Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1886-08-19

the bottom it was very fine. Stopping
suddenly in the road, the Major hailed
the farmer, blue, hopeless-looking
man.
Say, JONES' he shouted, that's
mighty fine corn I'm the bottom
Yes, it's tolerable. was the despond-
ing reply.
'Tolerable ain't no name for It, said
my companion. There amt no finer
corn in the country. l always did tell
those town fellows that what you didn't
know about farming warn't worth
knowing
The gloomy Jones smiled with evi-
dent pleasure.
It's my opinion continued the Ma
jor thoughtfully, that you will soon
have the best paying farm OF its size I'm
the country. Just keep up the lick you
KNOW
And, with cherry smile and a wave
VI IhC uduus Ht uTOV6 OH.
Turning TO me, he said:
Now, l talk that way on principle.
Why call Jones' attention to his hill
side corn ? POOR fellowl He looks at
that too much anyhow. / made him
look on the bright side of things, and
whooped hlm up. That's the way to
do it,
Throughout our ride this rosy, smil-
ing old man stopped every man, woman
and child, and gave them just such n
racket as he had given Jones, suiting
his talk to the varying circumstances
of each case.
On our return to town I could not
help noticing that The Majors encour-
aging words had already produced an
effect. AT many OF the farm houses
the women folks had been told by their
husbands of what had occurred. They
looked upon us smiling from their door,
ways, and at several places little chill
dren were sent to waylay us with fruit
and buckets of cold spring water. Even
at the cottage Of the Respondent Jones
we saw that gloomy individual laugh
ing in high glee and .chuckinG his wife
under the chin.
Jones will come out all right said
the Major with grin, 'if not this year,
then some other year,
Naturally l asked she Major how he
was getting along.
'Splendidly,' was the answer. 'Isve
made about $4,000 since I came here,
and I'll clear SEC, 900 this year.
He said much more, bat these figures
will do. Before leaving the village
had an hour to myself, and improved it
by making few inquiries about tie
Major. L found that all he had In tie
world was place worth q few thons-
and dollars, and heavily mortgaged. !
found, too. that he made only O tare
living. He must have known that I
would learn the utter falsity of his
statements. but his old habit OF lying
was irresistible. One thing struck me.
Every man in the town stood up for
the Major.
He'll never pay out Of debt said
one, but that makes no difference. No
body's going to press him.
You like him p said 1.
I'VE love him. was the answer. The
Lord don't give us many such men,
All the testimony was to the same ef-
feet. AS the train whirled me back to
the city my thoughts were decidedly
mixed. said to myself
Here is a cheerful old fraud who
can't tell the truth to save his life. He
played double during the war. He lives
by false pretenses. He is lazy, extray-
agant, and an old bag Of wind. Yet all
these people love him. They would
fight for him. die tor him and, most in-
credible of all, they credit him. What
is the secret of it all p
Then thought of the talk withJones
and the other farmers and their wives.
1t all flashed upon Inc i'm q moment.
With all his faults the Majors genuine
love for his fellowmen made itself feh.
1t was inYincible, and it won the devot-
ed friendship of the very men who hat
ed his besetting sins. Human sympa-
thy is wonderful thing. It viii win
a spontaneous return when everything
else fails. We cannot well spare such
men as the Major. We need them to
whoop up the Joneses.-AtlantG (GG.J
Constitution.