The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-05-29


She shook her head, shrugged her
shoulders, and smiled.
.sAh,n said she, Il see there is no
need to tell you not to be a fOol-no
need at all"
FABLE THE SIXTH.
ONE Is ENOUGH TO WAIT AND WOO.
1t was another sort of harvest that
was over at Legs Croft; and it had been
as ample in its own way; and prices
ruled high, by reason of the war.
Everything ought to have been well
with Farmer Blackthorn, surprising
farmers to be made for the price of
bread alone. Everything looked admir-
sbly well. now that autumn and rest
cad come.
All things except the farmer. The
aew life that had come to him some
sixteen months ago had fiicKered down
again, and left him more broken than
when he had just gone begging for a
hundred pounds. As he leaned over
his yard gate in the sun, nobody would
have known him for once hale and
hearty Tom Blackthorn. loud of voice
and carriage. and full of spirit and
pride. 1t was not that he had grown
older by full ten Years, but the spirit
seemed withered out of him. The
genial laugh, instead of hardening, had
changed into feeble sort of smile.
There was plenty for him to do and
to see after-poverty, Mt any rate, was
no longer burden. Besides, poverty
makes a man fight; and there was no
more fight to be seen in Tom Black
thorn's face or shoulders or trembling
hands. All the work he was doing was
to lean over q gate, and even that
seemed too hard: all he was looking
after was drake with dozen ducks in
the pond, who were perfectly able to
look after themselves.
But he got tired of even this occupa-
ton at last, full of fascination Is it is,
and slowly, very slowly, drew the gate
open. Once it would have been with a
clatter and swing. so that all the place
could tell when the master won't out,
and when he had como home. Before
passing through it, he looked carefully
up at every window of the house. and
then round into every corner of the
yard, and up and down the road, IS if
he were afraid of his movements being
seen. 80 100000
But I'll be too sharp fer 'em vet"
said he, with 4 chuckle. ..Enoch Mar
riSh amt quite master vet; and till that
happens FL be my own. Not up to
walking. am 1? Well. they'll see
they'll see I'll walk to the teeches;
and tell 'em all about it at dInner-time.
One would think Enoch took ME for =
child. or else 3 sixpence that he's afraid
to lose. Well, well; 1 mustn't COM
plain. He's good farmer. for all he's
so near. But he's no. master yet-no.
no. 1 can walk; and I'll show 'em I
will"
But he happily had something better
him-he still had the stick he used to
swing and flourish. He tried to give it
a flourish now. as soon as, often looking
behind him, he had escaped out of
sight. But it was a failure; and he
was presently glad to have something
strong to lean on heavily. The beechcs
were the clump on the hill towards
Manchester, over the ridge of which
Patience had watched in vain for her
lovers coming. TWAS not much of q
walk for a man TO scheme after craftily
with view to = boast; and there was a
good path through the fields all the
way. Moreover, the walk was full of
interest even to a practical man.
There were the cows; there were the
fences. And for man with the men,
Dries of life bound up with every
step. there were ten thousand things.
In that brook he had caught not only
his last trout, but bis first minnow.
Along this path he had walked every
Sunday to church with his wife till he fol
lowed her into the churchyard; and out
of the ten thousand these were but two.
And then he had inherited memories;
for it had been Farmer Blackthorn OF
Legs Crofts from father to son from be-
fore the memory of man Leave Leys
Croftr he mu.tered. "A good JOKE
that; as if there could be a Legs Croft
without Blackthorn! When / leave
it at last, they'll have to change the
name-yeS. change the name" But,
short and easy as the walk was, and
varied with cows and memories, he was
slouching yet more heavily on his stick
by the time he reached the foot of the
slope; and he looked YEARLY at the
beech clump that had still to be gained.
1t has got to be long way-a
very Icing way, somehow" unused he.
They must have been doing some
thing to the path to make it longer, OF
shifted the beaches farther away. Or
may be they've been cutting some 81
the nearest down. / must see about
that when l get home; and if any-
body's been up to mischief. and think
my eve isn't on 'em. they'll fiGd out
who's master still. No-I don't think
I'll 20 up to the heeches today. They
won't run away; I'll do the rest
another time-auother time"
There was, TO put the case fully. an
exceedingly low. broad sBd tempting
stile on the path - tho foot of the
slope; and resistance to impulse had
never been Tom B!ackthorn's Stron.
point even in his strongest days. HIS
strength, or weakness. lay IN sticking
TO the results of impulse whatever they
might be. So he sat on the stile, and,
having once Yielded. there he was con-
tent to stay. Presently he began to
want pipe-which he found in his
pocket, and his tobacco, too. But,
Il L Al n