The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-10-10

which would help to fill out Il story
of the day.
After he had partially dried his gar
ments, the good wife asked him II he
would take a sup and a bite, II $ would
set it before him.
With a genial smile, he answered that
he was hungry. He would not put her
to trouble, but If
Malcolm stopped him abruptly.
Don't talk of putting us to trouble,
sir. What are we good for, If we can't
help one another in times of trouble
and want? We hain't got much, and
what we have got's plain and homeIy,
but it's good, and it's honestly come
by" -.
And thereuPon Susan set out a small
table, and prepared a substantial meal.
Her three elder children came IN
from the little kitchen where they had
been parching corn, and seated them
selves modestly by the fire with a dish
of the snowy corn before them.
The stranger begged a few kernels,
and the eldest. a girl of twelve years, at
once offered him half of all they had,
but he only thanked her and accepted u
small quantity, aud as he ate he told
the little ones how he had loved pop
ped corn when he was q child like them
selves.
When the meal was ready the strang-
err ate and drank with relish, and when
he had concluded he gladly accepted q
pipe, and as he smoked he began to
question the host about himself and his
affairs. He said he was almost a strang-
er in that region, and he knew but lit
tie of it.
What" sa,d he, in surprise, after
Malcolm had told him who was his land
lord, "does this farm belongto the Max
well estate? l had no idea that the ter
ritory extended so far"
Yes, sir" responded the farmer.
Young Philip Maxwell owns a big es-
tate, aud it's a pity he don't take care
of it. If all l hear is true he's runnin'
through it pretty fast"
SIS that so? What makes you think
it?" asked the stranger.
"What makes me think it?" echoed
Malcolm, elevating his brow and blow
ing out an extra cloud of smoke. Would
a young man like him, without q family
-leastwise I never heard of his bein'
married-would he, ownin' such grand
estate as this, crowd down on a poor
man like me till he'd got almost his last
shillin' and then, on top o that, jam and
crowd harder still. if he wasn't goin' it
pretty fast?"
Malcolm was becoming excited, and
the thought of the last rise In his rent,
which had been made known to him on
that very day, filed his cup of indigna-
ton to overflow.
"Yes, SIR" he went on, Give been
payin' a rent for this farm that no man
ever ought to pay-a rent that has
robbed me and my good wife and the
little ones of things that we really needed
and now it's to be raised again.
Susan-that's my wife, slr-her father
rented this farm and she vas born here,
which, you'll understand, kind o. 'taches
her to the place. Well, her father paid
E10 a year and paid once liz six months.
My first years rent was f12, then it
went up, and up, and up, and for three
years last past I've paid e. a month,
and now, sir, I've got notice that I'm
to pay an advance OF five shillin's a
month. That's e3 more a year. Not
much, you may say, but it's the last
ounce that breaks the camels back.
Hhen a mans payin' all he can pay, how
a he pay more?"
But" said the wayfarer, shaking
the ashes from his pipe, why don't you
speak with the squire himself?"
What and he away In Paris?"
"Then why not write to him?"
"Ah, sir, there you've hit It'll When
young Master Philip came into possess
sion he made ii a law that the man who
complained to him should be turned off
at once. Hes kind o'ticklish, / should
judge about bein' bothered, and he don't
like to have his feelin's stirred up; so
when he took possession he was deter
mined that he wouldn't have no com
plants nor fault-fnding. He planned
that he would enjoy all of life that could
be enjoyed, and If his tenants had trou-
bles they shouldn't saddle 'em off onto
him. So d'.see he just made that rule
and he made it strong--the man that
opened his head to him about MS rent
or about any short-comin' whatever, or
that dared to write to him, should be
turned off, neck and heels, without
further warmth
But, dear man, do You really think
Mr.. Philip Maxwell would do that
thing?" the guest asked with consider
able interest.
Would he2 All, didn't he?" cried
Malcolm explosively. go and ask
poor old Dan Sampson what he thinks.
Old Dan had the Goodspeed Farm
one of the best Of the estate-as large
as six Of this. He dared to post a let
ter to the squire. and he got his dis
charge papers of-hand. Yes, ser, he
was turned away and the farm let to
another within a week after the letter
had been put into post. Silas Calter
n11at bnva fha noufrno0kor vxxIr~ L.