HARMLESS (Continued from Page 18) home. He saw the dog, but he didn't seem to pay it no mind; he just unlocked the gate and went in." "But then the dog singled out Nephi's little calf and started in after it. I never saw anything like Nephi's face when he saw what was happenin'. It shook all over, like it was jelly, and his eyes weren't vacant no more; they were wide open and blazin' like all get out." "Well, Joey, he called the dog to him and when it got there he grabbed it real guick around the neck with those big hands of his'n and he lifted it off the ground and began to shake it back and forth. The dog kicked and wiggled and tried to bite, but it was no use. Nephi's hands just kept a sgueezin' tighter and tighter. Then all of a sudden he give the dog a great big swing and then snapped its head real guick, and the dog stopped kickin' and its eyes bulged out of its head, and its tongue was hangin' out the side of its mouth. Then he threw the limp body down on the ground, and he grabbed up his stick that he uses when he drives the cattle and beat the poor dead thing until there wasn't a whole bone left in its body." "Then, all of a sudden he stopped and sat down and took the dog up in his arms and I could see that he was cryin'. He didn't make no sound; just sat there and big tears rolled down his cheeks, and his shoulders shook from sobbing. Then he got up and carried the dog over to the side of the road and laid it there, and then he started down the road, drivin' the cows in ahead of him. He didn't even notice me." I didn't say nothin' after Jim quit talkin'. I jest couldn't somehow. I was awful scared of Nephi for the first time in my life. I kept thinkin' of them big hands and them gueer eyes of his, and the dog that everybody thought was killed by a car. "A guy like that is dangerous," Jim was say in'. They'll tolerate him and keep him around till he does some real harm, and then they'll cart him away to some institution." "But why did he do it, Jim?" "I dunno. I expect he thought the dog was goin' to hurt his calf." "Gee, I wonder what he'll do when they come to take the cows and kick him and his old man out?" "I dunno," said Jim, "I dunno." Mom heard the news that morning from Mrs. Skinner, and Mrs. Skinner got it straight from the Duncan's. The Duncan's is the nearest house to Nephi's and the old man's. I knew something had happened, some-thin' real bad, 'cause nobody would talk about it when I was around. They said I oughtn't to know 'cause I was too young. I knew it was about Nephi and his father; it had to be, 'cause Mom got the news from the Duncans, and they never had anything to say unless it was about their neighbors. And then some men come and got Jim. One of them was the sheriff. I knew where they were goin'; they were goin' down to the old house by the tracks, and they needed Jim's help. As they went out, I heard the sheriff say: "We figger it'll take good men to handle him. He's as strong as an ox, and he's likely to be dangerous." Jim was gone all mornin'. I had to do the mornin's milkin' by myself. I didn't get much milk 'cause I kept wonderin' about what was goin' on down in the old grey house by the tracks. When Jim got back, he didn't say nothin'; he just come in and changed his clothes and went straight out to the barn to do the afternoon chores. I went out with him to help, but he tried to stop me. He said I'd better go back to the house. "What's the matter, Jim?" I said. "You don't look just right. Are you sick?" "Hell, no!" "Well, then, are you mad at me 'cause I didn't get much milk this mornin'?" "No, you got enough, I guess." I knew what was wrong. I knew all the time, but I didn't dare say 'cause he might get mad. "Jim, it's what happened down by the tracks that's eatin' you, ain't it?" "You'd better go to the house," Jim said again. "I know that's what it is. What happened, Jim? Nobody around here will tell me anything. You're the only one who ever tells me things. Please tell me!" "It's awful, God awful. Maybe I oughn't to tell you." "I won't tell nobody you told me, I promise." For awhile Jim just stood and looked at me, like he couldn't make up his mind to talk, then he said: "Nephi killed his father last night. He guartered his head with a hatchet." "Why did he do it?" I asked. I wasn't surprised; I guess I was too shocked to be surprised. "He said it was 'cause his pa was sellin' his little calf. He didn't want him to." "Did you see Nephi today?" "Yes. He was settin' in the house by the bed where his father was sleepin' when he killed him. He still had the hatchet in his hand, and he just sat there and kept runnin' his big hands over the blade and sayin', "Nobody ain't sellin' my little baby calf, not nobody'; and then he would sort of laugh and look over at the bed. God, it was awful!" "What are they goin' to do with him?" I asked. "The sheriff's got him locked up in jail now. They're thinkin' of sendin' him to the big house." For a long time we were both silent. Finally Jim said: "We'd better get the rest of these chores done, Joey." "Yes," I said, "I guess we'd better." TEACHER'S PEST (Continued from, Page 8) pure fancy, for her glance habitually shunted a ladylike disapprobation my way. Today, however (I supposed because of my borrowed six-gun) there was a promissory glint in her eye that to me meant more than all Carlos's garglings. After recess at 3:30 p.m., while the pupils were still coming in, I shouldered my way about the room for all to see. I must have been about to burst, I felt so good. My teacher saved my life; she had solved her problem. She called me over and commented how unusual and refreshing it was to see a gun at school. Was it my own or an heirloom? How ferocious it looked I must be careful not to frighten the kiddies. And was it really loaded? No? Well, then, would I mind letting her take it to see what a real gun felt like? Then after school I could return it to its owner. Yes, I was most willing to let her examine its entrails; I broke it for her and left her sguinting gingerly down the chambers. But though she had eased my first flatulence a little, she had built me up so as a fire-arm expert bound to protect the male weaklings and beautiful maids of the class that I was a second time near to bursting. And for the duration of that brief half-hour, I was her slave and would have slaughtered dragons and cleaned erasers for her forever. page twenty-two FAR OFF PASTURES (Continued from Page 3) sparkling against a black velvet dress. "Trudy's in her bedroom now. Come with me and I'll take you to her." The soft rugs the delicate soft rugs they felt like the down off a duck's back to Jo's unsophisticated step. Then Jo looked down and her childish rapture turned to shame. She was leaving a track of manure from the door to the stairway. She tried to walk on the inside of her shoes, but the dirt continued to stick to the carpet. In her hurry she had forgotten to change her shoes. She wanted to run home and hide her face, but Mrs. Brendon was talking to her now. "It was nice of you to come over to stay this evening, Josephine, though it won't be much fun for you I'm afraid. Trudy hasn't felt too well today nothing serious or I wouldn't leave her, you understand. She's in bed now." "Oh," Jo said. Mrs. Brendon opened the door to Trudy's room. "It's too babyish for a ten-year-old," Jo thought as she glanced about. "But Trudy acts a lot younger than me." "Hello, Josephine." Trudy mouthed the words. "I'm ill, Mother says. Come to bed with me." "I'll leave you two children alone now, Trudy dear. Daddy and I must leave or we'll be late. Now be good children " Trudy nodded her head, and Mrs. Brendon closed the door behind her. "What made you sick, Trudy?" Io asked, taking off her flowered cotton dress. "I don't know; I guess it's Momie." Io looked up at her curiously. "What do you mean, Trudy?" "Oh, Momie and Daddy are never home. I thought maybe if I were ill they'd stay 'cause they'd be sorry. But Mom says she was obli-gated." "My Mom and Dad are obligated to me and the cows first," Jo asserted seriously. "But that's different; your folks are rich." "Come to bed in a hurry, Josephine, and turn off the light. I'm sleepy," Trudy ordered, brushing the conversation aside. Io clicked off the light and tottered over to the bed in her long flannel night gown. She wished she might have asked Trudy for one of her dainty silk nighties, but Trudy was too sick to be bothered. Jo pulled down the covers and slipped in beside Trudy. The bed was unreasonably soft. "It's too soft to dream on," Io thought. The sheets were cold and not as comfy as the double blankets Jo had been used to. The down guilt was light and made Jo feel as though she had no covering over her at all. But this was Trudy's bed, and Trudy was rich, and Jo liked it because of that. During the night Jo dreamed that someone was swearing loudly, and she could hear the click of the dial in the hall outside Trudy's room, and a voice kept asking over and over," Is Mrs. Brendon there?" Later the sound of voices awakened Jo to entire consciousness. "It's five o'clock, I suppose you know, Vera!" It was Mr. Brendon's voice, generally so controlled, now almost feminine in its emotional expressiveness. "So it is, Charles," Mrs. Brendon yawned. "And I must go to bed." "Vera, where in heaven's name have you been since one o'clock?" "Poor innocent Charles," Vera accused pityingly. "You didn't believe for a moment that when Jeffries and I left the table to dance we'd stay around and wait for you while you discussed business with that stuffy Dennington?" "It's happened before with other men. But, good Lord, Vera, when so much of my future depended upon my making this transaction with Dennington tonight, I should think ..." "Oh, Charles, don't play the unintelligent male. You know our marriage was built on "means" rather than romantic fancy. A woman needs romance, Charles. You can't really blame me for it. I'm not altogether to blame. You don't know what I go through, aching for affection and getting only stuffy business conversations. You're so so unromantic, Charles," she purred unconvincingly. "Let's not go through all this again, Vera. Get your romance somewhere else if I don't suit you but in a private place. Don't disgrace me before my friends." "But you must have made a plausible excuse for me, Charles." "Yes, I made an excuse. Oh, Lord, I've an excuse for a wife." Jo stopped listening. She buried her head in the pillow to keep from hearing any more. Mrs. Brendon's perfume had smelled so good, and the rug had felt so soft, and the chimes had sounded like heaven. "I've got to go to sleep," she thought wearily. "It's late, and I must get up at six o'clock if I'm to help Daddy milk the cows." WOMEN DRESS FOR WOMEN (Continued from Page 7) me to purr," she mused. "I feel on top of the world. I think I'm going to make Gamma and even if I don't, I don't care. Nothing could hurt me now. I'm going to meet Dale; I'm going to be with him in just a minute now." Her steps seemed long and certain as they carried her to a bright future. She had a sense of well-being that only comes to a girl when she looks and feels smartly dressed and all for the man. "Hi, good-lookin'. What's cookin'?" came a familiar voice, interrupting her reverie. There was Dale, his hat cocked back on his head, his familiar cords stained and dirtied, an insolent grin on his face. Then seeing her dress, he gave a long, low whistle and silently fell in step with her. "The car's across the street," he directed her. "Have a good time?" The furrow between Jeanne's brows deepened for a minute. She had always before felt tiny beside Dale but the added height of heels and hat made her suddenly seem to tower over him, although she was still several inches shorter. Dale seemed to sense a difference, too. There was a minute of constraint and then he took a deep breath. "Pardon me, your highness, I thought you were some one I know a brat called Jeannie with light brown hair. You know, a girl with dirty saddles and hair sort of careless-like." Jeanne felt an almost uncontrollable urge to laugh and cry at once, but in a moment she spoke with a remarkable solemnity. "This girl you were speaking about, sir would you miss her if she were gone?" "Well, this Jeannie, she wasn't such a smoothie, but she was a lot of fun. If you see her around, you can tell her I'm sort of lonesome for her. Uh is there any place I could leave you, Miss?" He opened the door of his car and they began to laugh. "Drive me home to change and we'll pick up something to eat before we go somewhere," she replied and was glad that her hair was fixed simply under her hat. page twenty-three