The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1888-12-28

/ elGa." o. whctner some urchln nal nenri
come elder mcmter o. the family call job
: pedagogus and he'd shortencd the word
% 0og = being n easier word for boy
a. hls years % handle. 10 one conld tell.
Evcn the town sclectmen Familiarity salut.
q him with Hello. 0ogr and there
were possibly people In the village who
know bin under no other name. For nine
years 10 he'd taught school, and hc would
/ probably have taught q for nine more
without attempting % better himself Il
| fate had not decrcci otherwise
On the afternoon before Christmas be
1 mad diana his family" early. giving
/, 70 each Of them small token Of remem-
| branca
Twenty-Five rencmbrnnccs made large
/ reduction In the total sum Of his scant saw
/ ings, and on this particular chr.stmas Eve
| he was made 70 feel the fact in full force
| Not that he regretted his kindness. how
ever: he was too noble for that 20 ever oc-
! cur 70 him
Five minutes after the school had been
| dismissed. no had received note from the
chairman OF the town committee request.
| ing him 70 call 20 SEQ him The chairman
| was Mr. Flint, man who was as hard
a. his name In business transactions. an !
| who had acquired the position Of chairman
because tho villagers FOR the most part
| feared him. He was rich, and lucky was
| the man in Ciderburg whose house and land
was not subject 70 mortgage held BY the
mayor" as he insisted was his right
title.
Job had hurried home 10 the farmhouse
where ne did chores for his board and
| lodging. aud had walked back 70 the
village center without eat ng his supper,
80 great was his fear that he N gnt keep
| the magnatc waiting minute.
The roadway laid between two hills. and
| in the shadow Of one OF them was = de-
serted farm house that had been partially
destroyed BY IRE. Its open doorway
looked like black, yawning abyss. and
the wini howled dismally around the
building.
Job felt . creeping sensation rervade
him IS he hurried through the gap. an un.
pleasant feeling such as he had never be-
fore experienced: something. as he
imagined. one might feel when evil fcre-
BODIED; but he shook II on when he stepped
into the moonlight beyond the bend in tine
osdway. A short distance ahead at the
end OF the road the church spire stood
forth. tall and white. like Christmas
ghost that did its vigils once . year. The
moon dartc1 behind fcathery cloud. then
reappeared and cast silvery CLEAN over
the snow-~lad scene. making II exceeding
" beautiful Although the evening wind
was keen and cutting. Job stool for mo-
ment wrapped almost in worship OF the
grandeur Of nature as il was p ctured 70
his gaze 1t the time The moonlight kissed
the white spire, the snow-covered mead
ows. the distant houses From the bare
hedges and the branches Of the trees hung
tai -
The whitc-tipped cones glistcncd in the
pines. the tall dark frs stood out in mar
tial array and stars shone in the night sky.
The cold and frost tin gled Jobs feet and
brought him back 10 earth. He ran. or
rather stumbled and slid. along the rest OF
the road and arrived at the Mayors
house with his honely but honest face
aglow from the unusual exercise
Had he known Of the reception awaiting
him. he could have taken his time: in fact
he could have saved himself the journey
His mind had been visited with hopes that
the supercllious village king might in
crease the yearly stipend nc receives for
q salary, and he was between nope and
fear as 70 whether the chairman's hand
some daughter. the belle Of the village,
had taken exception 70 Christmas token
he had sent her that afternoon BY her lit
tie brother
Dorothy Flint's nature was as much in
direct opposition TO her name as her fathers
was IN keeping with IL While she was
dutifui and anectionate daughter. she had
q mind OF her own and keen perception
OF the right and many Of her fathers
transactions II grieved her deeply that
her father should be 80 mcrciless and
hard hearted toward every one save her
self; for IL certainly was a fact that he
was utterly indifferent 20 every one alike.
and. with the exception OF his handsome
Dot, no one could exert the slightest infiu
ence over him.
Dots little brother brought home the
Christmas present for her intrusted him
BY the schoolmaster. and As Dot was not
In the house. he opened II, a. he said, ITO
see IL it's better'n minc-r
II was merely . volume Of poems nicely
bound in bl1e and gold, and on the 1y-leaf
was inscribed:
ITO MISS DOROTHY FLINT: With best
Christmas wishes OF the g!yer. jon PfPPIx-~
Old Mayor Flint howled worse than
the wind howied around the ruins Of the
deserted farmhouse that Job passed as
he toilcd through the snow. He was not