The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1881-12-10

H. Ia.'N'
In the open doorway of little cottage
warmed by the soft slanting rays OF the Sep
TENDER sun, a rough man, burnt and freckled,
was sitting, at his feet net, engaged upon
some handiwork which two little girls were
watching. Close by him lay a setter. his nose
between his paws. Occasionally the man raised
his eyes to scan the sea.
8 There's Joel,n he said, 4" comm in around
the Bar. Not much air stirrin' nowlp
Then he turned to his work again.
=" First, you go so FASH" he said to the
children, as he drew thread; C then you go
so fash'." t' f l
And as he worked he made great show OF
labor, much to their diversion.
But the sight of Joeps broad white sail had
not brought pleasant thoughts to his mind.
For Joel had hailed him, off the Shoal the
afternoon before, and had obligingly offered to
buy, his fish, right there, and so let him go di-
rectly home, emitting to mention that sudden
jump Of price due to an empty market.
{" Wonder what poor man he's took dollar
out of to-day! Well, l s'pose it's all right !;
those that's got money want money!
what be you Eli-ganging on hooks?"
said Aunt Patience, as she tip-toed into the
kitchen behind him, from his Wife sick-room,
and softly closed the door after her.
"No," said the elder of the children; s'he's
mending our stockings, and showing me howl
''Well, you do have hard time, don't you!'
said Aunt Patience, looking down over his
shoulder; " to slave and tug and scrape to get
house over your head, and then to have to
turn square round, and stay to home with a
sick woman, and eat all into it with mort
cages ~
80, WE'LL" he said, 'we'll fetch, somehow. ~
Aunt Patience went to the glass, and hold
ing black pin in her mouth carefully tied the
strings of her sun-bonnet. t
"Anyway,"Ysh she said, "you take it good
natured. Though if there is one thing that's
harder than another, it is to be good-natured
all the time, without being aggravating.
have known men that was so awfuly good
natured that they was harder to live with than
if they was cross !" ts' Earl.
And without specifying further, she opened
her plaid parasol, and stepped out at the porch
The supper things were cleared away The
children had said goodnight and gone to bed,
and Eli had been sitting for an hour by his
wife's bedside. He had had to tax his patience
and ingenuity heavily during the long months
that she had lain there to entertain her for a
little while in the evening, after his hard, wet
days work. He had been talking now of the
coming week, when he was to serve upon the
jury in the adjoining county-town. .,.
II caPlate | can come home about every
night" he said, land it'll be quite a change,
at any rate" 49,. ...... .....- ..... -.
''But you don't seem so cheerful about it as
l counted you would be-" said his wife ''Are
you afraid you'll have to be on the bank case?n
"Not muchr % he answered. "No trouble N
that easel jury won't leave their seats These
city fellers'l find they've bit off more'n they
can chew when they try to figure out john
Wood done that. only hope I'll have the
luck to be on that case-all hands on the jury
whisper together minute, and then clear him
right on the spot, and then shake hands with
him all 'roundl"
"But something is worrying you," she
said. 'What is it. You have looked it since
noon.
80, nothin'," he replied, ''only George Ca
noon came up to-noon to say that he was goin'
West next week. and that he would have to
have that money! he let me have awhile ago
And where to get i'll don't know