The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1889-04-13


about low wages and starvation times
and If you believe me, when l went il
to HobbsI cottage last Thursday at
| O'Clock, just to tell him that one of hi
boys had been caught with his poci.cti
full in Jackson's orchard, there the,
were. the whole seven of 'em. eating ho
buttered toast! You seem to be enjoy
ing yourselves said l, 'and butter al
one and threeY And if you believe me
squire, they all burst out laughing al
this; and Right you are, Bartle. say,
old Hobbs, with his mouth full OF toast
right you are; and why shouldn't
we!-will ee have piece?' NO,
said l L can't afford to cal
melted butter in these times; and
if your boy isn't laid up tomorrow, after
gorSing himself with sour apples, let me
know We'll, Bartle, we'll be sure tc
let you know; and we'll tell old Bolus to
send in his bill to you There, squire,
that's the way they waste their money,
and If that boy doesn't get a month on
the ireadmill before long my name isn't
Bartle, that's all"
By this time we had rot to
the edge of the wood and were
turning down into the lane, and
and as | had more than enough of the
old Erumbler, made up my mind to
get rid of him. Good night, Bartle. -
said l-"good night. For Gods sake,
don't bother yourself any more about
old Hobbs and his boys. He is hard
working, steady fellow enough, and
good to his wife too And as for the
apples, the boy only got couple after
also Jackson told me-and a good
ropes ending into the bargain"
And so, at last, after final grumble
about Hobbs mother-in-law and pair
of shoes which she had got at Murridge's
and never paid for, we shook hands and
parted; he across the meadow down to
his own cottage; and sGuntering on into
the village. And here fell in with an
other of our old men, of totally differ
ent look, manner and speech-Jim Sam
son the blacksmith; . sturdy, well built
fellow of 90, with q sun burnt, smuttv
face, and pair of sharp gray eyes that
brimmed over with fun. His days work
was over; he had shut up his forge and
was just gong nome 10 tea.
"Sarvant, sir" says Samson. Hope
you're pretty well, sir, after a dose of
Elzie? see you a-coming down the
copse together, and l says to myself:
'Squire's a-catchin' of it now and no
mistake Old Bartle's bin on the ram
page all the marning and ready to bust
about that there drain up street."
dose this time, and q good one, too"
"Knowed you had, squire, the minute
| saw your face. Why, bliss zee, flesh
and blood can't stand it. It's my belief.
squire, that there old chap have a-swal-
lowed the east wind and it haven't
agreed with un. He've a-got the best
eye for dirt of any chap I ever set
eyes on"
''Swallowed the east wind?" said [.
"Why SO, Samson?"
"Why, how else could he GO on as he
dop From marning to night, from one
weeks end to another, it's nothing but
grurnble, fldget and growl. First, it's
the dreadful accidents, the fires, and the
murders; then it's the fever and the riots
in Ireland; the paupers, the jails, and
the strikes. Eyerything's going wrong,
and there's no good news anywhere.
Why, bless zee, he come into my forge
the other marning, and what's he do but
begin foraging about among my tools
and putting 'em to rights; making em
tidy, he says, and upsetting things to
that degree that every bit o fire went
out of the Goals and put me all of cold
sweat. Be off, Bartler l says at last.
Get away out into the, sunshine there
and take good drink o. that, and see if
you can't clear all them cobwebs out of
your brains And with that, squire,
away he goes out of the place like mad
March harew
"Well done, Samson!' said l, "well
done If he would but take your
advice, that wretched old croal1er
would be different man in a month,
instead of a nuisance to himself and all
his neighbors. Good night, Samson.
How's the windP'
"West, sir-west to everybody in the
place but old Bartle.-But he keeps his
own weathercock, he do, and it's nothin'
but east by northeast and dirty wealth
er. It's pity such people was ever
born"
As wended my way home through
the wood and watched the soft mellow
sunshine glinting down among the tall
trunks of ruddy beech, and lighting up
the green pathways with patches of
golden splendor, it seemed pity indeed
that such miserable failures as old Ellie
should exist to mar tho beauty aud
peace of the whole scene.
The smiths words were true words; it
does seem mistake that "such people
ever was BORN Perhaps, in his heart
that miserable old bachelor himself in
clines to the same way of thinking at
times, and he, too, imagines that the
world would have been better without
him. If so, and he should feel tempted
to write his own epitaph, can save him
from all further trouble ON that score, in
the words of wise man and wit of
some two thousand years ago (Epichar.
mus, Epigrammata Gr@ca):
At seventy winters end died,
cherries being. sole and sad
The nuptial knot never tied,