Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1873-09-18

tother ear. When he was scrapin'
around this front door t'other day, an
! asked him what he wuz a.layin' the
ground all bare and desolate fur, he
said he was done keeping pig.peu.
Now, everybody but him knows he
never had a pig. His heads gone,
just mark my words"
On the morning OF the fourth dav,
Sans friends had just secured full
attendance on the log, and were at
work upon their first pipes, when they
were startled by seeing Sam harness
his horse in the wagon and put all his
children into it.
"Whar ye bound fur, Sam?" asked
the patriarch.
Sam blushed as near as Pike could,
but answered with only little hesita-
ton:
"Goin' to take 'em to school to Max
field-goin' to do it ev'ry day
The incumbents of the log were too
nearly paralyzed to remonstrate, but
after few moments of silence the
patriarch remarked, in tones of feeling,
yet decision:
"Hc's he'd n tough time Of 1t, but
he's no business to ruin the settlement.
I'm an old man mysel: and l need
peace of mind, SO I'm going to pack up
my traps and mosey. When the folks
at Maxfeld knows what he's doin',
they'll make him 4 constable or
justice, an I'm too much of a man TO
live nigh any sich.'
And next day the patriarch wheeled
his family and property to parts un-
known.
a few days later Jim Merrick, a
brisk farmer few miles from the Bend,
stood in front OF his own house, and
shaded his eyes in solemn wonder. 1t
couldn't be-he'd never heard of such
thing before-yet it was-there was
no doubt of it-there was Pike, rid
ing right towards him, in open day.
light. lie could swear that Pike had
often visited him-that is, his wheat
field and corral-aftcr dark, but day
light visit from n Pike was unusual as
social call OF a Samaritan upon a
jew. And when Sam-for it was he
approached Mcrrick and made his
business known, the farmer was more
astonshed and confused than he had
ever been in all his life before. Sam
wanted TO know for how much money
Merrick would plough and plant hun.
dred and sixty acres Of wheat for him,
and whether he would take Sans horse
"a fine animal brought from the States,
and for which sam could show bill of
sale-as security for the amount until
he could harvest and sell his crop.
Merrick SO well understood the Pike
nature that he made very liberal
offer, and afterward said he would have
paid handsomely for the chance.
Pixies at the Bend experienced the
greatest scare that ever visited their
souls. \ brisk man came into the
Bend with q tripod on his shoulder and
wire chain and some wire pins, and a
queer machine under his arm. and be-
fore dark the Pixies understood that
Sam had deliberately constituted him.
sell renegade by entering quarter
section of land. Next morning two
more residences were empty, and the
remaining fathers of the hamlet allorn-
ed not Sans log, but wandered about
with faces vacant of all expression,
save the agony of the patriot who sees
his home invaded by corrup,ing in
huences too powerful for him to re-
slst.
Then Merrick sent up a plough-gang
and eight horses, and the tender green
OF Sans quarter-section was rapidly
changed TO a dull-brown color, which
Is odlous unto the eye of the Pike.
Day by day the brown spot grew
larger, and one morning Sam arose to
find all his neighbors departed, having
wreaked their vengeance upon him by
taking away his dogs. And in his
delight at their disappearance Sam
freely forgave them all.
Regularly the children were carried
TO and from school, and even to Sun
day-school. Regularly every evening
Sam visited the grave on the hillside,
and came back to lie by the hour watch
ing the sleeping darlings. Little by
little farmers began TO realize that
their property was undisturbed. Little
by little Sans wheat grew and waxed
golden, and then there came a day
when man from Frisco came and
changed it into heavier gold-more
gold than Sam had ever seen before.
And the farmers began to step in to
see Sam, and their children came to
see his, and kind women were unusual
ly kind to the orphans and, as dav by
day Sam took his solitary walk on the
hillside, the loai on his heart grew
lighter, until he ceased to fear the day
when he, too, should lie there Cali
fornia Exchange.