The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1883-03-01

in deed and in truth Qii. ls).
He that ioveth not knoweth not God for God is Low
No ONE Fl hath seen God at any time If we love
God ioys; Il shss dwsI1sth S dwelleth ii
iieth; for he that loyeth not his brother, whom h
seen liv. 2oS. ''''O''-
In the house of a peasant there
lodged bootmaker with his wife anc
children. He had no home and n,
land of his own, and supported him
self and his family by his trade boot.
making. Bread was dear, and labor
cheap, and all his earnings were spent
on food. The bootmaker and his
wife had but one sheepskin between
them, and this was worn into tatters
he had been saving money for more
than year to buy skin to make a
new one with. E aef
Towards autumn the bootmaker
had got together enough savings;
there were three rouble notes in his
wife's chest, and five roubles twenty
kopecks were owed him by peasants
in the village.
Early in the morning he prepared
to set off to the village to get the
sheepskin. He put on woman's s
wadded nankeen doublet over his
shirt, and over that cloth coat; put
the three rouble notes in his pocket,
broke off a stick, and started after
breakfast. He thought to himself,
II shall receive five roubles from a
peasant, and with this along with my
three will buy a skin" l..
When the bootmaker reached the
village, he visited countryman,--ht
was not at home; his wife had prom
ised the week before to send her hus-
band with money, but had not given
it. He went to another,-the coun-
tryman swore he had no money, and
could only give twenty kopecks for
mending a pair Of boots. The boot
maker thou ght he could take the skin
on credit, but the tanner did not be-
lieve in credit. r afi
"Give me money" he said, 'and
then you can have anything you like;
we know how difficult it is to get ones
money back. y '2-i..l -i'e..
So it turned out that the bootmaker
could do no bu. mess to speak of; he
had only received twenty kopecks for
repairs, and a peasant had given him
an old pair of felt boots to mend.
The downhearted bootmaker drank
off twenty kopecks' worth Of vodka
and went home without the skin.
Early in the morning he had felt half
frozen, but when he had drunk he no
longer felt the want Of a sheepskin.
The bootmaker paced along, with one
hand tapping the hard, frozen road
with his stick, and swinging back
wards and forwards the felt boots he
held in the other. As he went he
talked to himself as follows
'"Well, declare, I feel quite warm
without a. sheepskin. I have drunk
tumbler; it plays through all my
veins. No need Of warm skin now,
I have quite forgotten all my troubles
Whasa man | am after all! What
do I need? I shall be able to do with
out sheepskin; I shall never want
one again. My wife will have a dull
time Of it-that's the only objection.
Besides, it is downright shameful; you
work for him, and he leads you about.
Well, look here; If you don't bring
money will take away your hat, in
deed [ will. It's really too bad; he
pays by driblets! But what can you
do with some twenty kopecks? Drink
that's all! He says, I'm in need.
So he can be in need and | can't. You
have home. and cattle, and all that
you want, whilst I have nothing; all
my property is in myself; you have
your homemade bread, and | have to
buy it wherever [ can, and bread alone
costs three roubles week. [ shall
come home and find the bread has
run out. Another fresh supply for
one rnble and half that have to
make ready. So you shall have to
give me my due" "+-
Thus talking to himself the boot
maker went up to the chapel on the
turning, and saw behind the latter
something whitish. 1t was growing
dusk: the bootmaker looked very at
tentively, and could not make out
what this could be. There is no stont
like that h re. he thought. A beast
perhaps. 1t is not like beast; the
upper part is like man, but still it
looks too white for man. Besides.
what should man be doing here?
He went a little nearer, and now
there was no mistake about it. What
wonderful thing! a man it was.
alive or dead, sitting on the flint
stones, and leaning motionless against
the chapel. The bootmaker shuddered
and thought to himself, "a man has
been murdered; they have cut him up
and thrown him down here; If you
go up quite close to him you will not
be able to clear yourself"
And the bootmaker went by. He
passed round the chapel, losing sight
of the man. As he was passing by
the chapel he, however, turned his
head, and saw the man standing off
from the chapel, as if shaking and
staring at him. The bootmaker was
the more afraid, and thought to him
self, "Shall l go up to him or pass
him by? Shall I go, in spite Of the
danger? Who knows what he is?
dare say he came hither through no
good deeds. Suppose l go up to him,
and he jumps up and throttles me,
and no escape is left; and if he don't
throttle me | shall still have to bother
myself with him? Surely I can't de-
prive myself of my last clothes and
clothe HIM. God spare me from him.
And the bootmaker hastened his
steps. He had nearly left the chapel
behind him, but his conscience prick
ed him.
He stopped on the road.