River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1885-12-31
A CAPE COD SKETCH.

Cape Cod, a crooked projection which
may be said to form the nose upon the
face of New England, remarkable only
for the vast quantities of sand and fish
ermen to be found thereupon.
Hoepatchie had the appearance that
somebody, in q fit of insanity, had
wheeled truck load of brown earth
from some more favored portion of
Massachusetts,, ana distributed in as
evenly as possible over dozen acres
of sand.
Peter Miles home was an ancient,
implanted structure, so low that the
winds from the ocean passed over it al
most without touching the shingles,
and tiny barn which sheltered three
scrubby cows and mulish-looking
yellow horse.
Inside tho house bright fire blazed
in the stone chimney, and the light
hickered over the sanded floor and the
white home-spun curtains, and lighted
up the tall old clock in the corner,
which said Twilight twilight-tw
light" as plainly as words could do it,.
Over the floor and out TO the round
table in the center of the room Beulah
Miles fitted like a bird, with her blue
dress and white apron fluttering about
her.
Her eyes were blue and her hair was
black, and her cheeks looked bright
and smooth as the last red cloud over
the water. She was singing to a queer
old tune:
ar Dnvar Iova1 Won in NV lifa
| never loved your baby
| was compelled against my will,
TO become your welded ady."
The door opened and there entered
a man, so tall that another inch upon
his light brown head would have obliged
him to stoop in crossing the room. He
placed his hat in the window ledge and
came over to the hearth.
"Ycu seem very happy tonight, Beu-
lab, he said, by way of greeting.
"Well, | don't know" Beulah an
swered evasively. "How have things
gone in school to-day?'
"Nicely as usual.
Looking at him you would have seen
that he would compel life to go nicely
with him.
No more was said by either, but his
deep gray eyes followed her figure till
the preparations for supper were com
plete.
Then Beuah ran out to the barn 10
call her father to the meal.
The old man was sorting potatoes,
only you might have mistaken great
many of them for peanuts, as he sat no
the milking stool and handled the
tubers over, for it was getting too dark
to separate them by sight. Not too
dark, however. for Beulah's bright
young eyes to see the great tears that
rolled down the old mans nose and
FLASHED upon the floor.
What is it, father?" Beulah
inquired, anxi0usly.
Nothing much" he replied, as he
wiped away the glistening drops with
the back of his rough hand.
Tell me, father" pleaded little
Beulah, with her arms about his neck
"Nothin' new, Beulah. You know
the mortgage is about out, an they
amt nothin' TO pay it with, and
mothers so bad that I'm afeared
'twould kill her to move in this cold
weather. / was thinkin perhaps |
could sell taters enough to pay rent
till spring if you think you won t.
"Won t what, father?'
Marry John Mellen.
Beulah shook her head. You know
| cannot do that" she said tiInidly.
II have told you so every time you
have spoken of it. 1 have told him SO
| too
81 can't see why, said old Peter.
"he's worth the most of any man in
Hoepatchie, an will give me the deed,
fair and square, of this place the day
you marry him"
But, father, he is my cousin and
40 years old" objected Bculah.
''What of that? Amt Hoepatchie
all cousinsp So | don't see who you
can take that's better, an as for his
age, that's nothin'; jest the prime of
life, you may say.
Il shall not marry my cousin, any
wav," said Beulah, resolutely.
''Then you can't marry nobody,
that's sure" returned the old man,
positively, ''ithout it's the school
MASTER" he added moment after.
The red blood rushed up to Bculah' S
temples, but she did not speak.
"You don t mean to marry Dwight
Farnham do you, Buelah?" her father
asked. looking up al her through the
shadows.
why, father, what a question:" Beu-
lah cried. MIR. Farnham never said a
word to me on the subject. What made
you think of such thing?'
'Waal, / dunno; seems to me he's
kinder hangin' round. Learnin's a
good thing, Buelah. but it won't make
the pot bile. an if he had money he'd
never spend his time keepin' school in
Hoepatchie.
O"Why, you know he came down for
the benefit of the salt breezes, because
he had been studying too hard. But
that has nothing to do with it; rich or
poor. he never said a word to me of any
such thing" said Beulah.
II ain't mean" and the tears com
menced again to run down his nose. II
ain t mean, an | don want to lose you,
Beulah, but what can | do about the
placer" asked Peter.
81 don't know, father" said Beulah,
throwing her arms around his neck;
don't fret about it, but come in and eat
your supper while it's hot. I've heen
thinking | might 60 to Lowell or Man
chester and work in the factory; you
know Nancy Eames earns ever so much
there" -
I what do you think about ii father
asked Beulah, las they sat before the fire
after supper
about what?
''Me going to the factory to work.
ooh, said the old man, shaking his
head slowly, that won't amount to
notllin SECESSION comm on an ifGeorg-
lana an Albany go out we shall be
all in the suds. They say there's military
enough in Boston CITY to lick 'em all in
three weeks but If they once get ugly
they'll never let US have an ounce of
cotton in the world. There won't be
nothin' to do in factories"
/ Dwight Farnham smiled behind his
semi-weekly paper(the only one which
came to Hoepatchie), but he did not
speak. and presently old Peter arose
with a long sigh and went to bed.
! Beulah began to fold up her knitting.
Don't hurry away please, " said the
teacher. drawing his chair nearer, 81
want to talk with You little, Beulah. "
/ Beulah commenced to work again.
Il happened TO hear what was said