The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1883-11-29
RICH Q OR r, POOR


said old Mr.. Sewell. swell, We heard
you was thinkin' of returnin' to Elm
Mountain. Bad pennies always come
back-ha! ha! ha! And you did not
make such big fortune as you ealeula-
led, chi" 80.
Jerome Clay leaned over the old zig
gag rail fence and rubbed his eyes: Had
time stood still all these years while he
had been in the South? For here was
Farmer Sewell III the same old blue
checked overalls, with the same bat
tered straw nat, the same wrinkles be-
tween his brows, driving the came old
red COWS home through the twilight lane,
where the scent of trampled spearmint
came up, and the melancholy notes of d
whippoorwill sounded family on the
purple silence.
And yet-and yet it was twenty odd
years since he had left Elm Mountain,
with all his worldly goods balanced in
bundle on his back. He had been
! dash!ng lad OF twenty-one, then; there
| were silver hairs in his black locks, now,
| and he left dead past buried unuer the
! swee, magnolia groves. And here Was
Moses Sewell, just the same as ever,
| only a trifle yello wer and more dried up:
Eyes," Clay said; quletly,, "I've COME
back. And you are right when you say
that forum: don't gro ON every bush."
"Goin' lyour unce's house?" said Mr..
Seweh, ieahing over the bars. Hes
dead and buried, poor fellow. Always
had a weak chest you know. And the
gals amt no Younger. The three old
| maids we call 'em-ha, ha, La, bal"
And again the old farmer chuckled
himself into state .of semi suffocation.
Come in and see u.s." s4id he. my
daughter Aurilla." she's come back a
W dow and does tai!orin' and plain sewin.'
rnr o,L womau's stone deaf but she's
dreadful quick at catchia' persons
meaninyw
And off he trudged over the patches
Of sweet smiling spearm'nt, his broad
figure vanishing Into the gloom like u
"Three old maids, eh?" repeated Jer-
ONE Clay to himself. ''Clara and Bess,
and little Kate, the golden-haired beau
ty, the soft eyed poetess' the wild little
eprite who. was a mixture of Ghd ne and
Queen Map. Then, surely, Father Time
has not atood still" 49, ~:
The light shone out, as Of old, from
the red-curtained easement, the great
fire of logs was blazing on the hearth,
and the three cousins greeted the re-
turned wanderer with unaffected
warmth.
They were changed, of course. What
else could have been expected? The
beauty had grown sharp and freckled
and her lovely hairahad lost it's burrieh..
and >he was not quite as tidy as she
used to be- in the old days about her
ribbons and frills. Soft-eyed Bessie's
sweet voice had degenerated into a.
whine; she had grown round-should-
and lit lie Kate was stout, mid,tle-aged
woman, who reminded one OF Unuine
no more.
But they were cousins stili-the girls
who had played and romped and.
firted with him in due arithmetical pro-
erosion. And there still existed bond
Of steadfast friendship, and he told them
the story of the Southern wife who had
been buried for five years under the
magnolias, and they all sympathized
and beauty even cried little.
II have brought my three children
to the Morrill," he said. II left them in
New York, and if ] can get some genu-
inc, who.e-souled woman to take charge
L
here in Elm Noun ain. Clara, dear,yo
u ed to DO iond OF me in the old tlm.s!
What do you say to undertaking the
charger"
The beauty seemed to grow smaller,
sharper, more business like, in second;
if cousin Jerome had come home mil
lionaire, she would have jumped into
his arms
But Clara Nicely was not Economically
inclined. To her, love in a cottage pos
sessed no charms.
II couldn't Jerome,' she answered,
quickly. "Pm not very strong, and
couldn't assume any responsibility of
THIS arduous nature. Besides, I'm not
fond OF children. I'm greatly obliged to
you, Pm sure, but II rather no"
Jerome Clay bit his lip. -
of course. he said, lit is for you to
decide. But if Jessie"
The poetess shrugged her shoulders,
and laughed a light, shrill-sounding
ca hination.
cousin JEROME" said she, cts just
as we'll to be rank alb ut these matters.
| wouldn't marry a poor man-not if
loved him like Romeo and Juliet. It's
Dac enough to scrape along as we do
here. with only half what one requires
10 live on decently. But to plunge into
poverty. with two or three children be-
longing to another woman no, thank
You"
F. For time, as may easily be perceived,
had eliminated great deal Of poetical
element from Bessie Neely's soul.
The qalndam Un''ine did not wait for
the question, as far as she Was concern.
ed but;added, promptly, til It she quite
agrasd with her sister in all these mat
ters:: -. ]: :. : e -: r
IFS such pity you didn't stay here.
where you we're well off, Jerome" said
she, in the pity ing, .pa.ronizine manner
which your genuine man most abhors.
Dear pa, you know, always disap-
proved of your going south. And you
night have got the situation of agent to
'he White Castle Place, at eight hun
bred a year, and "a cottage found, if
you'd only. been here on the spot. Pa
used to Know the old agent, and could
have recommended you!"" It =
Jerome smiled. =
"White! Castle?" said he. "That's the.
big house on the hill, where We chill:
dren used to peep at the roses and
white grapes through the glass sides Of
the great greenhouse. "A: grand place,
as remember it."
And the posi- ion of agent is most re-
sponsibIe, - aud highly considered"
broke in Bessie. .ss...-: >'' ave
Jerome Clay went away feeling rather
depressed.
it is not the lot of every man to be
fhrioo rniorto0 in ono ovo niv,6