The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1883-11-08
Old John.
Helen WilmanSl


one OF the Lords children"
This was his constant excuDe. Property
rights, mud the bolstering up of property
rights by law was all a network Of subter-
fuge covering up humanity's rights. Not
that he argued it this way; be hardly had
sense enough to argue at all. He was a child
OF nature and lived as close TO naturs as tho
herds of the field.
He worked when no could get work, and
when he could not, BIO boarded at the vivid
der's"
1.-THE wilder was a powerful weakly
oman" TIL only thing about her that
seemed up to average was her appetite. But
John asserted that somehow her whites
didn't do her no good" Neither did medicine
seem to help hor. She tried everything that
ever was advertised II she could raise money
TO buy it, or II JOIN could steal 1t for her,
and yet sho was weakly.
The neighbors all knew John would steal,
but it did no good TO accuse him of it The
accusation always had the effect OF shaming
the one y made It, instead of John No
one could call him a thief and see the honest
surprise and injured innocence OF his homely
face and not feel rebuked.
"Damn you" said a neighbor, clustering
because he felt self-accused in accusing this
humble, patient and yet manly creature,
Damn you, didn't you take a side OF meat
out of my smoke-house night afore lastT'
"Yaas. zur." John drawled-
"What did you do 1t forr
THE wilder was out o. grub"
"Why didn't you come and ask mo for meat
like n Christianr'
"a Christian, zurr'
"'rYes, a Christian"
"Aint yo a kind o. tangled In your ideesi
Christians he'd all things In common; widder's
had as murh aa INV y
"But didn't you know that meat was
miner
"Ain't you the Lord'sr'
81 hope So"
"And don't he intend for as all to bev
grubF'
Yes; when we earn it.n
81 work when l can get work, and the wild
der, she's ono OF the Lords helpless ones. Do
you low boil throw or on his helpless and
his poreT
"But still you should have asked me for
the meat"
SEX here, mister, you mought a let mo had
It, and then agin you ~moughtn't l knowed
tho Lord he'd It fur me, and l knowel he
hedn't' pinted watchmen to keep It from me.
So l just naturally took itn
Ths man locked into tho depths OF old
Johns clear blue eyes, way down to whore a
baby soul faced him in angelic innocence, and
be turned upon himself In dumb wrath, hum
bled and worsted by tho encounter, and
walked away pouaering.
A few days afterwards John went to him
to borrow his gun. "He must kill some
game" he said, Tor they would be
out Of meat; a side Of bacon didn't
last that family long" The man
lent him the gun and a horse TO ride. and
saw no more OF him until the next evening.
"What luck did you haveI" the neighbor
asked
"Middlen, !" said John. ''nothIn' to brag on,
but 1 got n bit o. meat such as IL was"
The ncighbor wondered n little why John
had not brought him a piece, knowing that
he was as generous with his own things as
with other people's) but supposed he had only
killed n fawn and that there was not enough
OF 1t TO divide. But the fact was, John had
got tired OF. bearing tho continual anxiety
about meat and had determined to give his
mind a rest for a few weeks; so he had killed
a S-year-old beef belonging to the man of
whom he borrowed the gun and salted it
away carefully.
1t is strange that the sly manner In which
he took the property of Others should fail TO
put the seal Of condemnation on his acts In
his own and his neighbours eyes: hut II did
not appear to do so. He wanted 1t; he know
IN Nuulu DC OppOecu II no look II Openly ,
moreover. it seemed beggarly to ask. There
fore he chose between existing evils and stole
IL.
During the last harvest the poor old crea-
tuIe ever saw he worked like a sailor and
earned the best wages going. But the vivid
der and young ones were out Of clothes; and
never a drop Of patent medicine had there
been in the house for months. So the money
melted down fast; but the cbildT on were we'll
provided for and the 'mantel tree SHELF was
crowded with a choice assortment Of bottles
and boxes-Ayers Sarsaparilln, TUFTS Pills,
Samaritan Nervine, Vinegar Bitters, Lind
sey's Blood Searcher, Catarrh Remedy and
Cough Pastiles. Even Rough on Rats was
there, although invisible: poor old John be-
ing the kind OF rat the whole business was
rough on. But John had no Idea that this
family imposed on him, or that they were
under any obligations TO him. And the family
were equally ignorant OF the situation. Tho
widow bemoaned TO her neighbors the nntu-
raj generosity that rendered it impossible for
her to refuse house room to the "shfless crit
ter" and the elder children were lnsolent to
him and guyed him numerically. All but
Sary Jane.
Sary Jane was only 5 years old and n
cripple. She was the least mits OF a child
ever seen for her age, and had never borne
ner weight on ner uear little pale feet In all
her life. Sary J anc could not have been as
snart as the others; at all events she had no
more sense than TO love old John. She would
St close TO his head and keep the flies off
OF him as he took his MONDAY nap, and
would oven shake her tiny fist at her big,
rough brothers when they tormented him In
her pnesence.
John carried the little one on his shoulder
over the neighborbood, aud was delighted
when the k~iud-hearted women gave her half
worn garments and -superannuated toys.
The "w1dderr used to tell John how Sary
Jane 'mournedn for him when no was gone
and John would listen with such glowing
yes il seemed as II his whole soul was alb
sorbed in the narration.
yes" the widow would drawl out, ''she
won't 60 to bed without you; she Just humps
along 20 the door, and thar she sits as still as
a mouse, bent for'ard, and a listnin' with all
her years. It's no use to tell her you won't
come; she just jerks her shoulders, impatient
like, as IL akin US to keep still, and thar she
sits till she falls asleep"
As / said before, the harvest was past and
the money was spent; and Sary lane had got
the wish Of her heart She had a pSr Of
shoes and twotiny red stockings. 1t did not
appear TO be her Intention to wear them,
though she put them on and OF many times
each day, and rarely suffered them out Of her
TH 10 III PPD :" NJ