Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-10-09
UNDER THE HARVEST MOON.
The Romance of Lysander Billings
and Edith Slaymaker,
bob Burdette in Chicago Times.

Bob Burdette in Chicago Times.l
All day he wrought under the burning
harvest sun. Any other man would have
worked, but Lysander Epsilon wrought.
He wrought with rake fifteen feet long,
behind a reaper that could make twenty
knots an hour on an upgrade. Lysan-
der's back was full of wheat-beards, but
his heart was full Of love. The real kind
of Observation-Disclosures that
makes an old married man sick. 1t also
makes him swear. LYsander did not
know this, so he just went on in the usual
disgusting way common to young people
who have it for the first time.
Lysander Billings was gone on the
farmers daughter. The farmer had a
homely old wife and two sons, but only
the daughter could fill Lysanders heart,
although the old man filed his plate.
Lysander did not let the old man into the
secret of his love for Edith Merrill and
the half of the farm, which was hers-to
get. He limited at something of the kind,
but the tiller of the soil didn't appear to
catch on with much cordially. He
seemed to Lysander to be cold and dis
tant, but not quite so distant that he
could not fetch Lysander whack over
the broad of his back with
rake. handle, nor so cold that
he couldn't swear in tones that
soured the milk in the spring-house
that if he ever heard another word of
that nonsense he would salt down his
winters pork with the briny tears of his
willful child, mourning for presump-
tuous lover, who could not be buried un-
till they got all of him together Lysander
Higgins was looking around for father
in-law that understood his business, but
somehow Farmer Thistlepod suited him
too well. 'fI'll bide my time" he said
simply. "You can have it for $3.50
day." replied the farmer eagerly, who
knew where he could get another hand
for 81. Lysander held his peace Under
his indenture it was all he could hold.
Farmer Blackbean watched the young
people with eyes of suspicion and paid
blind old Mike 81 to watch them with
isinglass. All their movements being
watched all the time, theirs was hard
case, and Lysander was half ducked by
Edith's two brothers, George and Henry
Hayseed. But though he was ready to
dial little fer her, he didn't propose to
make an air-spring for such nooseances
as those two young men, who were too
young to fool, not old enough to buy.
Edith" says Lysander, eve will fly"
GLOW far?" asked the angel.
$50 far" and led her to one in the
corner. There they laid the old plan and
played the old man, who slept uncon-
of To- al, oocff hai
shadows behind. ely to the DESSERT"
with me-" said Lysander. 81 WILL" she
said; "what have you for dessert?"
Crock candy. my ownest own. Art
ready to fly ?"
Edith Slaymaker was just too fly for
anything, and away they fled on the
wings of the house, when Edith packed
up few things to wear, for by dawn they
would be where they would have to be-
ware of everybody. The clock tolled l,
but nobody heard it; a door closed very
softly, and a very soft adored closely;
two sets OF noiseless footballs sounded
harshly on the unbroken silence of the
sleeping night, and they were gone.
GAVIN, gone. Not lost, but gone before
a. m.
A lapse of period has passed away,
borne on the fleeing wings of time. There
is bank wherein the wild thyme grows,
where sleeps the fairy queen, and there is
faro bank wherein you grow wild time
and time again, betting on the queen.
Lysander and Edith return to her bow
wow-er. who is out in the yard, un-
chained and looking for tramps. They
seek her fathers presents, but he has
none. He is too old faker for such a
give-away as that. He is not stern, al
though it his stern now. He only says :
"Bless you, my children. You are
thrice welcome home. Be assured of a
fathers forgiveness and affection. Ly-
sander Mullens, you will find your old
familiar scythe in its accustomed place in
the barn.. HE thee to the mowin' lot. !"
Then turning to his good wife old
Farmer Throckmorton said:
.s'That's the sixth daughter we've mar
ried off to good, hard-working young
men, and the six weddings, all told,
clothes, parsons fees, license and all,
! never cost us a solitary cent. wish the
two boys were each others sisters"