The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1880-01-22

TUT We ulSt I'LL leave MIN lull soon;
Let good cheer abound as the goblet goes
round
Ard hurrah for the Man in the Moon!
TIE SOUTH BRANCH FARM.
By nEBEccA HARDING DAVIS.
r The Tancys had lived on South
L Branch farm since colony times, and no
fancy had cheated man of dol
lar. They lent no money, and they bor-
rowcd none; they never sat at any mans
table, or asked a guest to theirs.
The Tawney pew-a front one--was
filled every Sunday, come rain or
sun. Mrs. Tawney, middle-agcd NO.
man, with her gray hair in tight little
knot behind, and wearing the same rus
ty black gown aud bonnet for dozen
years, was always, lik e the others. pres.
cnt. But sometimes she was asleep. For
this was the one hour of tine whole week
when she could sit down on a cushion
anal fold her hands. The air was warm,
the music soft and sweet; no wonder she
slept. Sometimes the words 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
I home with her son William, the strange
story OF Bethlehem, or Of the heavenly
glory to come, had faded into a doubt
full dream, and oil that was real was the
South Branch farm, the price of pork, OF
the fall in potatoes. After church din
ner must he ready Dipping hot, too, on
account OF the boarder) III half an hour
then she had the sheep to look after, and
the poultry to feed; then supper; then
milking. The Taneys never had kept
any "help" Mrs. fancy had brought up
six children, been sole cook, seamstress,
tailor and dairy maid; yet her husband,
old Ben, always had said, ''Sarah's not a
capable woman. No fancy blood in
her
Ben was dead five years. but his wife
went Oh, carrying growing loads on the
back which lacked bone. William was
harder task master than his father had
been; the very oxen felt the lash oftener,
and their corn I'll OFT one half. He sat
i'll the kitchen now with book before
him, while his mother and youngest sis
ter, Lefty, were cooking the supper
Take that butter off the table," he
SAID, suddenly. "Molasses will do. What
are yon cooking meat tor2 It's not neces.
sary. Put 1t back in the cellar"
Eyes, William replied his mother sub
missively. only l thought the board
1--WE can't afford to feed HIM like a
lord. You'll have to exercise economy
mother. l can't be always here to look
after things. How am ever to pay fol
the meadow lots, if money is flung about
in this way'"
In what way, William?' Mrs Taney's
scared eyes wandered over the bare kitch.
en-, the smoulderlng Goals in a corner OF
CRATE, the half starved face of he,
pttle girl. II try to save, I'm sure.
Khatsway do yon mean2"
20, every way" closing his book with
bang. ''There's q leak ut every corner
Why, toll and slave the year round
But with such lot of mouths to feed
lie 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 William
Poor Lefty felt the horrible guilt of he,
hearty appetite sore upon her. She was
always hungry; hungry to fa,ntncss now
Mrs. fancy forgot to eat her dry
:, bread, or drink her milk. The meadow
lots? It was to buy these lots that he,
husband had made their lives bare and
hard and wretched from their wedding.
day. The good, wholesome produce Of
the farm, which should have fed the chill
drcn, had gone to market, while they ate
the refuse; the money. which should have
educated them, had been put in the bank
tObuy these lots. When her baby was
Ill, no doctor was brought, and the child
died; the money saved went to the lots
The mother had begged for a headstone
tor the child, but the money was needed
fox the lots. There was Lefty, growing
to be 3 woman, haif-clothed and half:
b starved, without a sparkle of fun O,
i pleasure to Tighten her young lite, while
PQorcl girls dressed and went out and
had company, and enjoyed, as the young
should, days filled with comfort and hap.
S plness. Every penny thus saved William
laid by for the lots. Yesl these twelve
II acres had come to be an absolute good
70. these people. Not happy life, no,
God, nor heaven.
s After supper his mother followed him
IL ont.
"William," she said, desperately, show
many years will 1t be before you can buy
those lots2'
'.Yearsa The lots!" in unfeipned
amaZement. elbow on earth can YOU
understand businessl'
1t was the first time she had ever spok
=: en- in this way.
81 don't know. But am afraid l will
not live to see it. It is so long,
- 3 She went back to the kitchen. Thu
2, dishes stood untouched upon the table
and little Lefty was seated on the steps
. a basket of red peaches beside her, which
the b"arder had brought Gown from his
room.
!" lilo was young man, teacher in q
Virginia country school, who had come
up to these hills geologiz,ng IN his sum.
mer vacation.
II brought them from the McBndc
farm, Mrs Taney,'' nc said. "Thev arc
very common kind in the Shenandoah
~ valley handing them to her.
y. Mrs. Taney's thin features grew warm
y II remember tree Just like these al
= home,' she said, "by the old mill. Nv
old nurse used to hold me up to pull
~ them tor myself
"Your little girl tells me you came
- from Fauquier County. 1t is fine
0ounty''
It's the most eautiful in the world p
said Mrs. fancy.
She stopped, and went in hastily. She
felt the tca1s choking her. She could
q hear Mr.. Burke tell the child that his
: school was in Fauquler, and that he had
often passed her grandfather's house. I.