The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1878-12-13
nd restless surging thoug'
Like sad bells out uf tune.
TWO IMPORTANT PAPERS.

And seeing thee 50 happy there,
Come back half comforted.
TWO IMPORTANT PAPERS.
% don't know what l shall do with
that ere boy" said farmer Long to his
wife, as they sat by the fire that winter
morning. He's more harum-skarum
than that states reform school-boy was
Well, father, have patience with him
for the sake OF his folks. 1 think there's
something in Jim that will surprise you
one of these days"
81 dunno whether he'll surprise me
emmy morn ne has or not. Last spring
he made bPeve he knowed all bout
billing down sap, nd surprised me by
burnin' the bottom NV the sap-pan eout
md settin' the sap-house on fire. Last
summer he broke more tools in hayin'
time than all the rest Nv us together
And dear me Yeoud Orter seen him
dig pertaters last fall I'll venter he cut
every third one in tew-struck at 'em ez
eff he was splittin' rock-maple logs ND
meow he's broke my best three-tined
pitchfork in some way, s feedin' the cat
tie. He's only sixteen y'r old. Eff he
does this in the green tree, what in
mater he'll do in the dry ?'
After these remarks about the boy he
had taken to keep until he was of age,
the farmer started for the barn. He was
bending over the great meal-chest Just /
inside the barn door, as tandem team
was turning around the corner of the
barn. This team consisted of A wild
yearling steer and the boy Jim Fowler.
The " team was on the Z" dead !" run.
The youth had hold of the steers tail
with his left hand and held aloft a milk
ing-stool in his right.
Mr. Long was unaware of danger, and
when something struck him, and imme-
diately he found himself on his back in
the meal chest. His first thought was of {
an earthquake or a tornado or some other
dread outbreak of forces He emerged {
from the chest Just in time to see his
ime-bscked steer pass on into the stable {
and Jim Fowler arise half stunned from
the floor ,
Yeou young scamp - he thundered ;
"yeou'il murder somebody yet-er--er. :,
l shall, if yeou don't stop yer dumbed ,
work"
The boy did not laugh at the miller
like appearance of the man. His own
face was as white as the farmers as he |,
said
I" I'm awful sorry, Mr. Long"
E" L dunno whether yer be or rot" re-
piled the latter. "But l tell yer neou
md here, Jim Fowler, what's what. I
When yer father died yer hadn't rela- j
tive LETT t
No, sir, they want none left" broke C
in the youth and the tears filled his 5
eyes. C
81 promised him little afore he died. 4
I'd take care Cd We until yeou was old q
enough to take care Nv ye'self; md do I
well by ye-give ye a common school
eddication and so on. Nd mean ter do !
it if yer conduct don't become onbarable. e
But yeou must be more stiddy md man.
like md not plague me ter death by yer I
recklessness. Dye hear ?''
eyes, Pm goin' to try, Mr.. Long"
''That's the sOrter talk. / want We ter I
go ter school an git ter be ez smart ez t
Jennie is, eff ye can. Yeou er tew years
older'n she is md y'ant nowhere side 6
her."
81 know it. I amt nowhere side by 5
her"
Jennie, the farmers daughter, was q
bright girl and as pretty as pink Jim
did not wonder that her father and
mother were proud of her or that they
felt there was a vast difference between
him and her. He thought there was
himself; and he believed she did, for one
day of the last summer, when he stum-
bled on her fower.bed, she spoke sharply
at him, and, if he had not misunderstood
her, called him ''beggar."
He was careless and stupid if she had
said as much, he would have thought it
justifable under the circumstances. But
for her to speak in that ways if his
misfortune was his fault-made him
almost hate her. He did not answer
back, but the look he gave her kept her
from ever repeating the taunt; and also
from forgetting that she had made it.
Yet he continued TO be the same care
less "Jim" up to this winter morning.
But when Mr. Long had administered
his reproof and returned to the house to
brush the meal from his clothes, the
youth fell into g profound meditation,
out of which he came with this ejaculs
tion.
''Pll do it p'
When the next term of school began,
there were two scholars from Farmer
Longs.
Jennie and Jim.
They went together; but they sepa>
rated when they got there, for Jennie
was in higher department than Jim
could enter This was the frs term the
latter had ever begun with determine
tion to learn. That be was now so deter
mined is proved by the answer he gave to
his teacher on the first day of school,
when she asked him, among other things,
what he wanted to do; it was this: 81
want ter get ter know ez much ez Jennie
Long does-'
How did he come out? Well, he went |