The Wind Before the Dawn By: Dell H. Munger (1862-)
First Page: THE WIND BEFORE THE DAWN [Illustration: "THE GIRL ALSO KNELT AT HIS SIDE RENDERING SUCH ASSISTANCE AS WAS IN HER POWER"] THE WIND BEFORE THE DAWN BY DELL H. MUNGER A. L. BURT COMPANY Publishers New York Copyright, 1912, by Doubleday, Page & Company All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign languages, including the Scandinavian CONTENTS CHAPTER I Castles in Spain 3 II Brushing up to go to Topeka 43 III Reforms not easy to Discuss 74 IV A cultured man 92 V Reaching hungry hands toward a symbol 115 VI "Didn't take 'em long" 131 VII Erasing her blackboard 150 VIII Cyclones 174 IX "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 CHAPTER I 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 her horse for the fortieth time, however, to get the angle of her shadow on the ground and to confirm her calculations. The sigh she gave as she again started on her round was not of relief, but of resignation... Continue reading book >>

The Wind Before the Dawn By: Dell H. Munger (1862-)

First Page:

THE WIND BEFORE THE DAWN

[Illustration: "THE GIRL ALSO KNELT AT HIS SIDE RENDERING SUCH ASSISTANCE AS WAS IN HER POWER"]

THE WIND BEFORE THE DAWN

BY DELL H. MUNGER

A. L. BURT COMPANY Publishers New York

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I Castles in Spain 3

II Brushing up to go to Topeka 43

III Reforms not easy to Discuss 74

IV A cultured man 92

V Reaching hungry hands toward a symbol 115

VI "Didn't take 'em long" 131

VII Erasing her blackboard 150

VIII Cyclones 174

IX "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

CHAPTER I

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 her horse for the fortieth time, however, to get the angle of her shadow on the ground and to confirm her calculations. The sigh she gave as she again started on her round was not of relief, but of resignation... Continue reading book >>

This book is in genre
Literature

eBook links
Wikipedia – Dell H. Munger
Wikipedia – The Wind Before the Dawn

eBook Downloads
ePUB eBook • iBooks for iPhone and iPad • Nook • Sony Reader	Kindle eBook • Mobi file format for Kindle
Read eBook • Load eBook in browser	Text File eBook • Computers • Windows • Mac