The Portland daily press., 1882-08-29
SELECTED STORY
John Alden's Farm.


kings, I've heard people say and excepting
father they all died penniless.
grandfather Alden, am sorry to say,
was too fond of horse racing and cards to
keep money long, and his sons, excepting IA
Their. all drank" said Susy, dryly. Giving
like Irish kings, too, IS not the most secure
way of keeping fortune"
swell, now, look at me- continued John.
with the scowl on his face unaltered. 81
neither drink nor gamble, nor care for the
turf, I'm nineteen, and Pve tried honestly to
do iutv - every wav."
"Well, John?"
"Well,'-sAappishly-"see the difference
between me and George Harvey. At school,
study as hard as / could, he carried off all
the prizes. was the dull plodder, he the
brilliant scholar, the genius. When the Wis
itors came, heard him pointed out invaria-
bly, as Harvey, sir. A most promising fell
low. He'll make his mark in Che world l
was passed by without a word When we
90 into society it is the same thing. / take
the utmost pains to be polite and attentive to
the girls, and Harvey laughs and quizzes and
is positively rude to them. Yet he is 'splen-
did and fascinating and the incest girls are
proud to have him for a partner, while | am
endured on sufferance. There is precisely
the same difference in business. In every
way he is favored by fortune and l am slight
ed.'
~ do not see that, JOHN said Susy,
gravely, George has a snowy, dashy, man
ner, which commands attention to whatever
he knows. But people soon find out how
little that is. Even girls, in the long run"
81 hate the long TunE cried John i'm
patiently.
Susy was silent. She knew very well that
this outbreak was all owing to the fact that
I haJ chnuTn attention
to George Harvey the night before. "He al
ways did care too much for Laura Fanlke's
opinion since they went to the primary
school together" thought Susy, Indignantly.
Sand as for business" she said aloud, 81
do not see that George has any advantage
over you in his position. You both have
been left farm both are independent, both
have the means of making a sure, not large
income"
s'Now that shows just how little you know
about it. Harvey's farm numbers just the
same amount of acres that mine does, it is
true. But his is on the south side of the
creek, in rich alluvial soil, mine on the hill
side, where nothing will grow but pine trees
and Jimson weeds"
"Helol What's the matter Jackp' said
Squire Hall, riding up to the porch on his
81 was grumbling about my patch here, to
tell the truth 1t will yield nothing; abso-
lutely nothing"
"Don't be too sure ofthat, my boy, Come
out here bit,'' reckoning him mysterious
y aside.
They whispered for sometime together.
and then John came in, his face flushed and
his eyes cleaning.
"There's great news, Susy! Oil has been
discovered in the bottom, and company
from New York have sent on inspectors to
test the property on either side of the creek,
among the rest Harvey's and mine. If there
are any indications of oil being there, we
can ask our own price for the land
"Oh John, knew all wou32 go well with
you"
The little girls face was pretty and spark
ling. and her brother stopped and kissed it
heartily.
'sThe inspection is to be made tomorrow,
and then Pm made or lost for life. Ii only
lucki is not against me!'
"God will be with you in any case, John,
said Susy. gently.
But luck to John Alden which came in
good fortune of dollars and cents, or even
praise. was much more real thing than the
unseen power which his sister Worshipped
SO faithfully.
He rose next morning with haggard face
which showed be slept but little.
Quay, 1t Sdiu W otioys ~ VII " eAli
settled The inspector from New York will
be here by 10 o'clock. In an hour he can
tell if there is any oil on the land He is an
expert. YOU understand. Ii there is any, l
will sell and build a house like Squire Pc
ters's. only larger. And then, Susy-who
knows II might marry. ] am as old as Ben
Scott
F'Yes, that is true"
She could not bear to discourage him by
hint of defeat. He watched nervously
by the door for the men to appear, and
when he saw them coming--the New
York expert. one or two of the proposed
stockholders in the new company, and
Squire Peters hmself-he snatched up
his hat and hurried down the road to meet
them.
Even Susy's heart throbbed fast. She
told herself in vain that it was not matter
of life and death; it seemed to her that her
own fate as well as Johns depended on a
few words to be spoken in the coming half
hour.
The hour passed. She had seen the
groups of men passing from point TO point
of the farm, until they turned to the right
of big red barn, and disappeared IN
the corn patch After that they were lost
to sight.
Noon came! One O'Clock! The adinner
was ready, but she dared not sound the
horn, The inspection was no doubt sue
cessful, and they were now chatferlng for
the sale of the farm. Would shey give the
money in cash i-Hun( reds-thousands-a
million? Susys idea on the subject OF
the price of oil or oil-lands was very unset
tled. :.
Two o'clock came at last, and the din
ner. do what she would, was dried to
crisp. just as the clock struck, Squire Pc
tiers. and the stranger from New York rode
past the door. Susy could not help lis
tening intently for any chance word she
might hear. :.
1.-THE land for the purpose of cultivation
said the squire. sis worthless, perfectly
worthless.
"Think so, Ell? Now near New York a
man would make it pay gold to the foot,
ooking with half shut eyes down to the
ouDd.
"How?'
"Berries. Finest varieties of berries;' and
with that they passed out of sight.
Still John did not come in. At last usy
nut on her sun-bonnet and went through the
garden, the truck patch, the woods, in
search of him
She found him, after long search, among
hay mows, lying on his face, his head
overed with his arms.
so John, what is it?'
He would not answer IOr Wnlle. IHtH
ERASED his head. SIT is my luckP' he said
savagely with an oath such as never crossed
his lips before There will be full
yield on George Harvey's farm, and on
mine"
HOn yours?' breathlessly.
f'Not drop. Now let me alone! want
no pity;' and he stalked away into the
woods
But eyery cup. no matter how bitter, is
drained at last. Months passed by. George
Harvey received from the company d sum
for his land which to his neighbors appeared
a princely fortune Derricks and mills were
built. The oil poured out like water. A
branch railroad was built from the city to
the Harvey Mills"
Harvey himself babe the village good bye,
and went to ore of the Eastern cities to 1--we
Report soon came back of his lavish eNtray-
aganc, of Partisan clothes, of diamonds and
blooded horses.
"Harvey lives like prince" people said
to John Alden. tHe does credit to his ma
tive town."
If there was no sarcastic emphasis on the
pronoun meant, John fancied it. AS for
himself, he was in a morbid, sullen despair
for about year. Nobody would buy his
land except for oil. 1t was all elephant on
his hands.
AT last, being young and hopeful and with
Susy to urge him on, he determined to make
use of his elephant