The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1883-10-05
CLOCK WORK.

= 3iliS4!s y o.. -
-Ed,oin Arnold.
-E CLOCK WORK.
s.Myi nor. eaid Mrs. Poysett, laughing at tho
very idea; I'VE amt afraid to stay In the house
one,niKht 'thout men, folks. Be we, Lindy?"
81 guees not said biack-eyed Linda, cheer
lily, washing her hands as preliminary to put
ting the bread in the pans
Frank says, when John wrote him to come
and stay . day over in Boston; You'll be
afraid, mother, with ail Lindy's presents in the
house, And he was real put out at first be-
cause wouldn't have some Of, the neighbors
come in to Sleep"
swell, don't blame you. of you feels of
you could sleep-on'y two women folks" said
prominent elbows and emphatcally clean cal
leo. ut 'ud on'y amount to maxim up bedfor
nuthin," WI lllt ~.
"Yes," Mrs Poysett went on, accom- auying
the elicing OF apples for pies with the regular
swing OF her rocking chair, while she now and
piece Of the fruit in her mouth, 'sthars what 1
Thought Ten-1even-Lindy, when you 60
into the other room, wish you'd strike that
clock round. It strikes one too many.n..
"Yes'm," said brisk Linda; and then, trying
from inevitable dreams about her Wedding dav,
she forgot the olock-and made an incident for
his story.
.sYour presents are handsome, Indy;
there's no mistake about that" said the visit.
or, turning the conversation skillfully to the
quarter toward which the town interest was
Just then tending.
eyes," answered Linda, blushing little.
She had grown used to busting of late.
t:People have been very kind to me-"
"No more'n you deserve. said Miss Haines.
oraculary, and with an emphasis that left no
ley's been pretty stiddy to go out West and
make home. m then come back m marry
the girl he's been with ever sence they was
child'en.' But say to 'em, mo credit to him.
No more'n he'd orter done. Lindy's pure gold,
finished her .euloey on the doorstep, perhaps
to avoid having the matter disputed,
while Linda went back TO her cooking
table, laughing, and etill gratefully
rosy over the sense that everybody in gen.
eral was far too good to her. It was q case Of
John Wiley had been prosaically faithful to
zach other for years before he asked her
promise to marry him. Eighteen months ago
he had gone West TO- set up in business ss q
carriage builder, and now, having .prospered,
days journey Of home he had written to ask
Frank, Lnda's brother, to meet him il Boston
for days sightseeing and an evening at the
theater. Perhaps you would say that the ideal
lover should have fastened to his lady on the
steam: but Linda thought differently.
'Tt was just like hinl-wasn't it, mother?"-
she said that very morning, after Miss Haines
had gone, ''to think Frank would be the better
for q change. I'd rather have him go to Bos-
ton for good time than see John one day
stronger than that, could they, mother?"
81 don't know what shall do without you,
Indy" said tho mother, rather irrelsvantly,
putting down the knife to wipe away furtive
tear with her apron. ':Im sure don't know /"
Linda was at her side in an instant, with
laughed, and went on with their work, as they
had done hundred times within the lat
fortnight For Mrs. Poysett had the equable
temperament that sometimes accompanies
rotundity of form and double chin, and
Linda, besides being Sensible, could not keep
miserable very long at time. Thus you per-
ceive that circumstances were rendering it as
easy as possible for them to weather the gale
OF coming separation.
Meanwhile, everybody in the township was
not rotund and possessed OF double chins, not
all the houses were keepers of now and shining
wedding-gifts, and, strange to say, not every
body was happy. Pete Hayden, who lived down
in pan lane, was poor and savagely discouraged.
He made shoes ordinarily, but that winter there
were no shoes to be had. His was fine aud
pIdCuCou uNuuS no COusu w Ill Sui VI JOUS,
from cleaning watch 10 building q chimney,
but nobody saw fit to have making or mending
done. There had ouly been four or five
pieces of work since fall for Tinker Pete, for
none Of which could he in conscience ask more
than fifteen cents. His wife fell sick, the
and just then some one tapped him on the arm
and tempted HIM.
One morning a stranger strolled into town
and stopped at Pete's little shop to ask his
way. He was travelling to Southfeld, so he
J, aaid.
y !sWhere had he been?"
ooh, anywhere" airily and jauntily; s'trav-
cling about the country. Might take up with
work somewhere, if found any worth doing. I"
"Bald times" said Pete, looking moodily at
'sL've been sailor" said the man, filling his
pipe-a process Pete watched greedllv, for his
own tobacco box was empty. "Twenty years
before the mast should have been q captain
before this time--but there's jealousles So I
got sick Of It call myself landsman now"
s'You don't have the look Of sailor" said
Pete, his eyes travelling from the shabby fur
cap and the dark face with rather narrow, bold
black eyes down over the shabby suit of
brown.
The man gave slight start and glanced at
been on land some time now. Salt waters easy
to shake off, What might your name be?"
'Haydon-Pete Hayden"
Sand mines Job Whettlee Queer name,
amt it? Don't believe there's another like it
this way again I'll look in on you"
And he did.
One day. as Pete was soldering milk-pail
for Mrs. Burge this time whistlinR q little, hav-
ing work 10 whistle over, the man came in
without warning Of rap or voice.
Thought you's twenty-five mile away afore
this" said Pete, plying his iron. ''Take q
seat"
s"Things don't please me much over that
way,'" said the fellow, pompously. again be-
SPELL Perhaps Til do bit Of work on some
body's farm"
s'Can't get it," said Pete, briefly, viewing his
completed job with approval 'sAn't no farm
work to be had just now"
''Well, doing chores, mean-light work.
I'm not par ocular how little do for my
board" with coarse laugh.
sFolks do their own work round here" said
Pete. "Some Of 'em have got money enough
to pay, but they're able bodied, as it happens.
and don't want hired man round in the win
s'seems pity-don't it?-thst things can't
be equally divided, so that you and could
have our share" said the stranger, putting in
dustriously at his pipe, but not forgetting to
watch the tinker II should like to help my
self S to somebody's pile; now, shouldn't ySSus
needn't jump I mean, suppose the young
fellow that owns the big farm over there
Poysett-should say. .Whettles, take half my
bank stock. I don't need 1t all;' do you think I
should say sno'?"
z OF course the tinker laughed at the fsnciful
notion. He was sunny-tempered fellow; it
hardly needed very bright thing to provoke
his mirtn.
Where Whettles stayed at night was mys.
terry. Sometimes Pete suspected he might have
slept in barn, he turned up so tousled in tho
morning; often he guessed that Toppan, the
saloon keeper, had given him lodging, from
The f,1maa Tint Iinrarad nhnYt hia ahabhv nor