The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1880-04-15
DAN. FARTHING'S ONLY son.
A STORY IN TWO CHAPTERS.
CHAPTER I.

lage OF HOrksmead was "old Dan. far-
denis cottage" The rectory was COM
Portable dwelling, the doctors house
was we'll built and roomy, and the re-
tired leather merchants was more fash
ionable, but they were commonplace
compared with the cottage. In the ludg7
ment of any man or woman OF Horks-
mead, it would have been fat heresy to
institute any comparison unfavorable to
the latter. 1t was the glory Of the vii
lsge; its quaint gardens, the incongru-
Gus surprises of its rambling mysteries,
were as enchanting as page Of fairy
lore. The younger folks in that rustic
community, recent settlers, visitors, and
strangers, spoke of ii respectfully as
"Mr. Farthings house," but if you
chanced to make use of the expires
sion in speaking to one of the
old inhabitants, he would say:
"Who? Oo-ay: you mean Dan Farden:
oold Dan Farden: and rum un he is
tuW He had within their memory risen
from the ranks In many things his
ways were their ways; he spoke their
speech; he had none Of your new-fangled
notions about grammar, but he could
handle plow, or shear sheep, or back
o colt, or NOV, or reap, or bind, or cart,
with any of them; and as he could hold
his own in these things, he had held his
own in others, too, with singular tenaci-
ty, all his life. Though frugal he was
not hard listed man, nor had he accu-
mulated his considerable wealth by any
means that were dirty, or grasping, or
underhand. He had always lived we'll
within his income, even when it was no
more then eight shillings week, at
which time, though he liked his "cup of
allie" as we'll as another man, he could
steadily resist the fascinations of the
public-house. He had never wasted any
thing, and what his "mates" despised as
worthless, he had a curious knack
of turning to good account and convert
ing into money. While still hard
worked day-laborer he had succeeded,
from few chance cuttings and seeds, in
propagating flowers, with which he sup
piled, on modest but remunerative terms,
half the village. His fowls were perfect
prodigies of fecundity. There was not
house for miles round that had not some
specimen of his neat and solid handi-
work in boxes, watcb-stands, bootjacks
8, and other simple matters. How he ac-
complished all these things was mys
terry that the most daring speculations of
his bucolic peers, though they consumed
hogsheads Of beer in discussing the sub
ject, could make nothing of. One poor
simple fellow suggested that it was be-
cause he never wasted minute, a sug-
restion received with much loud-lunged
and scornful ridicue; but there was,
perhaps, something in it, for, if he was
economical with regard to waste sub
stances, he was parsimonious with regard
to time.
Whatever the cause, Dan. prospered
marvelously. By the time he was five
and-twenty he had furnished his cottage
in a style far in advance Of his fellow
laborers, and had taken to himself a wife
to replace sister who died at that time,
and who had till then been his house
keeper. When his boy-his only child
was five years of age, he had become
foreman on the farm on which he worked,
and it was known that he had "tidy
loomp Of money" in the bank, so that no
one was surprised to learn that he had
purchased his cottage and half an acre or
more of land adjoining it. His wife, a
GOOD, thrifty, careful woman, seconded
him ably. Everything prospered under
his hand, and many night the growth
of Dan. Farden's fortunes was debated
nm the sanded floor of the Rising Sun
with more interest than the fate Of EN-
pires. 1t was wrong to call it "luck"-
as the villagers did-when his long and
faithful service was rewarded on the
death of his master by handsome lega-
cy: but good fortune as we'll as high
qualities must be credited with another
legacy that fell to him about the same
time:in recognition OF his having been
the means Of rescuing an old lady whose
house had taken fire.
There was not man In the village
who would not have done that had he
chanced to be the first on the spot; but
IT was Dan Farden who happened to be
passing, for, as was somewhat grudgingly
observed at the time, "all the plooms
dropped into his mouth"
We are not concerned with all the de.
tails of his continuously prospering ca
reer, nor will we stop to explain, step by
step, how it was that his cottage grew, by
constant accretions, to be the rambling
mansion that had such fascination fol
the community at Horksmead. tits only
the late years of his life at which we
are going to take glance in relation to
the little boy Of whom we spoke, hi.
only son:
Little Frank Farthing was not beau
tiful nor very quick child, but he wa
wonderfully attractive. He had larg'
dreamy eyes, and his wide mouth ane
square jaw gave to his face in repose
look Of sternness that was strange in |
child. But eyes and ripe lips could b.
eloquent Of fun and good humor, ant
the ruddy cheek could dimple in sunnies
laughter. 1t was while he was still lit
Ale Follow th at his mother had greeted