Part 28 (2/2)

”Put on your hat, and let's go investigate a mystery,” said he. ”I heard a cow bawl in the woods a minute ago. A regular barnyard bellow.”

”A cow bawling?” she echoed. ”Sure? What would cattle be doing away up here?”

”That's what I want to know?” Bill laughed. ”I've never seen a cow north of the Frazer--not this side of the Rockies, anyway.”

They saddled their horses, and rode out in the direction from whence had arisen the bovine complaint. The sound was not repeated, and Hazel had begun to chaff Bill about a too-vivid imagination when within a half mile of the clearing he pulled his horse up short in the middle of a little meadow.

”Look!”

The track of a broad-tired wagon had freshly crushed the thick gra.s.s.

Bill squinted at the trail, then his gaze swept the timber beyond.

”Well!”

”What is it, Bill?” Hazel asked.

”Somebody has been cutting timber over there,” he enlightened. ”I can see the fresh ax work. Looks like they'd been hauling poles. Let's follow this track a ways.”

The tiny meadow was fringed on the north by a grove of poplars. Beyond that lay another clear s.p.a.ce of level land, perhaps forty acres in extent. They broke through the belt of poplars--and pulled up again.

On one side of the meadow stood a cabin, the fresh-peeled log walls glaring yellow in the sun, and lifting an earth-covered roof to the autumn sky. Bill whistled softly.

”I'll be hanged,” he uttered, ”if there isn't the cow!”

Along the west side of the meadow ran a brown streak of sod, and down one side of this a man guided the handles of a plow drawn by the strangest yokemates Hazel's eyes had seen for many a day.

”For goodness' sake!” she exclaimed.

”That's the true pioneer spirit for you,” Bill spoke absently. ”He has bucked his way into the heart of a virgin country, and he's breaking sod with a mule and a cow. That's adaptation to environment with a vengeance--and grit.”

”There's a woman, too, Bill. And see--she's carrying a baby!” Hazel pointed excitedly. ”Oh, Bill!”

”Let's go over.” He stirred up his horse. ”What did I tell you about folk that hanker for lots of elbow-room? They're coming.”

The man halted his strangely a.s.sorted team to watch them come. The woman stood a step outside the door, a baby in her arms, another toddler holding fast to her skirt. A thick-bodied, short, square-shouldered man was this newcomer, with a round, pleasant face.

”h.e.l.lo, neighbor!” Bill greeted.

The plowman lifted his old felt hat courteously. His face lit up.

”_Ach_!” said he. ”Neighbor. Dot iss a goot vord in diss country vere dere iss no neighbor. But I am glat to meet you. Vill you come do der house und rest a v'ile?”

”Sure!” Bill responded. ”But we're neighbors, all right. Did you notice a cabin about half a mile west of here? That's our place--when we're at home.”

”So?” The word escaped with the peculiar rising inflection of the Teuton. ”I haf saw dot cabin veil ve come here. But I d.i.n.k it va.s.s abandon. Und I pick dis place mitout hope off a neighbor. Id iss goot lant. Veil, let us to der house go. Id vill rest der mule--und Gretchen, der cow. Hah!”

He rolled a blue eye on his incongruous team, and grinned widely.

”Come,” he invited; ”mine vife vill be glat.”

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