his time we had finished our arrangements pocket and showed us In detail where and bought our grub," which consisted we were. mainly of canned goods and other "This Is us," he said, pointing with a preparations that would not spoil In thick, stubby finger, right on the d the heat. The democrat was a northwest quarter o Fourteen. affair, and the tent and supwest of ub Is a road allowance, plies were bundled on behind, or laid runnln north an south. Imraedjut in the bottom. We noted that Jake west of that again la section Fifteen, added a rifle to the equipment Then which la railroad land, an' cant be we started off, Jack in the front seat took up free. But lmmedjut northwith the driver, andI alone behind. west, cornerin right against this quarDuring the day we discovered that ter, cept fer the road allowance, la our guide was something of a philos- the southeast quarter of Twenty-two- , opher. He had many shrewd remarks which is open. Now these two quarto make about immigrants, and home- ters, northwest Fourteen an southeast steaders, and the business of settling Twenty-two- , is as good as any land up a country. It appeared that he had that lays out o doors, an better than no very regular scale for his services. most. There's a bit of a gully here This came out In his account of youll see It In a minute runs down of a young Englishman whom from the northeast an cuts off to the he described as Mr. Spoof. southwest, an runs right between He had a carload of baggage, said these two quarters. Theres springs In Jake, with Western extravagance' 5T""'tfIe gully somewhere, an runnln water language, and when I suggested that practical the year round, an shelter he start up a second-han'clothing fer stock an all that kind o thing, an store he said, Ah; Im afraid youre you get the benefit of it all, an It dont spoofin me. So I named him Mr. take two acres offn your land. Its a Spoof, an he gets mall now addressed plumb paradise an' you cant beat It that way. nowhere. How far Is It to a railroad " Jack Jake turned In to a farm place In We could asked. for water. Plumb down that road allowance, see the farmer seeding In" his field; he made no stop on our account, and If he thirty-twmiles, straight as the crow had a wife she remained Indoors. We flies, when lr aftit sittln." he threw pumped as much water as the horses lh with a little snicker. . miles! Jack exclaimed. "Thirty-tw- o would drink, and filled our water keg, and then sat for a while In the shads Pretty well In the wilderness, Isnt of one of his buildings, chewiDg at It? straws and gazing into the blank disWilderness nothin ! This Is suburtance. There was a supreme satisfac- ban proprty. This Is close In. I take and relief, In some of em back sixty an seventy tion, a miles Is idling In such an hour. I was im- an eighty miles. Thirty-tw- o way In which Jus right, an Ill tell you why. When pressed with the we seemed to have taken possession a new railroad comes Its likely to come of the mans farm, and his complete about thirty miles from the other; Indifference to our presence. thats about a sensible distance apart. Jake pulled bis team out from the side An here you are, In the middle of the of a haystack, where they had "been an may be cuttln your as little concern as If the homestead. Into town lots; ten lots to feedlng-withay were their oyrivinnl presently wo an acre an two hundred dollars a lot. Can you beat It? The Lord sure hat rmtled off down fiie trail ugair. On account of our afternoon rest been good to you, fer no special reason Jake drove until almost sundown. We that 1 can notice. Taint your good were now in a slightly rolling country, looks an talnt your good srnse, ex and suddenly he swung from the trail cep In selectin' me as your finuncia' and pulled up on the top of a little advisor, so to speak. I itckon Its knoll. From this little vanruge point o those girls sisters, you we could see the unbroken sweep of said." the prairies, miles and miles in every direction. I asked in "Is this the nere, Plenty of elbow-rooa low voice, as though touching on far from the madding crowd." Will they have the courage te something almost sacred. he anhomestead? "This Is the See, everywhere, swered, solemnly. sky an grass sky an grass. Ah, I fol (TO BS OOrriNUBD.) there, there's an exception. Around the Homo booklets will show you how to do the lob for all Urns. Send for than today. PORTLAND CEMENT ASSOCIATION 111 West Washington Street CHICAGO A National Ortanltatloa to Improve and Extend the Uses of Concrete Offices In 30 Odes bald-heade- Any book you want by mail, C. O. Dl Deseret Book Co, 44 East So. Temple, Salt Lake City, Utah L. D. S. Business College or SCHOOL 60 ErriCIENCY All eoeunerdal brandies. Catalog freL N. 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