The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-11-28

Ii was fine afternoon toward the end OF
June Abraham Leigh was stan ling by tho
gate of the field known Us tho home
meadow looking at the long ripe grass rip
ping ms the summer breeze swept across IL.
He was thoroughly good specimen of a
Somers >t'hirc farmer A big, sturdy man,
whose movements were slow and deliberate.
His face. il heavy and stOlll, not By any
means the face of a fool No doubt a man
of circumscribel viewS--ths world, for him,
extending eastward 10 the Bristol channel
Nevertheless, rc,pacel III his little world
as wonderful jud 90 of beast n graf au
thority on tllaseS, and, above ali, man
who Away had baIanC, in his favor at
the Somarsetshire bank; a type of that Elk
tinct race tho prosperous farmer who
lookeI ON all town,man with contempt
thinking, a all farmers should think, that
the owners of broad acres, and those en-
gagei III agriculture, were aons worthy of
respect.
IeJ, to-d,y, in spite of his advantages
and requirements, Farmer Leigh looked on
the iiftecn-acre meadow with n puzzled ami
disconnected expression on b s honest face;
and, moreover, murmurI of Il .ssatis faction
were proceeding from his lips. Farmers
S1merseoshlre farmers especialiv-are pro-
verbal grumblerS, tut it is seldom they
grumble without an audience II is out
siders who got the benefit of their COM
plants. Besides, one would think that tho
tenant of WaterCreSs Farm hal little, at
present, to complain Of Til, drop of rain
SO badly wanted had been long in cominy,
but 1t had come Just in the nick of time 10
save the grass aud II the CROP outwardly,
looked little thin, Mr.. l. Ugh, experienced
eye told him that the unier5rowth was
thick an that the quality Of tn, hay would
DO first class. Moreover what corn and
roots he had looked promising, SO ii seems
strange that ths farmer should be- grum-
bling when h. In | no one To listen to him,
and should lean So discons olately upon tho
gate OF the field when no ono obs rived him.
~ cant mako INN GU, ne said Good
boy he be- too-yet in, cad o helping mo
with tho lanl always gong about dreaming
or messing VITA mui Can't think where
he got his notions from. Suppose 1t must "a
been from tbs mother, poor thing! Always
fond o gimcracK1 and such like, She were.
Gave the lal sIch an OutianllSh nam, I'm
ashamed to hear it. Fathers AMI grand
fathers name ought to be good enough Tor d
Loigh-goo1 bog, though, II, be- top.'
A soft look - tlel on Abraham Leigh,
face as he repeated the last words, then he
went deeper into his slough Of DIES pond,
where no doubt, hs batued rs mlntully a,
Christian, until be reached the Other
shore, aud fancled lie had fOunt the solution
of his difficulties
His face brightenel Tell e, what" he
said, addressing tbs waving sra,, m iron,
Of him, IN ask Mr. herbert Squ,r,', ,
man who have seen tins world. III rale IN,
advice about tho boy. Se,ms hard Tx, ON
me, too. Meier Leigh till thi, on, bu,
what were farmer ~ tn, backbone
His mind made up, the farmer ,trple Of,
TO make arrangements with mower Had
he been troubled with twenty unnatural
and incompetent son, tn, hay must h.
made while the sun shines
Although he had settleI what 10 do If
was some time before the w.ighty resoly,
was carried into execution. Folk, abou,
Coombe Acton do not move with the ca
lerity of cotton brokers or other IN N Of
busins Sure they are, but slow. So Il
was not until the September rent day tina,
the farmer consulted his landlord about hi
domestic difficulty tho possession OF a son
an only child, of about IL, vino instead Of
making himself useful on thu land. did lit
tie else save wander about in a dreamy way
looking at all objects In nature, animate o,
inanimats, or employed himself in thu mvs
FERROUS puf SUIT which his father described A
"msss,oy With mud" Sch conduct was ,