Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1889-11-29


leaving his hotel, he Invested himself Of every
visible trace Of city raiment, and clothed him
self In the Sunday suit which Haynton had
seen often enough to pass without remark.
He could not restore bis shorn super6uity of
hair, but he again put on the hat which for a
year had been his best at home. He even
went 50 tar as to leave for his father a new
trunk which he had purchased, putting his
own personal property into the antique chr
pet-bag-real cnrpet-which the old farmer
had brought down.
Lastly, that he might not appear in the
least like city youth, he carried with him
two religious weezlies which some society for
the reformation of hotel boarders had caused
to be placed in his box in the hotel Office and
he read them quite faithfully on the train.
Reminders OF the old life to which he was
returning came to him thick and fast when
tie train got fairly out Of the city. In field
he saw man stripping the leaves from
standing corn stalks, and although the view
was what photographers term 'instantane
Gus, it was long enough to show the shabby
attire, brown face, shocking bad hat, clumsy
boots, and general air Of resignation that
marked all farmers in the vicinity Of Hayn-
ton Two or three miles farther along he
saw half grown boy picking up stones in a
field Of thin soil and adding them to piles
which were painfully significant of much
similar work In past days
Down in . marshy pasture beside the rail-
way cmbankment two men were digging a
drainage ditch; they were TOO far apart to be
company for each other, and too muddy to
be attractive to themselves. Phil at once re-
called much work of like nature he had DONE
and more that still depended upon his muscle
to mako the entire acreage Of Hayn farm
available for cultivation Estimating accord
ing to past experience and newly acquired
knowledge, he found that the number Of days
Of work required, il paid for at the lowest
rate Of common laborers in New York, would
amount to twice as much as the value Of the
land when improved It was easy to see why
farmers never got rich. Still, the farm was
his natural sphere; he had been born to It.
Heaven, in arranging his life career, knew in
advance what he was fit for, and his own diff
ference Of opinion would probably be ex-
planned away in time by therlogic Of events
which be could not foresee
In dusty road near a little station at
which the train stopped he saw two farmers'
wagons meet, stop, and their owners engage
In conversation. Thus would he, the OBJ
server, soon be obtaining whatever news he
acquired; instead Of every morning opening
. newspaper recording the previous days do
ings throughout tho civilized world, he would
be restricted to stories Of how Joddles' horse,
who bad cast himself, wns getting along with
his scraped hip joint, and when Bragfew
thought he might be likely to kill beef if
he could find somebody to take fore quar-
ter which hadn't been spoken for yet, the
chances Of Nemy Perkins being "churched"
Tor calling Deacon Thewser q sneaking old
sheep thief, and much more information
equally entertaining and instructive. Well,
Why not! What better news would he him.
self be likely to oifert He was not going to
fall into the sin, warning Of which had been
given by one Of the apostles, of estee,ning
himself more highly than his neighbors; some
people il the vicinity of Haynton did no.
socEa much better than fools, but probably
nosie Of them had ever been SO i;otic as to
TALL N Love with women far above them in
social station and consequently far beyond
their reach.
Farther and farther the train left the city
behind. more and more desolate the country
appeared 1t was late October; all crops had
beea harvested. and many trees had shed all
sAsCh aSoscS, eoo oliy tIlslt Oh grass
and evergreens, the latter looking almost
funereal under the overcast sky The train
entered q region of pine barrers, through
openings in which some sand dunes could &C.
he seen. At times when the train
stopissi tie wind brought up the sound of the
surf pounding the beach not far away, and
the noise was not rs cheering as Phil had often
thought it in earlier days.
Then empty seats in the cars became numer-
Gus All city people who lived out Of town
had already left the train, and the few who
got on ofterward belonged il the vicinage.
Phil had noted the change as it gradually oc-
CURED, and to a well dressed couple, the last
OF their kind, who occupied seats not fer In
front ct him. his gaze ciurg as rnnurnfully O.
a ropers eye when fixed upon the last drops
that his bottle can give him.
Finally they too disappeared, and their
place was taken by a sallow country woman
In home made brown dress and gray bon
net trimmed with green ribbons. He tried
to console himself with the thought that the
car would soon be too dark for colcrs to be
annoying, and that HGynton was but an hour
distant Then the brilliant thought came to
him that he might change the seeie He
acted upon il, went into the noxt CIR. and
took seat The rustic in front Of him turned
bis head, stared and drawled: