The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-11-17

blcst If / know to-day whether tor him to
put six beans to hill, or n bean to six hills |
KEEP a film up and film up; and when
turned to go home, got the off eye of his
old hoss, and then he'd to laugh. The crit
ter gimme such droll look, and the corners
OF his mouth kop' twitchn' like he was
goin' to bust right out When that young
man started on arfter his plow, / secretly
pronounced him annymated skcercrow.
well, sorntered homewards, and as I
passed Seaton's saw the old man out putin
| a new ground-chunk under panel o. fence
He riz up and said: Good mornin',' and l
returned the compliment in a proper man
ner. Then / said sort o. slow and airncst:
~ just seen Billy.
"Well, the old fellow snapped out, Bill
ly's all right, guess
mo- says l, he amt all right by n long
shot, Seaton turned to his work a minutc
| and then turned back to me and said:
"'Look here. now, Miss Lockery, / know
what you mean by the smiles. Don't go
a-tellin' all over the kentry how Billy looks
when he's about his work. / know how
| that boy is wearin' off his clothes and |
know the reason why. He still owes some
,, on the last piece of land he bought-the
Wells eighty-and when he gets that paid
| off and is clean out o. debt, his garments
will come round agin, to their material and
proper position. Billy's all right, tell ye;
and the gearl ort to feel lproud that he wants
fer his wifep
"'Well, says l, if that's the way the
land lays, l pity C'lum.' Then / ponied
home"
Mrs. Lockery was not the only one of the
simple friendly neighbors who, in their
hearts, pitied Columbia. Young Haywood
was a niggard from childhood. He was,
moreover, accredited with domneering
Will and sullen temper. He was q meaner
| man than Seaton, and more to be dreaded,
| inasmuch as he was Guieter and had more
| latent force than the elder skinfiint.
The day after he laid down the law to his
daughter, as before related, Seaton went to
| town with a load of wheat to sell. He was
| charged with various small commissions in
the grocery and confectionery line, by Mrs.
Seaton. Columbia had nothing to say In
the secrecy of her chamber she penned n
| few lines to her lover, and her little brother
Tom undertook to deliver the letter at the
imminent risk of being seen by his father.
Tuesday morning came, and with it the
pig-killing Old Seaton himself reveled in it,
and it was a not altogether unpleasant epi-
sode to his wife; while the two boys, Hiram
| and Tommy, were made glad by the un
wonted turmoil, the scalding and scraping,
| the hanging up, head downwards, of The
! sleek carcass, and, later on, by the white,
curly tail given them to roast over the Goals
| to eat with salt
Columbia kept in the back ground. Once,
| as her father and mother were looking over
box of dried herbs, in search of summer
| savory for the sausage, she heard the for
| mer saying:
shell be all right when the time comes.
| Bill was in town Saturday and bought u
hull new suit of store clothes. | told him
not to come round fore Thursday; that
| C'lum was awful busy, and that she was all
| right for the weddin You see / knew she
would be. Bill goes to Briertown to-day
| for the license"
That evening, as supper was preparing,
and the farmers family were assembled in
the wide, bright kitchen, there came a re-
sounding rap at the door. The big dog
| bristled and growled, but word from his
master quieted him. Seaton himself opened
| the door, and was confronted by an Irish
tablecloth peddler, footsore and weary,
who with many bows and much palaver
asked for supper and nights lodging.
81 guess We may stay" said Seaton
"We'll give ye sheer o. sech as we've got.
and charge ye fer it." These weemen will
taxi it in truck. Ye can pay 'cm outn yer
pacl.'
'1'm immense obleeged to yer" said the
peddler, swinging his heavy pack from his
| shoulder to the floor. "An' its the rare
foine towels an hand kerchers I'll show the
leddies in the mornin'''
An hour or so later, down under the big
sycamore by the run or brook Columbia
stood talking with Ralph Bryan.
1t was their first meeting since tho mes
sage Tommy had carried on Saturday.
Ralph urged n clandes:inc marriage, but
Columbia would not consent. She was sure
of only one thing. She would never marry
Haywood. She would refuse at the last
moment, and bear her fathers wrath.
~ shall be banishcd from home, and
would not care for that, only on mothers
account. can hire out, and take care of
myself-there, DEAR only meant till you
were better able to take care of me. 1t
would be folly for us to marry now. You
must take your last course of lectures, get
your DOCTORS diploma, and practice your
profession at least year before we marry.
We have often settled that between us.'
Then Ralph broke out into hot, hard
words against Bill Haywood.
"Why couldn't he have set his gopher's
eye on some two-fisted giantess, like the
widow Morse! She'd be mate for Bill.
When her renters in town fall behind on
quarter-day she carries out their furniture
with her own hands, nails up the shutters,
locks the door, and puts the key in her
pocket. Why couldn't Bill have thought of
her. What made him want my Anna"
'Things ought to be so different !" moaned
Anna herself. "Father ought to favor you,
you have done so well to support and edu-
cate yourself; and in year or two we could
be married with all good reason on our side.
Now do not know what will happen!' And
the strong girl broke down crying.
Something did happen within the next
hour that let sudden glow of cheering
light over the dark prospect.
Soon after supper, farmer Seaton lay
down on the calico lounge in the kitchen, to
doze away in the evening till bedtime. The
packman was shown to his room upstairs,
where, after naming his family saints, he
prepared to go to rest He stretched his
ii, i, a,lr md tyif md