The Red Cloud chief., 1880-05-06
THE LATEST MAN IN TOWN.

MORTON o buyin' Solomon farm?"
Hardly know, vet"
You'll get out o the notion when
you see 1T" said the first, as the two
farmers, each on horseback, took the
road leading to Solomon Boyd's, and a
little further OF To the village of Hard
scrabble.
Why, that's not the placer cr-
Claimed h other, when they had
reached the top of a hill overlooking a
tract of country for which Nature had
lone her utmost.
Yes, that's Solomon's farm; begins
where you see that tumble-down fence.
and reaches TO the forks in the road,
and further back than YOU can see, for
that woods"
Well, I'm beat, | never would
have known the place. I've not been
up this way before since Solomon's
father died; that must be nine or ten
years ago. Let's see, he must be buried
Just beyond that big walnut-tree yondcr,
amt hep"
Yes, that's their family burying-
ground; good many others buried there,
though; must be more'n twenty graves
there. That field, covered with briers."
continued he, (which slopes down To
that old broken-down stone wall, along
the creek, wa the vineyard"
"Solomon's father used TO ship loads
of grapes to Baltimore. and on East, SO
L was told"
And the finest fruit you ever saw;
but there's none, hardly. now. Guess
the hogs got all the apples this year. for
there's not a fence on the place worth
mentionin'."
What's that leaning against that
old shed, in the yard? looks like a
tombstone?''
lit is a tombstOne-the old man
Boyd's tOmbstone; and the other side
of that bush you can see the old wom-
ans"
We'll, why in the name of common
sense amt they back there on the
graves, where they belong? Rather
ghostly ornaments for d~oor-yard."
why, there was provision in the
will for tombStones, and 20 they were
bought and paid for; the dealer brought
'em out from town, and set 'em down
here for Solomon 10 put in their proper
places. He was SO mortal slow about
it that, finally, some of the church.
members offered TO put 'em up. But
the base blocks, or whatever you call
the biz square tones they put next the
ground, had been put under the corner
of the house there where you see it's
sunk down; some of the timbers Lad
rotted out, and the house was about To
tumble. That wasn'tthe worst, though"
continued he, slowly; "we couldn't
find the graves"
Couldn't find the graves! You don't
tell me that John Boyd's grave is lost,
Why, he was one of the best men in
the country"
And right well of, too. No, we
couldn't tell his, or his wife's, from a
good many others that's not marked;
and the locust sprouts and 'pisea' vines
were SO thick we could hardly tell
where any OF 'em were. Solomon
thought The one next the fence was his
mothers. but he was not sure. Step
this way" added he, quickly. as they
dismounted; you'll go through there
and get a sprain."
And the warning was not in vain, for
the board walk, which ledfrom the barn.
gate (held up by a raiD TO the house,
was rotten, broken and Jagged.
Watch out, too, where you step on
that porch. The well is just covered
with a board. Used TO have a chain
pump. and a trough TO carry the water
TO a bic cemented basin in the milk
house" explained he further, as they
approached the lettering, leaky porch
which ran along two sides of the house,
looking very much as if il wanted TO
part with the main building.
why has everything gone to de-
struction in this way? Looks k an
army had peel through here. Is Solo
mon sickly?" asked the other as they
rode away.
NO." was slowly answered. Hes
healthy as any man round here The
fact is, Solomon's lazy. Nothing suits
him as well as goin' 10 town; and II he
can Just get stuck on a jury. and sit
round the Court House about three
weeks, with Mandy and the child home
dom the work. he's in clover"
That reminds mellow was that
Martin~Johnson case decided last Octo-
ber?:"
Wasn't decided at all. Got to be
all gone over. Cost like fury, too. His
doin's," nodding toward the house.
ION the jury and would not agree with
the rest: he never does-so knowing
and stubborn, whew! He oversizes the
Scripture account, for Solomon's wiser
than eleven men that "a render a rea-
son.
Let us 90 back nearly twenty years,
when the house and every field and
fence betokened industry and good
MANAGEMENT. Solomon is seventeen,
Jim fifteen, and Mandy, the bound girl,
about the same age. Solomon has the
reputation, which quiet people often
have. u~ndeservedly, for great sagaclty.
He had early learned, however, what
folly wisdom is, when it leads to work;
and had saved himself many a trip to
the barn by not being able to tell a
blind-bridle from a saddle-girth, and
many an hours toll by not knowing
how to stir the apple-butter, so as to
keen it from burning. Yet all, except
Jim. esteemed him wise beyond his
years.
one dav, with great benignity, THAT
animals nave a language of their OVID,
bv which they communicate with each
other?"
esCan snails talk?' asked Jim.
Certainly, why not? If other of the
lower creation"
.sNell, say, Sol, give US a specimen
of the snail ~yernacular, with a transla-
ton. won't youP Teach you goose
Latin. if you WILL" continued Jim, as
solomon glanced angrily toward him.
, ..You may be a goose. but I'm not a
snail" growled Sol; and he threw no
more chunks of wisdom to Jim for a
week.
..Solomon has a turn for books" ex-
claims his mother. Now, JIM" con-
tinues she, sis more for tradin'; but la!