Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-12-20

gles," or whether some urchin had heard
some elder member Of tho family call Job
pedagogue and had shortened the word
to Cog Is being an easier word for q boy
Of his years to handle, no one could tell
Even the town selectmen Familiarity salut-
ed him with Hello, Gogr and there
were possibly people in the village who
knew him under no other name. For nine
years he had taught school. and he would
probably have taught it for nine more
without attempting to better himself il
fate had not decreed otherwise.
On the afternoon before Christmas he
had dismissed his "family" early, giving
brance
Twenty-Five remembrances made large
reduction in the total sum OF his scant saw
ings, and on this particular Christmas Eve
he was made to feel the fact in full force.
Not that he regretted his kindness, how
ever; he was too noble for that to ever oc-
cur to him.
Five minutes after the school had been
dismissed, he had received a note from the
chairman Of the town committee request
ing him to call to see him. The chairman
was Mr.. Flint, a man who was as hard
as his name in business transactions, and
who had acquired the position Of chairman
because the villagers for the most part
feared him. He was rich, and. lucky was
the man in Ciderburg whose house and land
was not subject to a mortgage held by the
mayor" as he insisted was his right
title.
Job had hurried home to the farmhouse
where he did chores for his board and
lodging, and had walked back to the
village center without eating his supper,
so great was his fear that he might keep
the magnate waiting minute.
The roadway laid between two hills, and
in the shadow of one of them was a de-
serted farm house that had been partially
destroyed by fire. It's open doorway
looked like a black, yawning abyss, and
the wind howled dismally around the
building.
Job felt creeping sensation pervade
him as 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 fore
BODIED; but he shook it of when he stepped
into the moonlight beyond the bend in the
oadway. A short distance ahead at the
end OF the road the church spire stood
forth, tall and white, like a Christmas
ghost that did its vigils once year. The
moon darted behind a teathery cloud, then
reappeared and cast . silvery CLEAN over
the snow-clad scene. making it exceeding
ly beautiful. Although the evening wind
was keen and cutting, Job stood for mo-
ment wrapped almost in worship Of the
his gaze at 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
great icicles which giittered like diamonds
The white-tipped cones glistened in the |
pines, the tall dark frs stood out in mar
tial array and stars shone in the night sky.
The cold and frost tingled Jobs feet and |
brought him back to earth. He ran, or |
pSntt nrrs r1kxv ~ LII liz 81
the road, and arrived at the Mayors" |
house with his homely 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 supercillious village king might in |
crease the yearly stipend he received for /,
q salary; and he was between hope and |
fear as to whether the chairman's hand !
some daughter, the belle of the village,
had taken exception to q 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 it While she was q |
dutiful and ahectionate daughter, she had |
q mind Of her own and a keen perception |
of the right and many of her fathers |
transactions. It grieved her deeply that |
her father should be so merciless and
hard-hearted toward every one save her
self; for it certainly was q fact that he
was utterly Indifferent to every one alike.
and, with the exception of his handsome
Dot, no one could exert the slightest inf1u
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 it, as he said, ITO
see If it's hetter'n mine"
It was merely volume of poems, nicely
bound in blue and gold, and on the fly-leaf
was inscribed:
ITO MISS DOROTHY FLINT: With best
Christmas wishes OF the giver, JOB PIPPIN."
Old Mayor" Flint howled worse than
the wind howled around the ruins Of the
deserted farmhouse that Job passed as
he toiled through the snow. He was not
l. IL 49,