Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-08-04
Jake, The Farmers Boy.

ing in the corn field 1t was a glorious
evening in misunderstanding time. Such
an autumny evening as could only be found
among the hills of Ohio The sun bad sunk
below the horizon, but with his expiring
rays had beautifully decorated the heavens
with blended shades of purple and gold.
Jake sat astride his old gray mare content
ed and happy. "The field will be ready for
the harrow day after tomorrow" he solil-
oquized, 'sthen the next day l will com
menee drilling, and finish it Saturday.
Whoop lap Again the whistling mingled
merrily with the jingling of the chains at
tached to the plow harness
| Jake's blue shirt was soiled with per-
spiration and dust. A portion of the crown
of his hat was gone, making an aperture
through which peeped his-I wish l could
say blonde hair, but it was sandy, very
! sandy. His hands and face were sunburn-
ed and rough. while his feet hanging at the
sides of the old mare were bare and dirty,
but all this did not interfere in the least
with his peace of mind until upon turning
fork in the road he found himself by the
side of Farmer Anderson's daughter. who
was walking home from Squire Ford's,
where she had been invited to tea. She re-
joiced in the name Of Rosa, this girl of II,
with pink cheeks and y-blue-eyes, Very
| EnlLc
dress and floating ribbons.
"How-da-do, Jake?'' she said, with a
careless toss of her head. Jake's greeting
was inaudible because of a choking sensa-
tion in his throat. Somehow Of late he had
very peculiar feelings whenever he was
with Miss Rosa-such queer commingling
of pain and joy. He could not have told
for his life which predoninated or which he
preferred. His pain was SO exquisite, and
the Joy SO eXcruciating..
He slipped down from the mare and start
ed the team ahead. He had vague i'm
preston that his feet would be less con-
spicuous on the ground than dangling in
the air in close proximity to Rosa's nose
He wished in confused and dazed sort of
way, for he had lost all control of his think
ing powers, that they were not so large or
so dirty. He would have bartered his hopes
of eternal life just then for pair of shoes.
The odor from his sweat-soaked clothes had
suddenly become very apparent and often
sive to him. She appeared SO dainty and
pure in contrast. Heavens! how the blood
surged to his heart as he stumbled awkward
ly along by her side, trying to think of
something to say.
"Of course you're going to the fair,
Rosa?" he finally asked, timidly, at the
same time breaking off the top of a tall weed
that he might have it to carry-his hands
seemed so swollen in size and so much in
| the way.
80, yes" she answered, Everybody is
going, l guess" She did not manifest any
interest as to whether. he would be there.
| He wished she would.
| "Hary Ford will enter his brown colt
the one he rides, you know. I hope it will
take the premium, don't you?" Then with
out waiting for an answer she launched in
| to lengthy description of what a perfectly
lovely time she had been having at the
Fords' that evening, and wound up with
asking, "Don't you think they are such
| nice family?"
heart. He and Harry Ford had always
| been good friends, bnt all at once he found
himself believing that an opportunity to
throttle Harry would afford him supreme
delight. AS they were now at the gate that
led into his fathers barnyard, Jake did not
feel obliged to answer Rosa's question, but
hastily bidding her goodbye, followed his
horses to the watering through. Rosa kept
on down the road toward her home. elbow
awful Jake Baily looked this evening"" she
said to herself 'fYou don't catch Harry
Ford in such plight Harry, knowing
that they had company invited, came in
early from work. Slipping up the back
stairs to his room, he arrayed himself in his
Sunday clothes, and came down to tea look
ing like gentleman. 'Jake thinks lots of
me-" She fingered tenderly over the
thought for d moment. "But mercy |
could never marry man who went bare |
footed and wore such horrid dirty shirt"
Now-Harry-she then went off into a
pleasant little reverie. in which Harry was |
ThuS
will sometimes shape whole after life. If
Rosa had not happened to see Jake with |
bare feet and dressed in his work clothes, | |
would probably have different story to
tall. But she could not help having some |
what fastidious tastes, and Jake as he ap |
peared that evening was not an object cal |
culated to excite admiration.
Jake, back at the barn, was embarrassing |
his team and growing more irritable every |
minute. "1t's too confounded bad it had |
to happen so," he muttered, as he jerked |
the astonished horses around. "If could |
only a-known she was ON the roadn' He |
dashed the oats into the feed-troughs, giving |
the old gray blow on the nose for nipping
at him. Within the last half hour he had |
become very much dissatisfied with himself |
He vowed for one thing he would quit going |
barefoot He could not help contrasting |
the name of Harry with that of Jake. He
felt indignant at his parents for selecting |
such name for him. Why couldn't they |
just as well have called him Harry, or
Charley, or anything but Jake. He leaned |
up against the gate post sulkily, loath to go |
in the house to meet the father and mother |
who had treated him so shabbily by bestow-
ing upon him such an appellation.
"Jaky, come to supper" screamed his |
little sister. When he worked in the corner
field they did not have supper until night |
Jake ground his teeth in rage at the sound
of his hated name, but went in. He looked
straight at his plate during the evening
meal, answering the questions addressed to
him briefly and grufay. When he got up
from the table he went Immediately to his
room.
"Wonder what's the matter with Jake 2"
Guered his father, as he prepared to light
his pipe for his evening smoke. "Oh, only
tired, reckon; he'll be all right in the
morning." answered the mother, as she
shook the crumbs from the tahlecloth.
"You must remember, pa, It'll pretty hard
on boy not yet out of his teens to work as
our Jake does. Though, to be sure" she
added thoughtfully, She's uncommon
stout"
.''Poohn' said the father, 'it's not that.
Jake's never tired. I'd be willing TO put
him agin any other hand in the country
Il saw him and Rosa Anderson comm
down the road together before supper"
chimed in the little daughter. The father
and mother exchanged significant glances
but were discreet enough to drop the con-
versation.
And Jake did come to his breakfast ap-
parently all right. His i'll humor had van
ished with his dreams. The only thing ur-
usual about him was that he had his shoes
on. "What's the matter?" asked his moth
er, looking inquiringly at his feet. Jake
blushed little for a moment. He was
tempted to make the excuse that his
feet were sore, but he was an honest boy,
and he blurted out the truth. ''He did not
like to go barefooted, and he wasn't going
to any more"
The mother suspected that Rosa Ander-
son was the cause of this change in her son.
aud she felt that twinge of pain and jealousy
that all mothers feel when they first become
aware of the fact that a chid's heart has
gone out to stranger But she was in the