The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1889-05-03
Farmer Browns Bill.

Farmer Browns Bill.
For the first time in several years
Farmer Brown did not have the chill
dren of St. Michael's Orphan Asylum
to dinner on Thanksgiving Day. In
stead of the usual invitation had
come, n few days before, note writ
ten in the old farmers stiff, old
fashioned hand, saying that owing
to circumstances they would be
Obliged to forego their usual custom.
1t was q great disappointment to
the little folks; who had looked for
ward to it for months. Every year
the old farmer and his wife, who new
err had any children of their own had
been wont to pay the railroad fare of
the thirty odd boys and girls of this
Institution for II days outing and IL
good dinner Mt the farm, which was
some miles from tlIecity. They were
an industrious, thrifty and prosper
GUS old couple, as their wcll-kept ard
well-stocked farm testified, and this
was one oftheir yearly contributions
20 sweet charity.
The circumstances led to their, as
well asthe childrens s disappointment,
were these: One evening, about two
weeks before the holiday, Mr.. Brown,
or "Grandpn," as he was familiarly
known throughout the neighbor-
hood, laid IL crisp, new $50 bill down
on the old family Bible before going
out for the morning chores, saying:
"Tllcrr, Grandma, is the money for
our children's railroad fare. Besure
and send it in time"
"ies." answered Grandma, going
on with her ,lusting, for despite her
years she WAS still active in house
hold duties. She went out to the
kitchen Il few minutes later to talk
over tile bill of fare t''r the chil.Il.n,s
dinner, with her niece Annie. The
girl had lost sleep from tootlr,Ilc
IL" night before, and mot othcrly Mrs.
Brown ha'le liz: go and liz on the
parlor sofa for an hour or two and
herself took her place in the kitchen.
Annie WAS he only child ot Grand
pas sister. VIII" had died n year he
fore. Her death. il not caused. was
1T least lGst.l"si. 10y the disgrace of
the husband and father. who had
been dishonest IN his dealings with
public affairs in wllirh h. had held :,
il:"" of tinlmrial trust, aud had been
tric'; and sentenced To Il long,crln of
years IN the States Prison The
snrpri>" and Indignation of the
browns knew no hounds. II was
duty simply that led them To- offer
lm orphan girl Il home with them.
She WAS lrft destitute. I.verythin.
that r"ul,ilawiully bc ctakrn had gone
To satisfy he demands oi justice.
II wa> il,us that nt Is wears oi
a." Ami" REYNOLDS found herself an
immat" ot her Wmle's home on n
pleasant tarm far from the city nt
her childhood. Til" old people wei"
kind to her in the main. and were
plri,se,l tOhnve II companion in their
old age, but they could not forget
nor forgive the dreadful disgrace it
was to havca prison bird" ones
family connections. Annie herself
felt the disgrace very kecnly and
grew timid and shrinking, rarely as
soriating herself with the young peo.
pie of TIL" neighborllood. though
,, most of them, with the honest in
dependence of rural society, would
lmyc welcomed her none the less
warmly for her fathers crime. The
Browns did not understand the young
girl very well, having so far outgrown
their own youthful thoughts and
fnncirs. They did not realize that !,
little tender sympathy would go far
toward tightening her burden of grief
and shame.
Just as they were about sitting
down to dinner that day Grandma
remembered that she had left the
money lying Just where Grandpa had
lnid it in the morning She went in
to put it away and returned in a few
minutes looking very serious; when
the meal was finished and Grandpa
repaired TO his easy chair by the fire
she followed him, and as she opened
the Hind for him to read his
newspaper she told him that the
so hill had mysteriously disap-
peared. Together they searched the
room in every nook and corner with
out success. "Ah, blood'll tell" re-
marked the farmer as lie pushed the
sofa back into itsaccust olncd corner.
eve might II known better tlnn
to trust !, child of n thief. What's
born and bred in folks gcnerallystick
to 'em to he end of the chapter"
After talking the matter over, they
decided to say nothing to Annie for
til" present, though they were thor
orghly convinced tlrtt she was "a
sly one like her father" No one had
been in the room but her, and an
pearnnces were certainly against her.
They concluded to wait ~ few days
and give her chance to confess and
restore the money.
4 week passed by with develop
m"nts, and the Indignation of tho
old couple grew stronger. They had
no patience with IL thief, as they hon
estly thought her to he, and Grand
pa vowed the would no longer have
hereunder hisroof. Grandma stillhnd
some mothcrly feeling for the girl,
and begged lin to remember her
you'll, and try her once more, but he
was incXor,blc, and Grandma had
always been brought around to his
way of thinking sooner or later. So
il was that Annie found her services
and her presence no longer desired in
the family.
Five years passed away and there
was funeral at the farmhouse.
The ncighbors were arriving from all
directions in farm-wngons, in car
ria%es and ON foot. and talking in
little groups of three or four in the
yard and in the orchard In the par
lor lay Grandma Brown, robed for
her last long sleep, her old face a
Il beautiful picture in its frame of
silver hair. Grandpa had aged much
i'm 4 he nnSt fnw dnvs II c,nu,ml Tn