The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1889-12-13

and they would have at least the consolation
of seeing how he had been Affected by a stem
SO unusual among Haynton youth. And
what questions those girls eyes did ash
There was NO naed that they should put any
Of them into words; Phil understood them
all, with the result that never before on Sum
day had he heard SO little of sermon, hymn
or prayer, or betrayed SO feeble a grasp of
the topic of theday in the Bible class.
So seriously was his mind disturbed that he
held himself sharply to account, examined
his evidences" in the time honored and ortho-
dox manner, and resolved that lack of occu-
patton was at the bottom of his trouble He
would begin bright and early Monday morn
ing an extension of the big ditch in the
marsh land; If the mud and stones and roots
and quicksands, the tugging and straining
and perspiring, sure to be incident to the
work would not cure him, he grimly told
himself, then his case was hopeless indeed.
Bravely he kept his word At sunrise he
was already on his way to the marsh, and by
the middle of the morning a single sensation
encompassed his entire mind; it was that
ditching was the hardest, dirtiest, forlornest
work that ever fell to a farmers lot. He
dragged one heavily booted foot after the
other from the ooze, leaned ON his spade and
He looked wearily along the prolongation
Of the line of the ditch already completed,
and wondered how many hundred days the
entire Improvement would require. Before
he decided his calculations were disturbed by
the sound of the family dinner bell. He
looked at the sun, which was his only time
piece while at work, and wondered what
could have befallen the hitherto faithful
family clock. Again the bell sounded, and
when he looked in the direction of the house
he saw, on the brow of tho hill behind the
orchard, his mother waving her apron TO
him. Something was the matter; what could
it bei trampi-a persistent lightning rod
mani He hurried toward the house, and soon
saw that his mother was waving also some
thing that looked like handkerchief and
then like piece Of paper. A little nearer
and he heard his mother shouting:
Gathers writ. We've got letter."
Phil ran nearly all the way up the hill; he
had not performed that difficult feat since he
and another boy had raced up, in ooasting
time, in wild strife as to which should capture
popular girl and take her down on his Sled.
A letter from his father was indeed an unu-
sual event, for the old man had not been
away from home before, except when on jury
duty in the county town, in many years, yet
from the old lady's manner it seemed the let
ter must contain something unusual AS he
reached the hill top his mother placed the
sheet in his hand, saying:
~ thought mebbe you'd better see it at
once"
Phil took it and read aloud, as follows:
DEAR OLD GIRI-Your husband is about
as usual, though tho well water in this town
ain'tfit for decent cattle to drink. I've seen
some of the sights, and wished more than
once that had you along; IL things turn out
as they look, though, I'll bring you down in
style yet I've run against the folks that
looked at our south ridge with a view to
making q cottage village, and, as lusk would
Il. have it, they knew Mr.. Tramlay, who's rolled
up his sleeves and done his best to help clinch
things and make good thing out of it for me.
Ineed Phil; Mr. Tramlay wants him too; and
wish you'd tell him to peck his bag and got
back here as soon as he can. The boys can
take care Of the animals, and there's nothing
else on the farm but can wait till get back.
'The Lord be with you all, SO no more at
present, from your loving husband,
"REUBEN."
"P. S.-That gal amt no more engaged
than am"
Phil took Off his hat, rubbed his eyes, look
ed away in the direction of the ditch extern
sion, and made q face at the faithful old
spade.
81 s'pose you'd better be thinkin' about get
tin off at once" said his mother.
''Father's will is law" said Phil, in the
calmest tone he could command. "Do you
think the boys and Carlo can help you take
care of the place for a few daysq'
''To be sure" said his mother, "an' pow
erful sight o. days besides, If it's goin' to save
fofb 1eyiya nf
his days. AM I amt above sayin' that I'd
stand good deal of loneliness if thought
N'twould end in my stoppin' trottin' around in
a pint pot day in an day out. An YOU"
said the old lady, looking at her son, 81 want
to see the time come when can take them
old boots out to a brush heap an burn 'em
out o. sight an knowledge. But what does
your father mean about that gal not bein'
engagedl Is it that Tramlay galr'
81 suppose So" said Phil, carelessly, though
his manner was the result of prodigious ef-
fort. "When he found me he asked me about
her, along with the other folks, and told
him, Just as I'd heard, that she was engaged
to be married. Father must have been ask
ing some pointed questions about her. It
does beat everything the interest that old
men sometimes take in young women who
aren't kith nor kin to them, doesn't It'll
guess it's about as well that I'm going back,
IL only to keep the old gentleman's country
curiosity within proper bounds. Don't you
think soT'
''She amt engaged" said Mrs. Hayn, ig-
noring her sons explanation and his attempt
at Joking "She amt engaged" the old lady
repeated; so your
The sentence was not completed, but Phil's
face flushed and he looked down ut his muddy
boots. For the first time since his return he
had heard an allusion TO Lucia that did not
make him uncomfortable.
Within two hours Haynton was shaken
from center-the railway station-to circum-
ference by the announcement that Phil
Hayn, in his store clothes, had bought
ticket for New York and was already well
on his journey. Meanwhile, at Hayn Farm,
an old woman Us deeply interested as any
one in the business and other possibilities
that had been foreshadowed was doing all In
her power to further them; she was spending
the afternoon on her knees at her bedside.
ITO BE CONTINUED
Relief of Deafness I'm OLD Age.
Sapolini, of Milan, has described
method of his which he states he has