The Canton advocate. [volume] (Canton, D.T. [S.D.]) 1877-1897, 1880-11-18
SOUTH BRANCH FARM

no 1aney nau ever Cuedleu d HILL VI
dollar They lent no money or bor-
rowed none; they never sat at any mans
table, or asked a guest to theirs.
| The fancy pew-front one-was filled
every Sunday, come rain or sun. Mrs.
fancy, a middle-aged woman, with her
gray hair in tight little knot behind,
and wearing the same rusty black
gown and bonnet for dozen years, was
always like the others present. But
sometimes she was asleep. For this was
the one hour of the whole week when
she could sit down on a cushion and
fold her hands. The air was warm
and the music soft and sweet; no Won
der she slept Sometimes the works
that were read stirred her soul; it
seemed as if her childhood woke, as if
the tears must come to her long dry
eyes. But they never did. BY the
time she had walked home with her
son William, the story of Bethlehem,
or heavenly glory to come, had faded
into doubtful dream, and all that was
real was the South Branch farm, the
price of pork or the fall of potatoes.
After church, dinner must be ready
kPlplHS NV, W., OlA t.eeo.iiO VI '!io
boarder,) in half an hour; then she
had the sheep to look after, and the
poultry to feed; then milking. The
Taneys never had kept any "help''
Mrs. fancy. had brought up six children,
been sole cook, seamstress, tailor and
dairymaid; yet her husband, old Ben,
always had said: 'Sarah's not capa-
BILE woman. No fancy blood in her"
Ben had been dead five years, but
his wife went on carrying a grooming
load on the back which lacked bone
William was harder master than his
father had been; the very oxen felt
the lash oftener, and their corn fell off
one-half He sat in the the kitchen
now, with book before him while his
mother and younger sister, Lefty, were
cooking supper.
"Take the the butter of'the table, he
said, suddenly. Molasses will do. What
are you cooking meat for? It's not
necessary. Put it back in the cellar"
eyes, William replied his mother,
submissively. Only ] thought the
boarder-"
1--WE can't afford to keep him like a
lord. You'll have to exercise economy,
mother can't be always here to look
after things How am l ever to pay
for the meadow lots if the money is 60
ing away in this style?'
ain what way, William?' Mrs.
Taney's scared eyes wandered over the
spare kitchen, the smouldering coal in
a corner Of the CRATE, the half-starved
face of her little girl.
II try to save, l am sure. What way
do you mean, sir?''
"Oh, every way" closing his book
with bang. 'There's leak ut every
corner. Why, l toll and slave the
year round. But with such lot of
mouths to feed
He glared at Lefty, who shrank into
the pantry. She did not come out dur
ing supper, and her mother dared not
call her. The girl was crying as usual,
and her tears always exasperated Will
liam. Poor Lefty felt the horrible guilt
Of her hearty appetite sore upon her.
She was always hungry; hungry enough
Mrs. fancy forgot to eat her dry
bread, or drink her milk. The meadow
lots. 1t was to buy those lots that her
husband had made their lives bare and
hard and wretched from their wedding
day The good wholesome produce
from the farm, which should have fed
the children, had gone to mark Ell, while
they ate the refuse; the money which
ST. uld have educated them had been
put in the bank to buy these lots.
When her baby was i'll no doctor was
brought, and her child died; the money
saved went to the lots; the mother had
begged for a headstone for the grave
There was Lefty, growing to be wo-
man, half-clothed, without sparkle of
fun or pleasure to Tighten her young
life; while poorer girls dressed and
went out, and had company, and en-
joyed, as the girls should, days filled
with comfort and happin ess. Every
penny thus saved William laid by for
''the lots Yes. those twelve acres
had come to be the absolute God for
these people. Not a happy life, nor
God, nor heaven.
After supper his mother followed
him out.
William" she said desperately,
chow many years will it be before you
can buy the lots?"
"Years? The lots?" in unfeigned
amazement. Chow on earth can
you understand business?"
1t was the first time she had ever
spoken in this way.
~ don't know. But I'm afraid | will
not live to see it. 1t is so long
She went back to the kitchen. The
dishes stood untouch ed upon the table
and Lefty was seated upon the steps,
basket of red peaches beside her,
which the boarder brought down from
his room.
He was young man, a teacher in a
Virginia country school, who had come
up to these hills geologizing in his
summer vacation
II brought them from the Mcbride
farm, Mrs. Taney," he said. ''They
are very common kind in the Shen-
andoah Valley, handing them to her.
"Mrs. Taney's features grew warm.
81 remember tree just like these at
home, she said, Shy the old mill My old
nurse used to hold me up to pull them
for myself"
Your little girl tells me that you
came from Fauquier county. 1t is a
fine country"
cit is the most beautiful in the
world" said Mrs. fancy.
She stopped and went in hastily. She
felt the tears choking her. She could
hear Mr.. Burke tell the child that his
school was in Fauquier, and that he
had often passed her grandfather's
house. 1t was for sale now, with a
dozen acres about it; would sell very
cheap, no doubt. Land had depreciat-
ed since the war. "a quiet comfort
able little homestead, too," he said, "as