The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1886-11-28
THE BINSTEAD FARM.

accumulation Of her six years of teaching,
TO Sam Binstead, that it was as good as
sunk in the sea. And we told her so, but
it was of no use, for you see, Clissy is one
Of those visionary people, who see the
ssangel ia the human heart" most clearly
when it isn't there; and Sam, cousin by a
good many removes, had borrowed out
every ether relative before he thought OF
US. All hadn't dollar to spare. She
wouldn't have if Judge Hilton had di-
vided his legacy with her, and l wouldn't
have given HIM a nickel of my three
hundred if he had gone on his knees for
it; not but Clissy-think of it, will
YOU, actually and positively handed over
her thousand dollars as If she'd been a
princess, and said:
.Tm very glad to accommodate you,
Sam. You needn't mind a mortgage;
your noe is quite sufficient. 1 know
that you Will pay it al back"
Did he? Well, / think not. You
never knew him or you wouldn't ask.
To be sure ne died; but he wouldn't
have paid it if ne had lived, for he was
one of those easy-going men who wear
sack coats with The pockets sagging down,
aud who always complain OF their bad
luck, and never pay their debts. That
YVES the way that Chs happened to 90
west. he did give her a mortgage on
farm out in Missouri. ADD when he died
il fell to her. | don't suppose she would
have taken it ii there'd b en- anybody to
give it to; but there wasn't. and no
stranger would have accepted It FOR q
present, 50 she had to Keep it. She
couldn't sell 1t, and she couldn't reut it
for enough to pay the taxes, and her ten
ants burnt the fences because they were
too lazy to cut wood, let the barn tumble
down aud the house 60 TO ruin until one
evening Clissy looked up AID said: I'm
going ont TO my farm
All almost screamed with surprise and
was speeches.. 1t was no use TO say any
thing, for Ciissy is vary decided. So, the
day that her school closed, she went down
to the deoot and bought ticket to St.
Louis, and took the evening train cut as
coolly as if she expected TO return the
next day. Al aud | went home and had
a good cry, and decided that we should
start as soon as our schools closed and
spend the summer with Ter. We taught
in town and had ten-months year, While
Clissy was out in the east end, where the
schools close the last Of May.
No length of years will ever make me
forget the night that we reached Sparta
that is her town-and saw dear old Clissy
on the rickety platform, whip in hand,
waiting for us. Bless her heart. how she
Rugged us, although she hadn't been away
five weeksl Then she took US around be-
hind the station to her red spring -wagon,
hitched to the most killing little gray
mule you ever saw and we ciambered in.
She was morally afraid OF the little beast
and he knew it. You'd have died to see
her unite him from the post, standing at
arms lengtI. from him. 1t was two miles
TO the farm, and we all talked as hard as
we could. and yet we hadn't begun to tell
all our news when we reached that for
lorn, unpaintei old wooden house, with
the chicken coop right ia front. We
were starving after three days ride, and
Clissy had good supper, and then our
life in the west began.
1t would take book to tell about the
events of that summer, so | must just pick
out two or three things that led directly
to the grand finale.
Ou0 Ldu JtIUSS otdItSu plCbty I'll WHCu
we came, 1t was to be stock farm, and
she had bought sheep and calves, and a
COW, and chickens, and ferocious old
mother pig with lot Of dottie dumping
little piggles; bu; the old cannibal ate up
four of ihem-how I hated her for it
and hoe. and big shovel, and lots of
other things.
The first morning AL and | thought we
would take ramble and see how we
liked it. But she wanted to 90 down to
the stream ard / wanted to go up to the
knob, as Cissy lied it, and see the
landscape. hadn't got there when q COW
looked menaeingly at me, and | ran as ]
never dreamed | could run. The man
was milking in the baTnyard, and he look
ed up with grunt when / came. We
had to cali him "Cornrod,' because he
wouldn't answer to Conrad.
Al didn't appear at breakfast, but she
is such an irresponsible creature anyhow
that we supposed she was sketching some
stump, SO we kept her chops warm and
washed the dishes so as to churn before it
became too hot
About ten o'clock went out to hunt
eggs, and was sure that | heard my name
10 accents Wild | called "Clissyp and
.sCornrodP aud we followed the sound
until we could see the poor girl perched
in little, shaking thorn tree, about four
feet from the ground, while murderous
old ram stood guard below. She had
been there three blessed hours. Conrad
threw a piece of earth at HIM, and be
walked away, and the poor child limped
home with US Her hands were all blIst-
cred with cliuging to the tree, and she
had screamed for us till her throat was
sore.
II have fine flock of sheep there" re-
marked the proud owner as we climbed
awkwardlY over the bars. "They are
more profitable than cattle because they
Increase so rapidly and mature 50 quickly.
The increase is quite wonderful, The
gentleman Of whom l bought these
says" 9