Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-01-30
The Farmers Strategy.
A Story of Love and GunpOwder.

d
wood pile and surveyed its diminished
proportions with a considerable lower
ing of his shaggy eyebrows. Some
bOdy'e helping themselves. he thought;
Il must set my wits to work to discOv-
er the offender. He sat down on log,
resting his elbows on his knees, and,
after scra atching his head a while, by
way of Tightening his ideas, he settled
his temples in the palms of bis hands
and nIeditated. His cogitations must
have been satisfactory, for he rose by
and by with queer smile Overspread-
ing his weather-beat face, and walk
ed into the house, chuckliDg, I'll do it;
that'll let the Cat out OF the bagp
He found Harry Bailey, a young,
likely looking farmer, in the kitchen
with his daughter.
That young fellow is courting Jen-
ny, sure enoughp thought the old gen.
tleman, as he discreetly passed into the
sitting rOem. well, he's as likely to
make her good husband as any one.
If she likes him, shan't object
And he fell into fit of musing over
the memory of the gentle wife who
had been lying under the flowers since
Jennie's birth.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen Jennie
was tripping about, engaged in some
household work, and Harry was
watching her with love lit eyes, and
could not make up his mind to tell her
he loved her.
The Rev. Mr.. Walker, of the Ortho-
dox Church in BeltOu, hal prepared
a discourse for his sinful COZ gregation,
upon the subject OF endless punish
ment. The parable of the rich man
and Lazarus Was his basis, and he
hurled the anathenas of wrath at the
black sheep of his flock as though he
were an avenging angel, and many
members of his congregation felt guilty
terrOrs. Little Tom Rates shivered in
his shoes, and thought of the pie he
had taken the night before and then
told his mother lie, and debated
whether he should confess, or run the
risk OF the punishment Illuminated by
the parsoD. But he did not settle the
matter that time, for the minister was
suddenly brought to full stop in the
midst of his discourse, and the congre-
CATION was electrified by tremendous
crash and report in their midst, as if
heaven and earth had come together.
Farmer Evans rose to his feet stimuli
taneously with his frightened daugh-
ter and the rest of the congregation,
and poor little Tim Was not sure for the
moment that bis future had not begun.
The cause of the noise was found to be
an explosion in the stove, through the
Internal agency known as gunpOwder.
How it came there was q mystery to
all except Farmer Evans. Harry Bal
lev, who made the fires and found the
wood for stated sum, Came forward
with a white face and explained that
the thing was unknown to him. The
farmer walked home thinking, Bad,
bad! Pm very sorry he's that sort; l
never suspected him of all others; and
Jennie likes him.
The farmers first impulse was to
nip in the bud the acquaintance be-
tween Jennie and young Bailey; but
his natural kindly feeling ultimately
prevailed over his anger, and, on his
next meeting with the delinquent he
abruptly addressed him:
'YOu are courting my dsughter?'
Harry Bailey admitted the fact BASH
fully.
And you make the fires for the Or
thodox Church? continued the old
man.
Harry assented.
And you furnish the wood"
Yes said the young man, growing
red and white by turns.
perhaps you ould like to have the
mysterious explosion in church last
Sunday explained? l knew my wood
pile was going somewhere, and put q
small charge OF powder in one of the
sticks. l need not say that l was sur
prised to find you were the thief, and
you dared to come courting my daugh-
terr
Harry quailed before the stern, clear
glance of the old man.
Il know I'm too mean to live, much
less to love her, be broke out; Il don't
expect you to overlook 1t. IL had a
hard year on the farm; you know what
losses 1 met. meant to pay 1t back
again, but don't expect you to believe
me. One thing / beg-dOn't tell her
anythihy about it; l couldn't bear to
have her think so badly of me-
The old man regarded the ashamed,
repentant face with pity.
Look here, Harry he said, III for
give you, and not mention it to a soul,
il you'll look me in the face and prom
ise s0lemnly to be strictly honest from
this time forth.
3,iley caught his hand gratefully,
and he felt his reward begin rs he saw
the shadow of new hope dawning on
the troubled face. Il solemnly prom
ises.' he said, never again to touch a
penny's worth that Is not lawfully my
own
AT the end OF the year you can have
Jennie II you want he-, and we'll unite
the FARMS
With an overflowing heart Harry
stammered his thanks, and the farmer
never regretted that he had given him
q chance to redeem his self-respect.