The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-04-25

week, anu a1Jer Gn1S L can earn III ana
carry it over"
His father smiled at Toms business
like way, and thought to himself, "Well,
I am teaching Tom good lesson, that's
fact. He'll get sick enough of his bar
gain before spring, but it will do him
good"
Tom filed his hand cart with the feed,
and tying the rope around Clover's neck,
started again to carry her back. don't
know what the people along the road
thought to see the calf going back and
forth 30 often. But Tom didn't care.
He kept straight on and carried the calf
to Bessie's door.
Here she is, Bess, and here's enough
to feed her one week, anyway, and I'll
see that she has enough all winter, un-
less I get sick, and l don't feel very sick
now. Don't catch me backing out of
this scrape. No, stree !"
All winter, Tom was up betimes in the
morning, fed and watered the cattle,
groomed the horses, and did whatever
was required. He carried Clover's feed
over every week or two, and never once
complained. His father watched him
curiously, and every week congratulated
himself on the good lesson he was teach
ing him.
At last spring came. The tender
grass began to sprout, and Glover could
keep herself, from the pastures and
meadows. The farmers were all plow-
ing and narrowing, and getting the
ground ready for planting. Everybody
was busy, and in hurry, as usual. Mr..
Moore was improving, but was still
very weak. His affairs looked very
discouraging to him, and his depressed
state of mind did much to retard his
recovery. He had bought the farm
where he was living only the spring be-
| fore, after the planting season was
over, expecting to earn enough by his
trade, that of carpenter, through the
following seasons to enable him to buy
seed and to thoroughly plant the whole
| place in the spring. Instead of that,
he was taken sick soon after he bought
it, and had been obliged to sell his stock
to get money to live upon. And now,
right in the busy season, when every
hour seemed worth day at any other
time, he was sick, with no money to
buy seed or the necessary farming i'm
| plements, or to hire the needed help.
| With his mind overwhelmed with dis
couragement, he sat, one evening, in
the doorway of his house, and looked
hopelessly on his still unemployed land.
At the same time Mr.. Thyson was rid
| ing slowly along, having made an un-
usually good trip with his meat, and
was reviewing in his mind with great
satisfaction the prosperous condition of
his affairs. AS he passed he saw Mr..
Moore sitting there, and noticed that
he looked very pale and worried. A
feeling of sympathy took strong hold of
him, and he was tempted to stop and
have talk with him, but those fields,
waiting to be plowed and sown, spoke
to him SO plainly and reproachfully
that he concluded he would better bow
and go along.
"I'm sorry for Moore" he said to
himself; "that's fact. I'd be glad to
give him lift, bat I've got my own
family to look out for. If I had always
given way to my feelings I wonder
where should be now. Oh, no no /;
it will never do. No o'
But as he drew up to his own house,
the sight of his broad acres 80 carefully
planted, and the neat, thrifty appearance
of all the surroundings, did not give
him the feeling of satisfaction he was
enjoying before he met Mr.. Moore. As
he went into the kitchen where his wife
| was getting supper, he said, glancing
having grand frolic with his dogs
ing. He has had hard winter of it.
But I'm glad I let him go through it.
It has taught him lesson he will never
forget, l guess"
"Yes, I think very likely" gently
answered his wife )" but I have thought
many times, father, that Tom was
teaching more important lesson than
the one he was learning. But come,
supper's ready" She then stepped to
the door and called Tom, and the sub.
ject was not continued. AS Tom came
in breathless from play, his father re-
marked:
"That's better fun than working
Clover's board and carrying it over to
her, isn't it ?"
"Yes, sir. But I'm afraid if Mr..
Moore doesn't hurry up and plant
Glover will be marching back here in
spite of me, next fall. 1 wish WAS a
; rich'man. Ill bet I'd make things look
| different over there in no time"
! Mr.. Thyson made no reply, but fin
ished his supper, and went out into the
yard, where he stood leaning on the
fence, apparently in deep thought. AS
Bill, his head man on the farm, came
along, he stopped him, and they had a
quiet talk together.
Meantime Mr.. Moore had gone into
his house, utterly unable to throw off
the gloomy thoughts which filed his
mind. He saw no way out of his diff
culties. The faith and hope which had
kept him up till now seemed gone. He
went to bed early, but did not sleep for
hours. Toward morning, however, he
fell into deep sleep. His wife quietly
darkened the room and left him. The
sun was several hours high when he
drew aside the curtains to look out.
What sight met his eyesl Men were
plowing, narrowing and shouting to
their horses. Part of the ground was
already prepared for planting, and there,
in the barn doorway, sat Tom and Bes-
sic, cutting potatoes and chattering like
blackbirds.
"What does it mean, mother2 What
does it mean ?" said he, as he opened
the kitchen door.
"It means, father, that the dawn has
come. Twas very dark, you know
last night. Those are Mr.. Thyson'f
men r.
"Thyson's men Thyson's men
Why! I don't understand.
"Well, nor I, and the men say that