, 1889-04-14
FARMER JOHN.

Old John Sanbourn-"Farmer John"
his neighbors called him-was a very
energetic and successful farmer in the
great wooded belt of central Wisconsin.
The heavy timber of nearly two hun
dred acres had melted before his brawny
arm, and months at a time the ring of
his heavy ax mad accompanied the sun
from its rising to its going down. Great
farm buildings had risen slowly by the
rude sheds which were first called home,
and droves of sheep and cattle fed where
the ono COW and unbroken steers first
found pasture.
Farmer John had fairly met all tho dis
couragements usual In pioneer life, and,
aided only by his equally energetic wife,
had honestly acquired n competence.
hat he was an honorable neighbor and
n fair dealer mono could deny, but some
how, rs tho years passed and tho farm
was improved, there had grown up to-
ward him on the part of his neighbors n
feeling of distrust and aversion.
AS a rule, they called him honest but
~''closc." Some of them thought him
selfish. 'Tho almighty dollars all he's
after" wa the often repeated remark Of
uncharitable neighbors, who, less thrifty
and industrious than he, found it hard
TO feed their large families, much less
accumulate stock buildings and machin-
cry, as Farmer John had done.
The TACT was, when John Sanbourn
cano into the new country, times were
extremely hard, and it required strict
economy to make the few dollars he had
brought with him from the east provide
for his want until he raised his first
49, 81 ---
market in the second year caused Farmer
John to pinch almost to the verge of
nakedness and starvation. A habit of
closeness was thus formed which time
did not diminish, and which grew in the
eyes of his neighbors into a fault of the
most exaggerated Dimensions.
One little grave had been made during
these troubled years, and another trouble
which We shall presently mention had
contributed to leave the old man as we
find him - ~overworked, morose and
selfish.
On this particular morning he seemed
rather more surly and gloomy thar
usual. 1t vas just as the springs work
was beginning, and the never ending
round of toll was swelling into even
greater proportions than usual. On
every hand, look where he would, there
was something to be done, and to his
business eye there was no more chance
for a resting spell thar there had been
thirty years before.
Something must be wrong, yes, some
thing must be wrong" he repeated to
himself, as he walked on up the wide
lane leading to the old barn.
Something was wrong. Like n good
many men who are anxious TO do well,
and nave little to do with, Farmer
John had saved and worked till he
thought Of nothing but saving and work
ing. Ambitious as he was, he dreaded
TO sec any of the boys start out In life
unless he started well. and above all he
could not bear tho thought of one Of
them marrying into n family not well
supplied with money or land. 50 when
the oldest boy, Will, had reached his
twenty-second year, and began to call
occasionally on the Widow Baldwin's
bright little Helen, it surprised no one to
hear that his father had told him to stop
going there, or to leave the farm.
VIII was deeply attached TO the old
place and had worked faithfully every
day since no was big enough to pile
SiAoh ~ ohO az mug NuCl lllt Olu
man found the breakfast n little late and
Wills mother trying to hide tho tears
when she called him, he was not pre-
pared to bear that he had gone-gone no
one knew where.
Although in his heart the father felt as
badly as any one, he was still inexorablo
and declared that no boy of his should
marry n beggar-no, not IL he never saw
him again. So Will wen away, and the
autumn and winter came and went, and
the spri s work was upon them, with
all the extra labor Wills absence en-.
tailed.
Thus things stood when We find the
old man talking to himself along the
path to the great red barn. The boys
had gone over to the hill pasture to re-
pair the wall before turning in the stock,
which, impatient TO 60, was still fed at
the barn.
Farmer John had come up in tho mid,
die of the forenoon TO look after things
and carry back a jug of fresh water, and
while there lie stopped at the barn &c
feed out n little before going to the
house. He had thrown some stalks over
to the sheep and cows, showed a bright
bit of hay to the new bossy, and now,
after giving old Kit all the oats she
I he largest stock of fine brandies nj,