The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-01-31
HECALL a MAN.


was dead. They were in excellent circnm-
stances, and John was as happy as n we'll
to-do farENer could be. He was no fool, /
either, for he had a good library, and he /
read it, too, and gained a great deal of !
usefufk1owledge. John was good looking, |
not handsome man (for there are none), |
but a tall, finely ly-forDed man. But John |
had one failing in my eyes-he was twenty |
SIX years old and not married. Nor was !
there aay prospect of such an event hap /
peniag very soon, for of all the bashful !
men taat ever wore q shirt collar, John !
was the worst. The girls in that immedi- !
ate vicinity we're strangers to him John |
always avoided everything that wore a
dress, save his mother and sister.
Johns mother was quiet, loving wo- |
sHnan, who ever had uppermost in her mind
the happiness of her children /; consequent
jy she bad for some time secretly wished
/ that John was married.
! -Gertrude, Johns sister, was a very pref
l,tY yoang lady, and also shared her moth
| er's wish, but how to bring it abou. she
conla not imagine.
In the same ne;ghborhood lived Judge
! Clark. who had daughter named Mabel.
Now John ha0 for a long time secretly ad-
miTed Mabel, and although he never be-
: trayed il, his sister had guessed his secret
and resolved to bring about a match be-
tween the two, but just how 30 do it she
did not know.
1 1t happened in July, tho anecdote am
now in shape to relate. Gertrude had in
vited a number of girls to quilting party
lone afternoon, Mabel among the rest. She
teldJohn they were coming, and added :
-'Ssow, John, for my sake, do come in to
s4ea this afternoon. You know all the girls
I that will be here, and
'!But, Gertrude, that patch of timothy
by the north wood must be cut, and as Jim
s'has gore to stay over Sunday, | shall have
f-te Ont it,
And so, much to Gertrude's chagrin, he
took his scythe over his shoulder after din
ner and started for the patch OF timothy.
But he fingered around the orchard until
. he saw the plump form OF Mabel Clark
coming, and then, heaving sigh, he start
ed for his work.
The patch of timothy referred to was a
newly cleared piece of land, nearly sur
rounded by woods, ana so full Of stumps
and log piles that it was impossible to use
the machine. Here we leave John NOW
ing, AID return to the party.
l. wCs very warm day, so the girls hao
moved-,he quilt out doors in the shade of
some naples, and there they sat, chatting,
J Joking and laughing, as only party of
! light-hcarted girls can.
Meantime John had moved several times
across the patch, and it began to be very
/ hot. The sun poured its rays down with
great intensity, and the thick woods on all
sides. kept off any breeze that might be
7 stirring. John was more than hot he was
Z fairly boiling, and as thirsty as an old to-
! per. So John, thinking that no one could
J possibly see him, sat down On a log and
/ took off his shoes and pantaloons, and then
I with only bis long giDgham shiIt a wide
! trimmed straw hat, and his socks, resumed
! his moving. He had moved twice across
/ the. piece, and was picking out the tall
/ grass arouAd an old log pile, when right
beside him he saw pair of blue racers.
! John was no coward, but he was mortal
, ly afraid of g. snake. IL he bad been warm
before, he was lump of ice now.
! With a dash of his scythe he cut of the
lkead OF one Of them, and the other raised
,,its head. and darted toward him. John
dropped his Ecythe, turned and jumped,
ajEst the hooked teeth of the snake
s.ca1ght above the wide, firm hem of the
.Tezr end of bis gingham shirt.
lie cast one look behind and saw his
odTsaded enemy, streaming out like the pen
'snast from ssezmship-and thinking only
sSf 1tlle terrible fate that awaited him if he
stopped, bounded toward the house with
,the speed of an cypress train.
fclH he ran, Though the north meadow
and orchard, and es he neared the house the
stheuEht of the patty flashed on his mind.
/ Bet there was M other way, so he ran on.
Eedashed dowR0ast the west end of the
honse, and as he sounded the corner :he
/ whoie party of girIs met his view.
'tGsk man ~ be yelled, and then
J turned the corner. so great was his mo-
! ment4Im that the snake swung around and
Stnucl, him on his bspe legs like the sharp
/ sting sf,R rawhide whip.
/ The giits screamed ard jumped, and the
I T2ilt went over on the gcOund. The vision
( sped aEon2d the corns-. and once more
! cazse the cry
@Stan a man ~
! No quicker did he disaSoear around the
Z of no hnuca than hz xrnr1ld
at the other. o7rneT. Every time he turned
the conner ,he wonld receive blow from
the AXE, which woulc raise him from the
ground 2t least four feet, and; 1t every blow
he would yell
''Call q mani
The frightened girls rusLed for tue
house, aud they had hardly get inside the
door as John few lFast with tLeEhout-
"Call a man J"
Down across the road he wens, leaping
the gate at = bound and as he ecautered
through the flock of hens, scat:ere1g them
an all directions, the Shout rose laId and
dear
''CaH manr'
Around the barn. baoo again towaa1 the
house went the strange paac, and as the gate
~as again leaped came the.ery this time az
'iFox Gods sake, call a nan -
As he again disappeared 50und the house
Mabel Clark ran out of the S0or, and seiZ-
ing a stick some four feet IL length, sia-
toned herself at the corner with the cud- !
gel elevated above her head. On came
John, painting like an engine. &nd as he
came around the coruer, down vent the
club, barely grazing Johns bend, but
striking the racer a blow that broke its head
and back at the same time.
John concluded not to wait, bus gather
ing his remaining strength for ailnal dash,
bounded into the house, up stairs and into
his room.
An hour later Gertrude tapped at his
door. "John, win you come down to tea,
or shall call man?'
II will come down, Gertrude, was his
answer, in a. firm tone.
He made careful toilet, and there was
not a feature of his face that betrayed en-
barrassment. Mabel had exacted prom
Use from the girls nos to speak of the cpl