The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-12-19
THE LANDLORDS VISIT.


Cid Widow Clare
In a low-backed chair,
Sat mid mid -nodding;
While over the road
Came Farmer McCrode
A pid-plid-plodding
nvas cold and showing, and the wind was
At the rate of hundred miles an hour;
While the farmer was fretting and his counte-
Each moment more angry, forb;dding and
sour.
~She pays no rent, although have sent
To her time and again for the money:
And now we shall see what she'll say TO me,
For the thing has long ceased to be funny"
Thus he muttered aloud while the snow like
shroud
Enveioped his burly old figure completely;
And twas dark, but not late, when he entered
the gate
OF the tenant he was going to astonish so
neatly.
Disdaining TO knock. he CROPPED for the lock.
And had already planted one foot on the sill,
When, just by chance, he happened to glance
Through the window and his heart Tor u
moment stood still.
He saw a woman nodding in low-fashioned
chair:
Her tace was sad and wrinkled, while silvered
was her hair.
A Large and well-thumbed Bible on her lap
And a cat was softly purring in sympathetic
way.
A scanty pile of fagots. in the fireplace burn
ing low,
LIT up the room at intervals, and cast mellow
Ger the kindly aged face, like the nimbus we
are told
Which used TO hover round the foreheads of
the martyred saints of old.
And the landlord drew up closer, that he might
the better look
On the plainly lettcred pages of the unfamiliar
Book;
And the verse he dwelt the longest on, then
was: sBIessed are the mercifuI, for mercy
they'll obtain"
Now why he forebore to push open the door
The farmer could offer no clear explana
Yet in spite of the storm, his heart had grown
As he stood gazing in with strange fasci-
nation.
Then after awhile queer sort of smile
Lit up his brown face now and then;
And when, at the last, he turned round and
passed
Out into the snow-covered highway again,
The smile was there STILL ant continued
until
He found himself facing the small village
store.
Though business YVES dull, the -on,,. was
OF Woodworking men whose days abors
were DER,
And all lasily sat round the stove for CHAT,
Each comfortably resting his head on his
hands;
but they rose in alright ard their faces
grew white
When the farmer burst in and poured forth
his commands.
Just fetch me a sack or bag and mind
Its the largest and strongest that you can
find.
Now put in some 'taters-a peck viii do:
package of -four, and some turnips. TOO:
piece of pork, wrapped good and strong,
A nice smoked ham tden't he so longn.
Now throw in couple of pounds of tea
No, won't he stingy. MAZE it three
Say, you over there, just stop your staring
Do you think I'm lunatic out for IN air
ing2
Some pepper and salt and sugar, too;
DO i want EN- mixedg' I'd like to mix
youi
Some crackers and cheese, dried peaches
and snuff;
An L reckon as how you hev got bout
enough.
Just gimme a lift-there, that is all right:
Nharge EN- to me: and now-gcod night"
So back DER the road re went with his load,
Tossed. like ship in a storm, to and fro:
But the heart OF the farmer was very much
And that makes great deal of difference,
you know.
arriving once more at the old cottage door.
Tic peered through the window, and saw
with delight
That good Widow Clare still slept in her
chair,
Unconscious of what was transpiring that
night.
He neverquite knew just how he got through
That low, narrow door with The load on his
Nor how he was able to reach the small table
And nosclessly lay down the Cumbersome
sack;
But in less than minute, every single thing
Was spread out before him in tempting
array.
The tnrnips kept still. as they seldom will,
And not even potato rolled of and away.
The old cat looked wise, and pulled up twice
her size,
But seeing no harm to her mistress was
meant,
She resumed her deep thinking, and her gray
eyes were blinking
when at last from the room the strange visitor
went.
And now, once again, he pressed close TO the
Ard endeavored to picture the widows
surprise;
While it wasn't the snow, as you and 1
That he brushed once or twice from his
eyes.
Then Farmer MoCrode
Went back DER the road
pid-plid-pioddfng;
While still in her chair
Sat Old Widow Clare
A nid-nid -nodding
DE Wit Citation Lockwood, in Christian Union.