PART I .
The Wild Land 0
I One January day , thirty years ago ,
the little town of Hanover 1
, anchored on
a windy
Nebraska 3
tableland
2 , was trying not to be blown away .
A mist of fine snowflakes was curling and eddying about the cluster of
low drab buildings 4
huddled on
the gray prairie 5
, under a gray sky .
The dwelling-houses 6
were set about haphazard on the tough prairie sod ;
looked as if
they 7
had been moved in overnight , and
others 8
as if
they 8
were straying off by
themselves 8
, headed straight for
the open plain 9
.
had any appearance of permanence , and the howling wind blew under
them 6
as well as over
them 6
.
The main street 10
was
a deeply rutted road , now frozen hard , which ran from
the squat red railway station 11
and
the grain “ elevator ” 12
at
the north end of
the town 1
13 to
the lumber yard 14
and
the horse pond 15
at
the south end 16
91 .
On either side of
this road 10
straggled two uneven rows of
wooden buildings 17
;
the general merchandise stores 18
,
the two banks 19
,
the drug store 20
,
the feed store 21
,
the saloon 22
,
the post-office 23
.
The board sidewalks 24
were gray with trampled snow , but at two o'clock in the afternoon
the shopkeepers 25
, having come back from dinner , were keeping well behind
their 25
frosty windows .
The children 26
were all in
school 27
, and there was
nobody 28
abroad in
the streets 29
but
a few rough-looking countrymen in coarse overcoats 30
, with
their 30
long caps pulled down to
their 30
noses .
had brought
to
town 1
, and now and then a red or a plaid shawl flashed out of
one store 32
into the shelter of
another 33
.
At the hitch-bars along
the street 10
a few heavy work-horses , harnessed to
farm wagons 34
, shivered under their blankets .
About
the station 11
everything was quiet , for there would not be
another train 35
in until night .
On
the sidewalk 36
in front of one of
the stores 18
sat
a little Swede boy 37
, crying bitterly .
He 37
was about five years old .
His 37
black cloth coat was much too big for
him 37
and made
him 37
look like
a little old man 87
.
His 37
shrunken brown flannel dress had been washed many times and left a long stretch of stocking between the hem of
his 37
skirt and the tops of
his 37
clumsy , copper-toed shoes .
His 37
cap was pulled down over
his 37
ears ;
his 37
nose and
his 37
chubby cheeks were chapped and red with cold .
He 37
cried quietly , and
the few people who hurried by 38
did not notice
him 37
.
He 37
was afraid to stop
any one 39
, afraid to go into
the store 40
and ask for help , so
he 37
sat wringing
his 37
long sleeves and looking up a telegraph pole beside
him 37
, whimpering , “
My 37
kitten , oh ,
my 37
kitten !
Her will fweeze ! ”
At the top of the pole crouched a shivering gray kitten , mewing faintly and clinging desperately to the wood with her claws .
The boy 37
had been left at
the store 40
while
went to
the doctor 's office 42
, and in
her 41
absence a dog had chased
his 37
kitten up the pole .
The little creature had never been so high before , and she was too frightened to move .
Her master 37
was sunk in despair .
He 37
was
a little country boy 88
, and
this village 1
was to
him 37
a very strange and perplexing place , where
people 43
wore fine clothes and had hard hearts
97 .
He 37
always felt shy and awkward
here 1
, and wanted to hide behind things for fear
some one 85
might laugh at
him 37
.
Just now ,
he 37
was too unhappy to care who laughed .
At last
he 37
seemed to see a ray of hope :
was coming , and
he 37
got up and ran toward
her 41
in
his 37
heavy shoes .
was
a tall , strong girl 89
, and
she 41
walked rapidly and resolutely , as if
she 41
knew exactly where
she 41
was going and what
she 41
was going to do next .
She 41
wore
a man 44
's long ulster ( not as if it were an affliction , but as if it were very comfortable and belonged to
her 41
; carried it like
a young soldier 81
) , and a round plush cap , tied down with a thick veil .
She 41
had a serious , thoughtful face , and
her 41
clear , deep blue eyes were fixed intently on the distance , without seeming to see anything , as if
she 41
were in trouble .
She 41
did not notice
the little boy 37
until
he 37
pulled
her 41
by the coat .
Then
she 41
stopped short and stooped down to wipe
his 37
wet face .
“ Why ,
Emil 37
!
I 41
told
you 37
to stay in
the store 40
and not to come out .
What is the matter with
you 37
? ”
“
My 37
kitten ,
sister 41
,
my 37
kitten !
A man 45
put her out , and a dog chased her up there . ”
His 37
forefinger , projecting from the sleeve of
his 37
coat , pointed up to the wretched little creature on the pole .
“ Oh ,
Emil 37
!
Did n't
I 41
tell
you 37
she 'd get
us 46
into trouble of some kind , if
you 37
brought her ?
What made
you 37
tease
me 41
so ?
But there ,
I 41
ought to have known better
myself 41
. ”
She 41
went to the foot of the pole and held out
her 41
arms , crying , “ Kitty , kitty , kitty , ” but the kitten only mewed and faintly waved its tail .
Alexandra 41
turned away decidedly .
“ No , she wo n't come down .
Somebody 83
will have to go up after her .
I 41
saw
the Linstrums 48
' wagon
47 in
town 1
.
I 41
'll go and see if
I 41
can find
Carl 49
.
Maybe
he 49
can do something .
Only
you 37
must stop crying , or
I 41
wo n't go a step .
Where 's
your 37
comforter ?
Did
you 37
leave it in
the store 40
?
Never mind .
Hold still , till
I 41
put this on
you 37
. ”
She 41
unwound the brown veil from
her 41
head and tied it about
his 37
throat .
A shabby little traveling man , who was just then coming out of
the store 40
on
his 50
way to
the saloon 22
50 , stopped and gazed stupidly at the shining mass of hair
she 41
bared when
she 41
took off
her 41
veil ; two thick braids , pinned about
her 41
head in the German way , with a fringe of reddish-yellow curls blowing out from under
her 41
cap .
He 50
took
his 50
cigar out of
his 50
mouth and held the wet end between the fingers of
his 50
woolen glove .
“
,
girl 41
, what a head of hair ! ”
he 50
exclaimed , quite innocently and foolishly .
She 41
stabbed
him 50
with a glance of Amazonian fierceness and drew in
her 41
lower lip -- most unnecessary severity .
It gave
the little clothing drummer 50
such a start that
he 50
actually let
his 50
cigar fall to
the sidewalk 36
and went off weakly in the teeth of the wind to
the saloon 22
.
His 50
hand was still unsteady when
he 50
took
his 50
glass from
the bartender 52
.
His 50
feeble flirtatious instincts had been crushed before , but never so mercilessly .
He 50
felt cheap and ill-used , as if
some one 86
had taken advantage of
him 50
.
When
a drummer 53
had been knocking about in
little drab towns 54
and crawling across
the wintry country 55
in
dirty smoking-cars 56
, was
he 57
to be blamed if , when
he 57
chanced upon
a fine human creature 58
,
he 57
suddenly wished
himself 57
more of
a man 57
?
While
the little drummer 50
was drinking to recover
his 50
nerve ,
Alexandra 41
hurried to
the drug store 20
as
the most likely place to find
Carl Linstrum 49
98 .
There 20
he 49
was , turning over a portfolio of chromo “ studies ” which
the druggist 59
sold to
the
Hanover 61
women who did china-painting
60 .
Alexandra 41
explained
her 41
predicament , and
the boy 49
followed
her 41
to the corner , where
Emil 37
still sat by the pole .
“
I 49
'll have to go up after her ,
Alexandra 41
.
I 49
think at
the depot 62
they 63
have some spikes
I 49
can strap on
my 49
feet .
Wait a minute . ”
Carl 49
thrust
his 49
hands into
his 49
pockets , lowered
his 49
head , and darted up
the street 10
against the north wind .
He 49
was
a tall boy of fifteen , slight and narrow-chested 92
.
When
he 49
came back with the spikes ,
Alexandra 41
asked
him 49
what
he 49
had done with
his 49
overcoat .
“
I 49
left it in
the drug store 20
.
I 49
could n't climb in it , anyhow .
Catch
me 49
if
I 49
fall ,
Emil 37
, ”
he 49
called back as
he 49
began
his 49
ascent .
Alexandra 41
watched
him 49
anxiously ; the cold was bitter enough on
the ground 64
.
The kitten would not budge an inch .
Carl 49
had to go to the very top of the pole , and then had some difficulty in tearing her from her hold .
When
he 49
reached
the ground 64
,
he 49
handed the cat to
her tearful little master 37
.
“ Now go into
the store 40
with her ,
Emil 37
, and get warm . ”
He 49
opened the door for
the child 37
.
“ Wait a minute ,
Alexandra 41
.
Why ca n't
I 49
drive for
you 46
as far as
?
It 's getting colder every minute .
Have
you 41
seen
the doctor 67
? ”
“ Yes .
He 67
is coming over to-morrow .
But
he 67
says
father 68
ca n't get better ; ca n't get well . ”
The girl 41
's lip trembled .
She 41
looked fixedly up
the bleak street 10
as if
she 41
were gathering
her 41
strength to face something , as if
she 41
were trying with all
her 41
might to grasp a situation which , no matter how painful , must be met and dealt with somehow .
The wind flapped the skirts of
her 41
heavy coat about
her 41
.
Carl 49
did not say anything , but
she 41
felt
his 49
sympathy .
He 49
, too , was lonely .
He 49
was
a thin , frail boy , with brooding dark eyes 93
, very quiet in all
his 49
movements .
There was a delicate pallor in
his 49
thin face , and
his 49
mouth was too sensitive for
a boy 69
's .
The lips had already a little curl of bitterness and skepticism .
The two friends 70
stood for a few moments on
the windy street corner 71
, not speaking a word , as
two travelers , who have lost
their 72
way , sometimes stand and admit
their 72
perplexity in silence
72 .
When
Carl 49
turned away
he 49
said , “
I 49
'll see to
your 46
team . ”
Alexandra 41
went into
the store 40
to have
her 41
purchases packed in the egg-boxes , and to get warm before
she 41
set out on
her 41
long cold drive .
When
she 41
looked for
Emil 37
,
she 41
found
him 37
sitting on a step of
the staircase that led up to the clothing and carpet department 73
.
He 37
was playing with
a little Bohemian girl 74
,
Marie Tovesky 94
, who was tying
her 74
handkerchief over the kitten 's head for a bonnet .
Marie 74
was
a stranger in
the country 75
96 , having come from
Omaha 76
with
to visit
,
Joe Tovesky 90
.
She 74
was
a dark child , with brown curly hair , like a brunette doll 's , a coaxing little red mouth , and round , yellow-brown eyes 95
.
Every one 79
noticed
her 74
eyes ; the brown iris had golden glints that made them look like gold-stone , or , in softer lights , like that
Colorado 80
mineral called tiger-eye .