The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-11-17
THE BINSTEAD FARM.

we Ill hueW Wncu SlSIeT SlarlSSt
loaned the thousand dollars which wa
the accumulation of her six years oil
teaching, to Sam Binstead, that it wa:
rs good as sunk in the sea. And WI
told her so, but it was of no use, for yol
Zee, Clissy is one of those visionary pco
pie, who see the "angel in the human
heart" most clearly when it isn't there
and Sam, cousin by good many re
moves, had borrowed out every Other
relative before he thought of US. A.
baCn't dollar to spare. She wouldn't
have if Judge Hilton hal divided his
legacy with h'r, and l wouldn't have
given h m nickel of my three hund ed
if. he had gone on his knees for it; not
but Clissy- think of it, will you,
actually and positively handed over hel
thousand dollars as if she'd been a prin,
cess, and said:
lin very glad to accommodate you,
Sam. You needn't mind mortgage,
your note is quite sufficient. I know that
you will pay itall lack."
Did he2 Well. 1 think not. You
never knew him Or you wouldn't ask.
To be sure he died: but he wouldn t
have paid it if he had lived, for he was
one Of those easy going men who wear
sack-coats with the pockets sagging
down, End who always complain of their
bad luck, and nev,r pay their debts.
That was the way that Clis happened to
90 West lie did give her mortgage
on farm out in Missouri, and when he
died, it fell to her. l don't suppose that
she d have t.ken it if thcre'd been any
body to give it to; but there wasn't and
no stranger would have accepted it for
present, so she had to keep it. She
couldn't sell it, and she couldn't rent it
for enough to pay the taxes, and her
tenants burnt the fences because they
were too lazy to cut wood, let the barn
tumble down and the house 60 to ruin,
until one evening Clissy looked up and
said: 'I'm going out to my farm
AL almost screamed with surprise and
! was speechless. 1t was no use to say
anything. for Clissy is very decided. So,
the day that her school closed, she went
down to the depot and bought a
ticket to st. Louis, and took the evening
train out as coolly as if she expected to
return next day. AL and I weet home
and had good cry, and decided that we
should start as soon as our schools closed
and spend the summer with her. 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 u.s. Bless her heart
how she h :gged US, although she hadn'I
been away five weeks. Then she took IL:
around, behind the station, to her red
spring wagon, hitched to tie most kill
ing little gray mule you ever saw, and We
clambered in. She was mortally afraid
Of the little beast, and he knew it. You'd
have died to see her unite him from the
post, standing at arms length from him
1t was two miles to the farm, and we al
talked as hard as we could, and yet WI
hadn't begun to tell all our news wher
we reached that forlorn, unpainted ole
wooden house. with the chicken coor
night in front. We were starving afte
three days ride, and Clissy had goot
supper, and then our life in the West be
gan.
1t would take book to tell about tn
events of that summer, so I must just picl
out two or three things that led directl,
to the grand finale:
She had things started pretty vel
when we came. 1t was to be q stock
farm, and she had bought sheep ant
calves, and cow. and chickens, and
feroc:ous cd mother pig with lot o
dottie dumpling little p;ggies; but tn
old cannibal ate up forr Of them how
hated her lor it-and hoe, and b.,
shovel, and lots of other things.
The first morning AL and though
we'd take ramble and see how we likef
it. But she want. d to 60 down to tn,
stream and l wanted to 90 up to tn
''knob," as Clissy called it, and see tn
landscape. I hadn't got there when {
COW looked menac;ngly at me, and I raj
rs I never dreamed l could run. TIN,
man was milking in the barnyard, ant
he looked up with a grunt when came
We had to call him Conrad becauae h'
wouldn't answer to Conrad.
Al didn't appear to b:eakfa,t; but sh,
is suct an irresponsible creature anyhow
that we sup; oscd she was sketchins
some stump, 80 we KEEP her chops warm
and washed the dishes so as to charr
before it became too hot.
About ten o'clock went out to hun
eggs, AID Was sure that | heard my
Bame, in accents wild. Icalled "Clissy =
snd "Cornrodl" and we followed thu
sound until we could see the poor cir
perched in little, shaking thorn tree
about fou 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 he walked away, and the poor chile
hmped home with US. Her hands were
all blistered with clinging to the tree
and she had screamed for us till hc
throat was sore.
Il have fine flock of sheep there,
remarked the proud owner, as we climbed
awkwardly over the bars. "Thev ar,
more profitable than cattle, because the,
increase so rapidly and mature so quick
". The increase is quite wonderful
The gentleman Of whom I bought thes'
Bays-"
"Yaw, yaw--he say Won lie," inter
rupted the stolid Conrad. "He sell yol
forty ram, he keep de eve. Increase
Nein!'
tlissy was silent for two minutes
Then she said:
"A beautiful, sensitive plan: grow