The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1875-11-05
~ III Seth only did not swear. Or drink.

-. III Seth only did not swear. Or drink.
or smoke r. II .c ~~< 80. -
'.swear hs must not on my farm. in the
hearing Of my family, nor touch one drop
Of liquor while in my employ; told Job
Downs would hire him on no other con.
ditions, and he said, Only make that in
tho bargain and Seth will live right
square up to it. don't think it such
sin for man to smoke, Martha r.. !
'Not sinful. perhaps, but bad habit
and dangerous one, especially SO, when
INDUCED in immoderate1y, and upon .
farm.'
"Sh.h.h!" contemporary, from James,
but no more words ) and Martha had no
heart to say more. She wished so much
that some one else could be hired in tho
place OF Seth Sitter, but there was not
at least he was there to dinner on the
morrow. with his mouth full Of tobacco
and his lips all stained with the juice
thereof. He was 4 jolly fellow, always
ready with his jokes and fun, and made
the children laugh continually with his
funny stories and sayings. He was
'.staver' to work aud did his best for Mr.
Ellison, having an eye to the hard times
which threatened the country, and to =
winters job in such good, easy place as
the Ellison's. Weeks tlew swiftly. The
wheat was cut. bound, stacked in the
field, aud thrashed: such. harvest as
never had come to Mr.. Ellison in his life,
and he smiled complacen,ly As he helped
Seth to stow away the last bushel in the
bin OF his new granary; one thousand seven
hundred bushels Of white, winter wheat.
"Tell you what Seth, drought nor
grasshoppers can't starvc US out this
year can they! "Twill seem a pity to
feed the cattle this wheat but il the hop.
progresses should come they would finish
up all the corn the drought has left US,
will have to do it. Hitch on to the hay
rack. and you and Norman haul in that
prairie hay moved yesterday. I'll 60
and rake it into windows, and we will
stuff the barn full, and make sure Of so
much before tho sun scorchcs it all up"
''All right sir! and if you don't mind.
and the boys would like to 60 up on the
creek tonight 6shing.''
Now James Ellison had been careful
ever since Seth had been there, and had
never allowed even Norman to 60 any.
where of IN evening with him; but to-day
his head was full Of his well stored grain,
and his project of getting his hay all in
before any Of his ncighbors and he did
not wait to give it a second thought, but
gave promise instead.
The boys were delighted. Norman,
William, Joseph, and even Paul, the
seven year old boy, were all going. Mrs.
Ellison was worried, but Seth had heen so
steady, and the boys were all so much ab.
sorbed with the idea of going fishing
that she had not the heart to say even q
word against it. 10 be sure she caution
ed Norman about looking carefully after
the rest, and having received his promise,
saw them drive away without any for.
bodings that she could describe. Way
down in her heart Of hearts was tribe Of
unrest that made her wakeful until wav
into the night: but thinking over all her
husband had said Of his prospects and
bright anticipations, she had forgot it all
in deep sleep, from which she was
aroused by her husband whom she
found sitting up in bed.
"Martha, for Gods sake! what was
that!
II heard nothing"
''Listen then; some one screamed, I
am sure; are the boys home?'
scious that it was light enough to dis.
WAS it sss sxsEY Ge %ss the d.sH 81
the moon; it must be morning. Just
then Mr.. Ellison's olfactories took in
some odor that smelled like smoke.
"Heavens and earth! Martha the
house is on fire--wake the children"
Up stairs few the feet of ''Martha,"
borne on the aeetness of a mothers love
but glance from the window at the
head Of the stairs showed her it was the
barn, instead Of the house.
Shouting to the girls that the ''barn
was on fire." she ran ccross the passage
into the boys room to waken them she
found their beds empty! Suddenly, like
IN electric flash, it all came to the woman
that the boys had come home late. and
disliklng to disturb the family had gone
to sleep in the new barn or in the hay.
Rushing down tho stairs again, she
found her husband had drawn on his
pants, and had gone to the door where he
stood paralyzed with the fright and sense
OF his inability to stay The fiery fend,
which shot out its forked tongues already
from the roof of tho barn, and cracked.
and Kissed, and roared like the fell dcs-
troyer it was.
"James, the boys are in the barn, run
run - fell upon his cars like the last
death knell Of all his earthly hopes-but
it lent speed to his bare feet, and he
reached the barn door just as his wife
had pushed it aside, but had bee obliged
80 draw back for On instant to avoid the
ctream Of hot air and dense smoke tina,
same pouring out; but only for an in.
ttant did they wait, one glittering CLEAN
OF light from above had pierced the dark.
ness beneath, ard shown them at one
glance three PROSTATE forms lying on the
barn floor.
How they dragged them out, and car.
ried them away on the cool grass, neither
Of them ever knew; but there were but
three.
paul my little Paul where is Paul!
James, whore is Paul I" screamed the
mother above the roar of the flames.
which had gathered new strength by the
draft Of air caused by the opening Of the
barn door.
But alas! poor mother, the only an.
swer that came to her was great crash :;
the roof and tho upper beams had fallen
in, and the flames burst forth anew, max.
ing the air and ground hot where they