The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1889-09-28

f 49, 8oo.
Fsoa tn Washingtun Posa.
Thu old mAn awoke nj q O'Clock in the
incoming. He was ~slecping on n poor bedl
In In lcan-to NJ the farm house. He felt
rickety. He crAwlcd out of bed and got
into his shabby clothes with difficulty. He
was = litsle nervous He knew that he had
% feed the pigs at n certain hour. but he
accomplished Il i'm time and all was right.
He leaned zap against the side Of the house
and hooked out across the meadow, then
glanced down AZ the path tn the barn M
his feet and settled hack -apprchensive.
The story of he old mar n may hs told IL y
he had married n wife OF 10, woman
who was now Sd. He had n son who was
and was managing his farm, a valuable
one, but at That time had turned over the
estate i'm q merely verbal way tn his wife
old and that they should manag affairs
and take care of him until he should rest
in the little family cemetery on the bill
side. From the day that he made this ar
raneemcnt ne had bsen q noncni,y. 1t
was the old ry-yo wife and old son
What are you doing there ?' The tones
came out sharp and querulous. They were
shose of the old mans wife; A.
woman. blinked. and .aid nothing.
Half an hour passed. The son. n bnrly-
looking farmer. came slouchin9 along and
ooked az his father as the Old man leaned
"Y'betser weed them onion beds To-
day." be .aid. and went along the path up
toward the harm, where he hitched up a
team and went afield.
The old man still leaned against the
little and threw the shadow OF some peach
tree leaves athwar his face, giving IL
. c~uriouaiy mottled appearance, but not
S 1pss1G 4. rh s@c w ssai 9 hs ssss in sSs pe zach
trce-that is. Q place through which the
sums rays finally slanted squarciy. it
am face changed. Something had &C.
curred just before this. The wine had
d5if.s I'd, 70 oh, his feet n;cs q Iis sn . Of r nsT-Snpef;
was after this that there had rome . sud-
den change I'm his oppression. He threw
G inso sh sns pa nis's s%d 4 sseSd p nassab pSs erect. oi Il
was there hat the sun struck him fairly.
There WA. something like resolution in
two, then the look deepened and. intensi-
Ned, and he tosteringiy 10 n
harm.
The old man opened the door Of the
about. In one Of the stalls stood n horse
which was a spectacle. The horse was %
Is coat had turned 70 a dirty white. The
thoughts OF the old man wandered. He
wondered why his son had spared his old
horse, nov 80 useless, for nothing useless
else had been allowed IN live about the
farm. Probably the son himself could not
s nags "n"r %crs. the m., sre~ af habit y hs 20 h Se,
the old horse exist, that was all. Upon
u peg at thssend of the stable hung n worm
hub deep i'm the manure outside the barn
rested am ancient, lonRSiiscarSled convey
ance OF the type known as n
the ancient horse. Upon the horse he put
the ancient harness with trembling hands,
effectually making up all deficiencies with
pieces of rope taken from u convenient
halter. He led out the horse and put him
etwee the buckboard's thills and made
all necessary connections. Thers was
ment later the old man, seated I'm the
and with the horse in front of
h h.m' isias. on and la" |" MORN "sS.~ than hnif.res ~as
one, IN Che yeternn's face.
picked up fell ON the ha.ns OF the old horse. |
Its 1ixir or give up" said the old man, |
and In queer conveyance at n rickety
down the gray road u little child, the
daughter Of the old mans dear departed |
oungs.st girl, ran out from the house i'm
astonishment and called i'm u sweet, tiny
voice:
.,Gran'pa, CRAMPS; whar. you goin':"
Hut the odd man did not hear her.
'on had come up from the field and had
AIKEN supper with his ~step-mothcr. Dur
the meal the old man had not even
'onle fragments yet rcnnaiusd upon the
Gal dad said the son To the hired
.And what's the old fool doing, I WON
Ter 2" said the old mans wife.
~ can't find Inn nowhar said the hired
coming in. ~ went out Ia the barn
m couldn't SEQ no sign of him, hut the
Id hoss is gone and SOS the buckboard."
The old mans wife and the old mans
rushed to the harm together, then
usheh back to the house.
tine old crank been an gone an
lone p" said the son..
''IIl break his back when he comes
said the wife.
'Please, he took the blackboard and
rent of coward town this morning." said
he little girl. A slap ON the check re-
vardesi her for the Information. The
wo, son and wife, went out into the road
lnd looked mp and down wondcringly.
i'm the far distance attracted
heir attention. |
II was nothing particular. Ii WAS just n
title yellow cloud of dust, hut IL kept /
rowing bigger and bigger. 1t wasn't n
ornado Or a whirl wind or n c~yclone but
I bad a sort of u looping air about il.
Z kept getting nearer and nearer, ton. II
'wirled over the bridge across the creek.
I swung down toward them. and ont Of
he Iniet Of yellow surrounding appeared
outline of q horse, Rray-white i'm color
md i'm awful Precipitation; behind the
,orse an ancient kbo coming on in
Jumps, and upon the buckboard.