Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1889-08-15
ISR'EL'S SACRIFICE.
He Might Have Been President II
He Had Only Tried.

wasted myself on the farm, has shel
Bless her, she can't no more help that
idee abein' in her head and a-telin' Of
whenever she gets chance, than car
help Within when | talk.
Want to know how missed livin' in
the White House an instead struck
root on n down-east farm? Well,
don't mind If tell We, SEEM the cows
is MIXED and the turkeys in and the
old lady can't nowadays think Of
another chore fort least mint and !
half
Never lived on farm. did We. with
real smart and go-ahead wife? Well
you'd be s'prised to see how many
things SIGH helpmeet could find to dc
after all was done.
But land! Keziah. she's got SO Ulster
midgin me up ana I've got so ulster
waitin' to be midgin, that it ed seem
strange like if things wasn't that way.
Ye see ! amt nigh as pudgicky as
ulster be and things step along first
rate and easy-reckon even the old
notion of birthstone hereafter wouldn't
scare me much now. I'd sorter say to
myself and keziah, il we've got to be
burned to cinders. we've either got To
gin out some time or be made tough
enough TO stand il.
But about my bein' President.
was young in them days and was con-
sidered good lookin', bein' five foot
seven in my stoclSin's and not lackin'
in conceit. May be you've found out
for yourself that folks value you
pretty much at your own figures, and
to think you're some pumpkins is the
surest way to be some pumpkins. It's
strange. but mighty true. Now don't
count for nigh as much as | did in
them days jest because I've sorter
grown modes, and don't set myself for
ward. Heigho. if it want for Keziah
! don't believe | would be any count
at all.
But when | had this good feelin'
about myself lived over there on a
farm jest beyond them hemlocks We
see TO the north, and Keziah, she lived
here in the old house. which may add
want nigh so smart and white as it Is
now. Keziah was beauty in them
days, jest like peach that's all ready
to drop off'n tree, but If you'll be-
lieve me | didn't know 1t then. 1 lad
to go away to larn it.
Ye see had growed up with her
and was so used to takin' her soft eyes
and gentle ways for granted that ]
didn't think nothing of them in par
ticular, or if ] did thought they was
part of pretty much all girls. and my
due for bein' superior chap. / ulster
carry her to singin' school and apple
bees and meetin's. but as for lovin'
her. didn't know what II meant.
was ambitious, We see. in them
days, and couldn't give no thought to
love maxim, moren an evenin's fun.
And Keziah, she seemed never to think
about il no more'n | did. She was
easy and gentle. but that was all.
OF and on / worked down to the
village, and kept wantin'. stronger
and stronger. TO swing out for myself,
where there was lots o. noise and ex-
element. Country ways began to
seem dull. and country folks no end
slow. | got notion in my head that
was meant for a bigger man than a
farmer. wanted to see the city.
Dear me! All boys jest comm into
whiskers and neckties has the same
feelin's. Sometimes they recover and
sometimes they don't-which l take IL
was the case with Bonyparte. Now il
he only hadn't had relapse he might
"a lived several years longer in COM
fort and happiness.
| recovered. but | had 'em pretty
bad and needed some master bitter
herbs before ! got well.
l took to findin' faults in the old
folks as had brought me into life and
worked their poor. tired hands in hard
knots for my sake. actually began
to see that they eat with their knives
and didn't care whether they had a
napkin or not!
When come to that state, thought
it was time left. An so one Sunday
afternoon ! packed up my close. and
told mother | was goin' TO New York.
| don't like to think ah ut q way
her wrinkled face looked when l told
her-it was sudden and unexpected, ye
see, to her, for | kept my feelin's
pretty much to myself. She didn't
try to argy with me not TO go-it
want that. but it was the way she
said goodbye"
Father want so hard-he was a
man, and after givin' me some good
advice. the thing was done.
Then went to tell Keziah was off.
/ hadn't no sentiment about that.
only had feelin' that it oughter be
done, and so did it. came across
her at the pasture bars a-drivin' home
the cows.
I'm of to New York to make my
fortune" says |. gay and easy, ''sC
wish me good luck!"
She stood still for a mint there in
the shadder of the naples. holdin
on to the post. and lookin' up as II she
didn't understand.
"Ain't you glade says /. wonderin
why her eyes made me feel so sortel
uneasy.
"Why. yes" she makes answer in 4
hesitatiug way, but amt it dretfu
sudden?"
maybe tbs to some. but faint Il
me. I've been thinkin' OF it these two
months. hev place in Jim Barker'l
uncle's store-and I'm goin' to tak'
it.n
She took out the top bar slow like
and patted Brindle's head.
''What'll the old folks do7" she says
and then knew partly why her eye
made me uneasy. But / wouldn't owl
to her knew-a slip of girl as hat
never been to the city in her life anC
didn't know how horse ear looked!
Ispoke up loud and confident: "Oh
they'll do ali right. and besides, I
mans first duty is TO himself He
got ter make jest as much outer him
self as he ken-and I'm goin' Il
begin"
had heard that sentiment at per
litical meetin' and it had sounded first
rate, but somehow here in the field
with them gray eyes lookin' at me, il
didn't seem TO have the same ring
MAY be you're right. Isr'el. may b
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