The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-06-16

| in trying to split piece Of stove-wood
from an elm log which had in all proba-
bility worried the eldest Davis boy. and
possibly the entire Davis family. for
many year.
..Susie! Susier' exclaimed Mart.
"You must be crazy! What do you
mean? Desist, 1 beseech you, and
come in. As soon as dinner is over I'll
come out and split enough wood to last
you . month.
mo, nor' said Susie. Hurry up
and eat your dinner; / am afraid you
will be late; it is nearly time to milk
and feed for the night"
Mart felt for his watch. but, alas! He
then looked around at the mastif, who
was looking weary and lean beyond
description. He had not been fed since
the day before. Susie was in need of
wood; she stopped, however, and passed
into the house followed by Mart, who,
instead of sitting down to dinner. or
supper, rather, picked up the milk pals
and went straight to the cow shed to
milk.
Well. the farmer a. got through
somehow that evening about nine
o'clock, and went to bed determined to
get up early the next morning and take
time by the forelock. He did wake up
early for wonder. and, after rousing
Susie, he arose and made fire. He
could not tell what time it was, for he
had no watch. and the clock had
stopped; but then the chickens were
Growing, and Susie said it must be day.
light or midnight, and gently init
mated that it vast likely the latter.
At this Mart f1ared up, and informed
Susie that he was no fool, and inquired
what she took him for; and then Susie
was about to say something terrible,
and curbed her passion, and only &C.
cused him of using slang, and invited
him to 90 out and look at the mastiff
and find out what time it was.
Mart said not word to this, but fixed
up an old lantern that he had bought
from the eldest Davis boy, and started
for the barn. He fed the horses and
commenced to curry one by the light of
the lantern, but changed his mind in q
short time, saying to himself that he
could do better job by daylight. After
closing the barn door he went to the
COW shed to feed the COWS, but they
were all lying down, apparently asleep,
and would not get up. He next went to
the pig pen, but the swine jumped up
and ran off in a squad at sight of the
lantern, granting and making q dread
full racket
"Wen, this beats allr' said Mart.
starting for the house. II do wish I
knew the time of night.
He was nearing the house. stumbling
over the old moving machines, plows,
rails. pens and the like, when all of
sudden huge creature sprang from the
darkness in front of him. Then there
was loud barking and growing, and
Mart had dropped his lantern and sprang
up sapling near by, and the fifty dol
lar mastiff was under his master, bark
ing furiously. and gnawing at the root
of the tree.
"How did that COMPOUNDED dog get
loose?" cried Mart. II wonder if he'll
know me?''
. But the dog did not know his master,
though the latter whistled and talked
kindly, and then not quite SO kindly,
but all to no purpose; the villainOus dog
remained immovable.
81 would rather die than call Susie
out after that spat we just had, and I'll
be frozen stiff or torn to pieces by this
hungry dog before I'll say one wordr'
And Mart closed his lips firmly together
and shut his eyes.
How long he might have remained in
that position no one will ever know, for
at that moment his wife came to the
door to call him to breakfast, and he
had to answer.
"Why don't you come imp
Mart made no answer, but Susie be-
ing a rather shrewd woman, and hear
ing the baying of the mastif, guessed
the trouble, and taking the lamp in her
hand marched out to the tree. She
took the dog by the collar, led him back
to the kennel and, after securing him
with a chain, held the lamp above her
head so that Mart could see the way to
the door, as the old Davis lantern was
a total wreck.
Mart found his way into the house.
and after kissing Susie and Freddie, who
was tearing around in his night-dress,
he bathed his face and hands and sat
down to breakfast.
After the repast was finished, Mart
took up the Farming Made Easy"
and showed Freddie the pictures for an
hour or so, and finally fell asleep, and
Freddie followed suit. When he awoke,
it was daylight. Susie was mending a
pair of overalls. Freddie was sound
asleep on his lap, and the mastiff was
just outside the open door, basking in
the sunshine as playful as kitten. The
sun was shining brightly through the
window, and hot fire was burning in
the cook stove.
Mart looked around him for a while.
thinking that it was not such q bad
world, after all. and, ascertaining that
the mastiff was chained, he laid Freddie
on the lounge and went out to the barn.
yard. With the aid of Susie he man.
aged to get pretty well through by noon.
only forgetting to turn the calves away
from the COWS; but then that was not so
bad, and he consoled himself with the
knowledge that he would have no milk
ing to do that afternoon.