The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1885-03-25
FABLE THE sEooND.-CoSrrSuEp.


Boyhood was upon him again, and, at n
risk of scratched hands and torn clothes,
Il must be done. Perhaps he might find
some of the big stones with which he
and Patience, when playmates, had
spent hours in trying to make secret
way for themselves across the brook in
its darkest place; that would be q find,
indeed.
SO he scrambled from among the
rushcs into the rough coppice where
water ran, and wondered q little what
had become of all the mountains and
valleys, lakes, torrents and waterfalls,
chasms and precipices, that he remem-
bercd so well. In truth, it was not that
all these things had grown smaller, but
that his own legs had grown longer. But
there was all the old smell of damp clay
and decaying leaves to bring back the
old charm--which. besides, borrowed
swcater and better fragrance than the
new.
He was just swinging himself round
the bole of tree that by hanging over
the water, roots and all. barred the
way, when, in rcgaining the bank, his
foot slipped upon the soft clay, and he
went head foremost into tangle Of
bushes. and he fell, not into the mud,
but across what was the last thing he
dreamed Of finding there-the body of
man, hidden among the brambles,
bracken and reeds.
Stephen sprang TO his feet in anything
hut agreeable surprise. Nor was his
surprise rendered any the mols pleasant
when the body scrambled TO its feet,
and proved TO be an active young fel-
low of his own age, with wild and
hunted look in his eyes, and wearing
soldiers red jacket over shirt opened
at the breast, and foul with mire and
OoZe. He wore no hat or cap, and his
ciose-cropped hair did not add to his
appearance, considered as a trespasser.
Retired farms in those days were wont
10 be haunted by Just such fellows
ablc-bodied vagrants who, on the
strength of an old red jacket, to which
they might have no more right than to
n pair OF epaulcttes. would oxtort char
itY by whnes or threats or lies. and
would think little Of firing rick II
blackmail were refused. The discharged
or disabled soldier or sailor was among
the commonest Of pests; and small
wonder considering the way in which,
when they were Of no more use, they
were apt to be thrown away. Stephen
would not have seen one Of the breed,
real or sham, skulking within hail OF
Legs Croft for guinea and more.
But Stephen was not the only one OF
the two who was startled. Each man
stood staring 10 see what the other
would say or do, till all at once
Good Godn cried Stephen, "its
Dick Blackthorn!"
Farmer Blackthorn's son and heir;
Patienca's brother, and in that garb
and guise. What could It mean-to
what had he Gomez That he was in
some hopeless plight, whatever it might
be, was plain; and not even Love him
self could make an expectant BRIDE
groomrcjoice in the prospect of such a
brother-in-law as he saw before him
now.
I'm Stephen Harlow. Don't you
know meP In Heavens name, Dick
Blackthorn, what's come 10 youP What
are you doing hereP" asked he who had
been born lucky Of him who had been
born with nothing better than a silver
spoon.
To do him justice, the tramp hung
his head and looked bitterly, nay, rath-
er miserably and abjectly ashamed
'Its hanged hard" he muttered,
''that fellow can't take forty winks
by brook, when he's thirsty and tired,
without another fellow tumbling over
him as II he was a log Of timber It's
hanged hard. It's free country, least
wise, so they say. suppose your being
Stephen Harlow, though you don't look
much like 1t, don't prevent your letting
n chap alone. You let me be-"
IItdoes, though, Dick" said Ste
phen. "And I'm not going TO let You
alone. No-don't think OF jumping
the brook. I've got the longest legs.
and you never could beat me at run