The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1878-05-21

INC. AL CdtClA yUu hdHSAuS aAouhu
Almiry any more, I'll. make you sos't
you'll wish It you was further, pretty
soon. A humble bees nest won't be
nothing to it. Now this | say and swear;
eff you don't go easy, you'll go hard;
jest rec'lect that"
Sans handsome face grew dark and
his fist clinched inyoluntarily as he
spoke; and with an uneasy chuckle,
which he meant to have made defiant,
Henry went off alone, resolving to per-
severe in his devotion to Almira, and
besides that, to tell her all about this
interview with his rival.
But Sans keen wit warned him that
this would be Henrys first move, and
that luckless wight got no chance to
speak to his adored all day, and was
obliged to see her driven off to the village
with her mother, quite ignorant of Sans
audacity.
Now it was Henry's duty to fetch the
cows from pasture at night, and he set
of early to-day, that they might be
home by sunset, and his chores all done
when Mira returned, intending to ask
her for walk after supper, and put his
fate to the touch, as we'll as bring Sam to
confusion. But he reckoned without
his host. Sam took a short cut across
the hill, drove the only Attorney heifer,
the pride and delight of Miss Calkins'
heart, out of the pasture into a moving
lot where an old barn stood, and shut her
up, betaking himself to clump of hem
locks which shaded the road, till Henry
came sauntering along, and, letting down
the bars, began to call the creatures out
of the lot. They came on after the
fashion of cows, as if time was no matter
and speed impossible; and perhaps Henry
would have driven them home without
missing the Attorney, had not Sam, who
was somethingof ventriloquist, thrown
his voice across the further hillside, and
uttered faint "Moo-oo."
Henry started, looked, went toward
the noise, then returned to the COWS, and
rubbing his eyes and counting over the
slow procession filing past him, seemed
to become aware that Miss Betty was not
among them. Another distant low con
WINGED. Ms.ua..| a.s.t.
"Darn it all" Sam could hear him
mutter; THAT alfred critters ben an
strayed agin. Well, they'll go hum dy.
rect, guess. must hunt her" .
And hunt her he did, first up hill
then into the deep wood, Sam stalking
him all the time like a deer-hunter, and
Henry disturbing the fragrant stillnes;
of nature with various expletives of both
wrath and disgust, but not daring to &c
home without the COW, which was 'Miry's
especial pet. After various tribulations
Sam landed his luckless rival on. the
edge of great swamp, from whose tan
gled thickets the distressed utterance Of
Miss Betty issued more than once before
Henry dared attempt the Doggy surface
and darkling growth; at last, however
he plunged boldly in, and Sans devise
having taken effect, he himself, familiar
as squirrel with all the wood ways, has
tened back to the pasture, released Mis-:
Betty, who had been kept quiet with s
bunch of juicy carrots, and turning he1
into the road where the rest had gone
took the short cut homeward, and would
have arrived there in time to be seated
on the door step to receive Almira bu
for an unforeseen occurrence. And ye
fate had no spite against Sam; it was tn.
old story of evil that is only hidden good
though it seemed unmixed evil to hin
that in jumping over the five-rail fenc,
into the high-road only a few rods from
home he should light on a rolling stone
that slipped from under his foot and sen
him too rolling into the gutter, with
broken leg. Now Sam had been proper
Iy brought up by strict New England
mother, who believed in judgments read,
to be hurled from the hand of God OF
every sin of man, while mercies wer
capricious visitants, to be feared rathe
than welcomed, and accepted on the plat
form of the old hymn:
4 We should suspect some danger nigh
When we possess delight"
Therefore it is not strange that San
considered it direct punishment for hi
tricks upon Henry when he found hi
| leg was helpless, and he must lie by tn,
way-side till some Samaritan came past
/ Luckily this proved to be Miry and he
mother, who were shocked to find hin
lying on the grass, pale as a sheet, an,
suppressing with effort the pain that al
but opened his tirm-set lips in spite O
his self-control. With Almira's stron
arm to help, and his own efforts, he wa
at last laid in the bottom of the Wagon
and carried to the house, where the oil
farmer came to the rescue, and befor
long Sam was carefully laid on mas
own bed in the little room off tn
kitchen; and Henry being yet in the I'm
pleasant swamp searching for Miss Betty
Almira herself drove hurriedly back t,
the village and fetched the doctor.
1 Two hours after, as Sam lay Their
| splinted and helpless, but not unconl
Portable, he could not but hear blund
ering foot stumble into the kitchen, ant
the old farmers voice in its grnfHiest ton.
begin:
Where hev you bin, Henery Pine
Here is the old cat to pay; cows hun
two hours ago, and nobody to do chort
but me; Sam fetched in with broke
leg. mother e.en-a'-most distracted
Almiry obleeged to go after the doctor
herself, and you a-wanting."
!" Well, | swan to man." responded
Henry, in an injured growl, 81 have ber
ADDING my best to find that tarna
Jersey keow. She's led me sech anothe.
chase all over creation, and I hahn
faound her yit; and done but what sh,
hes sot in the hemlock swamp thi
mint"
ooh, come now, that won't pass n,
muster at all, sir. Betty's safe in tn
yard along o all the rest on 'em, an ha
give down six good quarts into my pal
this very night; SO you needn't give M
no such humbugging talk, sir. won
stan it." aA4
"Lordy! | dono what you're a
talkin'. say an swear I've bel
a-huntin al! over, up acrost the WOO
lnt H. - IT,