Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-03-22


In beating Time his life was passed,
But Time has beaten him as last.
For asailor-Anchored.
For an suctioneer-Gone.
For q NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
For . barber-scent ahead.
For a teiegrapher- Di.patched.
HIS weighs were,ths ways Of pleasantness
In all LIES htful dream
he struck balance with the world,
And then-he kicked the beam.
THEHARD HEART SOETENED.
The january thaw" had set in some
three weeks earlier than people had
expected it, and bits of black brown
pasture land peeped out here and
there from beneath the snowy sleeps
of Upland Farm, as its owner, Deacon
Joshua Simmons, went grating past
in his old-fashioned red and blue
pung. The fences and walls were
visible once more, and the old man
eyed them keenly as he drove toward
the house, muttering to himself:
HYes, that's it. just as / expected.
Not a stone put up, not a board nail
ed in its place, not a post Strengthened
since I was here last June. That is
doing work up ship-shape, and no
mistake. suppose he calculated on
my rheumatism to keep me at home
till next June. Well, he will see.
Priscy may say what she likes about
it. Joe shall CO."
Deacon Joshua was little, thin,
wiry, STOPPING man of seventy, with
q face that might easily have been
handsome, since the features were
regular, and the eyes of q clear bright
blue, while the complexion was ike
that of a sound and healthy winter
apple, rosy and wholesome to behpld.
But there was an expression in the
deacon's face that seemed entirely to
mar his good lOoks-an anxiAns,
small expression, which is only 1isi-
BILE where the soul beneath it 5as
learned to value money far aboveskhe
actual rate of moneys. worth. In
two words, the deacon was q "fere-
handed" and also a ''near" man md
his only sister, Priscy, looking put
of the garret window, as the "scrOOp''
of the sleigh before the door step at
tracted her attention, felt her slyrit
quail within her, noting the severity
of his aspect, and guessing only too
well on what errand he had come.
~What shall 1 do2" moaned the Ait
tie blue-eyed woman of sixty-thtee,
sitting down upon a dusty box of
paper rags which she been sorting,
and hiding her kindly but carew0rn
face behind pair of hands that had
toiled for many year for Joe Hyl-
vester and Joe Sylvester's childken
aOh, if Joshua would not be so herd
upon us! don't know what poor
Joe will say when he comes homesto-
night" III
another y called out a bold young
voice at the foot of the great stairs,
"Uncle Joshua has come, and he Is
blanketing the old mare, but he wont
put her in the barn cause he isn't
going to stay but just about five min-
utcs. And he scattered pussy when
she went to meet him at the door, and
he tried to hit Rover, Only Rover got
out of the way of the whip, and he
SAYS we are pack of lazy xOod-fOr-
nothings, and won't you come right
down, mother, for he is most awful
cross, and we are all going to run
away to the sugar-house to play!
eyes, Joshua, DEAR" said his moth.
er signing, II will come. Ask your
uncle in, and set chair for him po-
litely, and tell him where your father
has gone, and then"
mo need to tell me y said harsh
voice below. "Here, youngster, you
be of, aud if you go near the mare OF
pung, I'll let you know what a whip
is when i come down stairs. Start
nowp
Young Joshua clattered noisily
down the nncarpeted stairs. Old
Joshua came climbing slowly up
grumbling to himself, in an under.
tone. Poor Mrs. Sylvester laid hel
hand upon her beating heart, and
glanced upward in her trouble.
"Oh, God make my brother kin.
der. Move him to show some mercy
to us this day, or we are lost!' she
breathed.
Deacon Joshua appeared, emerging
out of the square hole cut in the floor
for the garret stairs.
/ "What in this world are you clear
up here for Priscy ?" he growled, al
she fastened to meet him.
II am sorry you took the trouble tC
come after me, joshua she answer.
ed, deprecatingly.. II should have
been down directly"
Every likely. But l am in a hurry
What are you doing up here? 2"
i She pointed to the rags.
i .'The tin-peddler comes along to
: / ,pnrrnvry Inshnn anA ho o1 70 l-o
my rags. So am sorting them over.
"And You are likely to have rag,
enough to sort, while Joe Sylvester il
your husband" snarled her brother
"Poor Joe. He has been rather
nnlucky of late, but he is so good ani
kind that l can bear it all, for hi
sake, Joshua. l am sorry about thu
children. l wish they could have
better clothes, and books to read, and
many other things that they seem t.
crave for. But we are all together
, thank God, and well and happy so
ought not to repine."
Deacon Joshua looked her full il
the face.
"Well, Priscy, l have come to 50,
+ that want the farm"
"Oh, Joshua p
"Now, don't go TO crying" 1t viii
, do no good. My mind is made w
have put up with Joe, for your SAX,
longer than l would have put u
with any one else. The farm is run
. ming down in his hands; the fence
! are tumbling down, and the walls tot
! The house needs shingling and fixin
r up generally and must have a tel
+ ant here who will keep things snu
, and nice as / like to see them."
"But Joe has been i'll, Joshua, a
= you know. That fever kept hil
!. down nearly all last summer, an
; then he cut his foot, and had TO Ia
: down nearly the whole fall. But h
. is well know, and is working ont
get the money for you, and in tn
g spring he will fix up everything-h
! will. indeed I"
i sIn the spring he will break hi
q arm, or his leg, or set the house o
; fire, or do something worsc,' propf
t esied the deacon, "Its no use talking
8 Priscy! Joe Sylvester is an unluck
I man, and you were fool to MARI
], him, when you might have bee
= Squire Harding's wife, and seen you
r husband in Congress by this time, il
@ stead of out at common days work
81 see my husband good husban
and father and an honest man-an
8 that is more than Mrs. Harding ca
: say about hers !" replied Mrs. Sylvet
@ ter, with spirit. II would not chang
!. Joe for King, Joshua! l love hiI
f now, poor and unlucky as you ca
! him, better than did on our weddin
s day, when he was reckoned the hant
e soonest young man in all the countr
9 rOund! There isn't wrinkle on h
Q face, nor gray hair on his head, th'
Is isn't dear to me, for know they al
! there before their time, through fre
# ting about me and the children b.