pages 282-283

Pages 282-283

                While father and Jim sat down to talk in the living room, my sister came from the downstairs bedroom where she had been making a dress, she and mother were making for her.  It was very pretty and I said, “Who’s the lucky guy that’ll take you out with this on.”  Smiling, she said, “You’ll find out.”  Mother said, about that time, “Come and get it.”  I was ready and about the first to the table.  Mother poured the tea and all sat down.  Jim returned thanks and the food was passed, roast meat, good baked beans, fresh baked bread, mashed potatoes, butter, jam and rice pudding with raisins, all with that good home cooked flavor, as only mother could make it.  After supper and the dishes cleared away, the folks tried their best to persuade us to spend the night, but feeling we shouldn’t, bid them adieu, stepping out into the bright moonlight about ten o’clock and tucking the lap robe in tight, for the night air of the mountains was always chilly, and especially that time of year.

                 Gazing at the sky as we drove along, we could see a cloud now and again mar the face of the moon, but it was nice and the good visit with my folks was a heartfelt joy, as always.  Riding quietly along, having said nothing to each other, only thinking, when Jim put his arm around me, drawing me close, saying, “A penny for your thoughts.”

                “Well,” I replied, “guess they aren’t worth mentioning.”  He held me tighter until my head lay on his shoulder.  “Then, you must be cold?” he asked, “Nope,” I came back, “but this is a nice place to be held, in my husband’s strong loving embrace, it’s like being up in the clouds, I could go on living like this forever.”  “Well,” he said, “right now you’d better come back to earth, because I’ll have to open the gate, “ and there was Jackie coming on a gallop, stopping short in his tracks, as though he had to be on hand each time we came home, and then trotting behind the buggy like a puppy.

                I said to Jim, “Oh, that reminds me,”  and Jim pulling Beauty to a stop. “father said he thought we could get a puppy from some folks over by a place called Yale, said he had talked with the fellow a few days ago.  Well,” I said, getting out of the buggy, “maybe we can take the time,”  I ventured, “then, too, they could be gone, it’s been almost a week since father saw him and we’d have our drive for nothing.”  Going into the house I dismissed the subject.

                The house was cool, quite cool, the fire had been out since noon, so we hustled off to bed.  We had no need to worry about sleep, for the night air had done that, and was awakened early the next morning by our feathered friends, whistling, and singing, with the harsh squawk of the magpie in a querulous manner from the canyon.

                The dawn broke with a slight breeze.  The sun rose like a huge light, throwing its rays of gold over the valley. I went out to watch this spectacle as I had so often done and get a breath of clean fresh ozone, so exhilarating, filling one with awe and gladness of all he  beheld standing thus, I became chilly, folding my arms for warmth, started back to the house, when Jim came up the hill driving the horses.  They had gone off in search of grass, sometimes drifting to our extreme northeast line.  From our big bench that Jim was starting to plow, I turned to open the corral gate, then to head them in.  The smell of the sage was evident, so, I knew then that Jim had to go to the northeast line for the sage there had not been railed and from the looks, had chased them through the brush to turn them for home.  Now they were in the corral.  Jim could do the rest, I had spent much time out of doors and must hurry the breakfast, for he was usually hungry after so early a morning ride.  I had only gotten a glimpse of him when he ascended to the top of the hill, riding off on a gallop.  I knew he had gone, but just wanted a few minutes more of sleep.  When I heard that familiar sound, as he rode by the door, “I am going now,” and Beauty’s shod hoofs ascend the hill,  I arose quickly, put on my housecoat and out into the soft mellow sweet air to hear the wind murmur, with the sunrise of a new day welcoming spring.

                Hurrying in, I found the tea kettle merrily boiling away, stirred up a batch of pancakes, put on the coffee, set the table then dashed to the bedroom, put on my dress and back to fry the pancakes.  My fire had sadly died down, so replenishing it and did other things.  It was lucky for me, Jim took quite a while to feed and harness that morning.  Giving a glance, when I was ready to put on the cakes, I saw our neighbor east of us, sitting on his horse, talking to Jim, I thought , “Now I’ll be having breakfast already before he comes in, but knowing he liked his cakes hot, I waited until he started toward the house.

                “What did he want,”  I asked, putting more cakes on the griddle.

“Looking for a calf,” as usual, he said.  “I told him I hadn’t seen anything of it in my ride.  He then thought it may have gotten out another way, so rode off.  And, here I am – starved.”

                Well, fill up – it’s all before you.”  I said, figuring I had enough cakes cooked, poured the coffee, then sat down. 

                “How do you do it,” he asked, These cakes are great.”

                “Oh, you are just hungry,” I commented.

                “ You can say that again,” he answered, “I thought that neighbor would never go,, so I could come.  I enjoy his talks even though he is a bit long winded.”

                “Yes,” I said.  “a nice neighbor.”

                Talks do help out.” He said, then out he went, lining the horses out, riding the lead one, and was off to plow.