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Show YOU DON'T NEEDJLWOMA&! Perhaps tho first sensntun when 1 saw her train out of the Short Line station was tho excusable one of loneliness. We havo been together pretty much nil tho time, Cay and night, when tho office could spare mo nnd hojjlt grows insistent even with old men. But I conquered tho weakness wafted waf-ted after her tho wish that her Journey Jour-ney might bo safe and her visit pleasant, pleas-ant, and then sternly turned to the rational tmd the practical things of life. Thoro was tho car, and I had to go to tho form.. Forty miles all alone In a Bulck roadster Isn't tho worst fnto than can befall one, and I started. I got thero nt supper tlmo and tho boys gave mo some bread and tea nnd berries. Thoy made me a bed In tho ttent nnd I lay thero listening to tho wind, and watching the diffused glow ot the full moon which shone in the south and was visible even through the tent. Tho dog enme In and promised to keep me comppny, but thought better of it, and ambled away. The bed was not hard, and the night was not cold, but Old Man Sleep would not come to me; so I tried to count sheep going go-ing over H gate, tried' to calculate how much tho barley would yield, tried to compute tho profits on live years of dry farming. And so lost myself Ojbout midnight. But when I waked up the watch marked two o'clock and thero was no more sleep In tho tent. So nt three I slipped out. cranked up quiet ly, and drove home. That was a new experience. A coyote got Into the road right ahead ot me where the wall of sago rnn to tho right and to the left ct him, and raced along for half a mile, looking back over his shoulder from tlmo to time with a grin, nnd finally vanishing vanish-ing ns completely and as unexpectedly unexpected-ly Ht If ho hnd been only a shallow animal, and wholly unreal. There wero grasshoppers that rose at the noso of tho car, their wings spread till they looked like birds. And there wero flying things bigger than hopper's. I wonder if they wero bats. Ono place a rabbit sat at tho sldo of tho road and as tho car enme along side ho whacked the ground with his hind foot, bidding defiance to nil cars and tho works of man. But he did not run. Once four rabbits appeared appear-ed In tho edgo of tho sage. Thoy didn't understand tho lights nnd they separated and ran In four different wajys without one ot them getting under tho wheels. Away down In tho white road, this sldo of Tooele I overtook a young man In a buggy. Ho had two girls with him nt that time in the morning morn-ing tho darned monopolist, nnd 1 was alone. But you don't need a woman. Did you over como nround the point of tho Oqulrrh hills very early In tho morning? Then you certrnly stopped stop-ped and watched tho sunrise! watched watch-ed tho swiftly changing blues nnd greonB yes, and reds of tho lako; watched tho wonderful cloud effects In tho sky nnd looked over this magical magi-cal valley to the Wasatch battlement and blessed tho Lord It held your homo. Tho house smelled Just i( bit musty when I let myself In. But there wns plenty ot stuff In the lco box, and 1 had sorao eggs scrambled to a turn and a cup of coffee, some bread and butter nnd a plate of tho finest cherries. cher-ries. And I cleaned nwny and washed wash-ed tho dishes when tho feast was finished, fin-ished, Yon don't need a woman. Tho farm trip nlways gets mo dusty nnd I llko n bath, so I turned tho water In tho tub nnd found tho towels and looked over tho machlno for need of grcaso or oil, arjd then went down town nnd worked llko a Turk all day. I ato lunch at a cafeteria, for thoy havo things nlco, and they did not cost much, nnd went homo ut-slx, and I'll bo darned It that Path tub hadn't run over. Tho place wns flooded and tho basement was a lako. But either I left tho gas burning undor that coffeo or somo ono camo In and lighted it, nnd It naa burned up tho coffeo nn melted tho pot, and tho metro whs chasing its tail llko a cat In conniption tlmo. But jou don't need a woman for anything. i . |
