The Wind Before the Dawn

“Against her instincts, against her better judgment, against her will” 195 X Philosophy of Elizabeth’s life voiced 210 XI “Wives, submit yourselves unto your husbands, as unto the Lord” 224 XII “Pore little woman” 266 XIII “Ennobled by the reflected story of another’s goodness and love” 291 XIV Mortgages of soul 317 XV Hugh Noland 353 XVI Revivifying fires 356 XVII Adjusting domestic to social ideals 372 XVIII The child of her body 399 XIX “Her wages, food and clothing she must accept” 419 XX The cream-jars of her life 426 XXI Bound to the stake 458 XXII “There are some things we have to settle for ourselves” 467 XXIII “At any cost” 496 XXIV Facing consequences 506 XXV “The weight of a dollaree and out of debt don’t forget that” 534 XXVI “Was—was my papa here then?” 540 XXVII To do over, and to do better, was the opportunity offered 548 XXVIII “Till death do you part” considered 562 THE WIND BEFORE THE DAWN CASTLES IN SPAIN The unclouded sun of a burning August day had driven bird and beast to shelter wherever a bit of shade could be found. The Kansas prairie afforded little refuge from sun or wind. The long stretches of low rolling hills were mostly covered with short grass, now dry from a protracted season of drought. Occasionally a group of stunted cottonwood trees surrounded an equally stunted looking hut, or dugout, but the blazing sunshine had browned all to a monotonous tone in keeping with the monotonous life it represented. The only corn to be seen was of the variety called sod-corn, which, unwashed by rain for a full month now, had failed to mature, such stalks as had tasselled at all being as barren as the rest because the tender silks had dried too rapidly and could furnish no fertilizing moisture to the pollen which sifted down from the scanty bloom above. The sun’s rays beat down upon the head of a fourteen-year-old girl who rode slowly around a herd of cattle, the members of which lay in the unavailing shade of the rosin weeds or browsed drowsily on the short grass. The day had been long and hard. The child knew that it was not later than two o’clock, having counted the hours eagerly since early morning, and having eaten her bit of cornbread and bacon full two hours before. She stopped…