Sharp County record., 1877-12-14

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Aughing, "when I've caught a glimpse
of you working aield in your old straw
hat
"Ah, that's a different story-a diff
ferent story indeed, " was the grave re.
ply. "TharS business of another sort
Matte; grinding hard work, and too
much of it. And this summer, con-
found it failure at the end of it all. All,
Matte, you don't know what load I've
carried under that old straw hiatt"
All, but | did. Many time had |
looked from the quiet doorway and seen
Jacob working aield with a shadow on
his face that was rot made by the brim
of that old straw hat.
He was revolving bitter things now,
knew, as he stood there a spectator of
the revelry.
"Little Matte" said he, presently,
"you've as good right to be there as
the best of them, my wee woman"
/ laughed. did not want to be there,
and had no desire to represent COM
mercial interests. But Jacob was grasp
ing my arm with an almost painful grip.
"By heavens!" he said, his gray eye
lighting up with a strange fire, 81
thought so. There's Stephen Risdale
yOnder! the villain that robbed me-the
villain that got my land in his grip, with
his mortgages and his trust-deedS, and,
the devil knows what. He's there with
the best of 'em-the manHhat got afore-
closure on me, and left me to scrape and
screw with the fag end of all my acres,
and to grind living out of the rocks
A gentleman is he, with diamond
stud and gold chain bought with the
money for which I've been a bond-slave
for life. And, by the living God, I'll
have it out of him!" As Jacob uttered
these words he lifted his hand and
struck sharply the broad windowsill.
My heart gave a great throb. | thought
that every one in that great assembly
must stop and stare at us. But the
music sounded loudly, the dancing went
on, and no one seemed to heed us. As
we went down the steps | saw "Jigger
Jim," the village idiot, grimacing and
gesticulating and mimicking the dane
ing, with a group of village folk nod
ding and applauding and urging him
on, and | was glad that no one had
heard Jake's words.
For to me those words were appalling.
This was the first time since we had
been married that | had ever heard ia
cob utter any thing approaching an
oath. 1t startled me like the light Of 2
flame cuadnrlg ei--i"5 "r =" ''n" lulu
in the midst of quiet woodland.
Jacob had been reputed little wild;
a GOOD many wise old folk had shook
their heads when we came together. 1t
was said he had run through with all
his thrifty fathers money, had been
wasteful and speculative and dissipated,
and had none of the thrifty qualities and
forehandedness deemed so essential
among the orderly farming people OF
Laurel neighborhood. Some said |
would surely repent if | married him:
Had the time for repentance come now?
Well, we had not been prosperous this
year, and Jacobs farming had been
marred by drought and blight.
Well do | remember the aspect of that
blighted corn-feld, from which we had
expected so much. 1t reminded me of
a troop of weather-beaten soldiers that
| saw once returning home in the latter
DAYS of the war, jaded, dispirited, and
with ragged banners trailing in the dust.
No music, no cheers of welcoming
voices, no hats off, to welcome their re-
turn. So, wearily, with detected heads
and thin long leaves uplifted, our corn
field trailed ON the hill side.
Something of this Generalization had
perhaps entered into cur household-a
sort of nameless shadow, y bleak and
blighting something, against which no
energy and no activity could avail. we
were young, you see, and had, as 1t were,
lust commenced life, and it was hard to
know that things were going wrong
with us from the beginning.
But Jake was still hero in my eyes,
and | loved him well, and it was to lure
him little from the impalpable gloom
that was settling around us that | had
proposed this evening stroll. l did
not take naturally to moodiness, and
that sort of quiet that settles like mold
on some married lives and the music,
the moonlight, and the stirring people
were like wine to me, and | should have
gone back to our quiet little cottage
gay as a lark if it had not been for those
words. They seemed like lead to my
heart of hearts, and weighed it down
as we walked silently homeward.
1t was late when we returned, but
Jacob seemed in no wise inclined to re-
tire. Uo walked about, restless and ret
icent. The place seemed too small for
him; his tall figure seemed to contract
its limited space, as he moved to and
fro, till it was almost relief to see him
step from the doorway and silently
stride down the road. 1t was no new