The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-06-28
FARMER HOPES TROUBLE.

FROM BeaOle Monthly.
Farmer Hope sat broodIng over the kitch-
en- fire: few rays from the covered en-
bers cleaned out at him now and then,
blinked, winked, and went to their ashen
sleep again. When they did so the farmer
stirred them up with his heavy boot.
A heavy, broad-shouldered man was
farmer Hope, and as he stopped in his arm
chair, over the smouldering hearth, his
muscular frame dropped with ponderous
weight, as if the heart inside of it were
heavy to life. A miserable drop, that
should have been tear, hung ptiously at
the end of his nose, for farmer Hope had
worked out early and late this autumn, and
the only thing he got for it was cold.
Everything COOS the wrong way said
the farmer.
He might have said this TO himself, but
that grandmother Beck sat in the doorway,
knitting, The last ruddy rays of twilight
CLEANED over the sloping cornfrld that oc-
cupied the rising ground just beyond the
house, and a broad band of sombre GRIM
son swept in across the porch and over the
floor of the unlit room; the faintest sky
light was better than candles, grandmother
Beck was wont to say-and more economi-
cal. Silent and soothing and solemn was
the time, and, sitting erect in the doorway,
the old lady occasionally varied her en-
ployrnent with an involuntary nod to the
departing twilight. Reused from the peace
full mood by father Hopes gruff voice, the
needles spasmodically started again, and
vigorously rocking herself in her comforta-
BILE armchair, the old lady peered over her
spectacles after the dropped stitch, till ST.
lence ensued once more, and farmer Hope
broo6ed--grandmoth Beck nodded. And
l doubt not as much wisdom was contained
in his patient recognition of her old age
and acquiescence in fate and decrepitude, as
in all his surly struggles and sharp defiance
of destiny. I'd
A sweet summer silence reigned in the
room for an instant; the katydids in the
dewy shrubbery without chirped their ten
der lnonotony, and the wondrous peace and
spell Of country evening seemed to have
settled softly down. everywhere. Only the
farmer was FESTIVE under the opiate of peace
brooding in the atmosphere.
yes! he repeated, slapping his broad
hand upon his stalwart knee, in a way that
started the knitting needles with sudden
click, everything! l am darned tired of it
all. Here have been working early and
late, like niger slave the whole blessed
summer, and all these years along back
and it amt come to nothing! Blamed if l
don't drop the whole concern. A fellow
may work, and work, till his very souls
clean wriggled out of his body, and what
does it all amount to? There's nc
getting along honestly in this world, ole
woman! It's all cheating and chafering
and cheapening-and if you don't do like
the rest it's because you're too much of &
fool to be knave-an' folks I'll tell you O.
it, too, as farmerJon did me, when he cart
ed off that last load of hay. 1t all turns
out bad as far as can see in this world
and as l don't know about the next
Samuel! said grandmother Beck, re
provingIy.
TO be sure l DON'T repeated the farmer
gruffly, stirring up with his boot the sulk,
embers, know nothing about it. Whoev
ers got the charge up there manage
things, l take it, pretty much as tyrants
here-or else, may be His place is SO far o.
from these parts they do wrong in spite {
Him I"
o Samuel = said grandmother Beck. q
deacon Gilbert should hear thee talkin
sor
Grandmother Beck had been brought III
among the Quakers, but she had the prt
foundest respect for church dignitaries
any sect whatever.
That for deacon Gilbert! said farmt
Hope, swapping his fingers. He don't hay
any short crops to make long paymen
with he
why, Samuel = said the old lady, uplif
ing her wrinkled hands, from which tt
great ball of grey yarn rolled treacherousl
upon the floor, surely thee's not given ov,
to Puss, taking advantage of theol
gy, grasped at this instant the lucky bal
and broke at the same time the thread
grandmother Becks discourse, to-puss
Believe lie? Ay, to be sure-its N
a lie if | believe it. said farmer Hope, wi
harsh laugh, 'and do believe it-yt
may take your life on that. 'Tain't a
that folks do live in this world to humbr
and cheat one another, and them that do
it the best gets off the safest, and no O.
above or below, pears to me, takes char
of things, and sets 'em right. 'Tain't don
And farmer Hope set the heel of his be
energetically on puss' tail, who had tax
refuge in the hearth to investigate the b
of yarn at her leisure. A yell from pu
The internal thiug!' cried the far
er, grinding his teeth as she scampel
away.
Grandmother Beck rocked herself to
thence. Farmer Hope rose up and stretch
himself, and yawning took a candle fir,
the high mantle shelf. His tall figure