The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-01-25

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your agc,'' said Sir Kaye. ..How is it,"
IL WAS afraid you would think me
s%trangc," hc replied sl,yly, "My mother
says the same thing. l do not know why 1t
Is. My brother loves tafm-work, and takes
to it naturally. My mother says. / made
bridges oft OF bread-crumbs when 1 was
quite q little child.o
You have a strongly marked voca-
ton" said Sir Raye.
81 wish 1 could believe so. If loving
anything means having ayocation for it,
then you are right returned the boz.
Sir Ray looked at him thoughtfully.
"Wouia ypW like to leave the farm, and
study, 50 rs TO qualify yourself for the
building of ~bridges:" he asked; AMI the
boys face frightened wonderfully.
s.That is what l should like if it could
be! !" he cried.
awe will think it over and talk about
it," said Sir Nayc; and then lie left him.
CHATTER II.
In many parts OF England one may find
pretty picturesque farms onibowcred in
trees like the Meadow Farm; but in every
farmhouse one caInot find II genius
"born, not made,s Nature had been Law
ish in her gifts to this soil of the people.
She had given him II handsome face, with
a broad open brow, rounded at the tenn
pies, and ksrsc, frank, clear blue eyes,
with a sweetness all their W II was Il
singular face, although Il handsome one
The upper part-thc open brow, the clear
eloquent eyes-was the face of Il poet
The lower part-tiic firm weil-closed lips,
the determined chin hctokened great APP
titudc for business. Nature had also Civ
ell him Il musical voice, u CHEEKY genial
laugh, Il manly wcll-knit figure, with broad
chest aud broad shoulders. Yet these
were the least of her gifts. lie had Il poets
soul, and Il quick, keen, loving apprecia-
tion Of all that was beautiful. Vanc
Fraser had ambition, which upheld his
genius, and made it OF use to him.. He
was OH: OF place mt the farm, where every.
one worked from sunrise to sunset, where
ambition and enterprise were dead letters,
and the quality most valued was stolid in-
dustry.
The household at the farm was limited.
Tie father, stephen Fraser, was u simple
honest man who had not an idea outside
his farm-to whom the rain and the sun.
shine, the frost and the warmth, made UP
the sum total of life. He loved his wife
and his children in u PLAIN unaffected FASH
ion. lie was II perfect type of the Eng
lish northumberland in all matters
that concerned the weather, the crops,
and cattle, but utterly ignorant of life or
the world outside the farm. His younger
son Nane he did not undrrstanu-indccd
he had something like contempt for the
boy who poured over books while every
one else slept, and yet did not care to put
his hand to the plow. But, when he found
that his son, by Il simple invention of his
own, lcssencd to some extent the labor Of
blowing, his contempt WAS absorbed in adj
| r,iration.
s.iIc is not like the rest of US, /" he would
say, alluding 10 yanc.
With wondering eyes he followed the
boys movements. Nane invented Il fast
eniuS for the gates, which the farmer new
sr Wearied OF showing to his friends and
praising; in fact, the little farm was full
Of his inventions. There wGs not II w.tli,
Il gate, Il door, or Il window, that Nanu
had not in some way improved, altered or
repaired. lie had made the pretty path
of stones over the brook he had Designed
y rough bridge that would save people
walking Il distance of two miles; and The
good iiomcly father, plodding along con-
tentedly ut Ills pillow, Wondered iioM it
was that lie had so clever y son, and
whence tlc boy got HIS talent.
The mistress OF the Meadow Farm,
Catherine Fraser, was superior to her nus
band. She WAS Il womun of great natural
talent, but Of little education; and it was
from her that Nanc inherited his genius
The farmer had II great respect for his
wife. Her dairy WIS perfection, her house
famous for its neatncss; her butter was
the richest and the milk the sweetest, for
I III A,,t Had .nx- .-,,.. tLI IL. ~, ,,..,
that his wife had in her soul longiugs that
were never gratilied, wishes that found no
uLterancc, thoughts that knew no words,
he would have refused to believe it or
thought the person who told him so, mad.
Catherine Fraser had one idol on earth,
and it was the gifted son in whom her soul
found voice.
The third important member OF the
household vas bonnie bright Hate, the
only daughter, whom both parents wor.
shipped-the farmer, after II stoiid fashion
Of his own; the mother, with an uncX-
pressed wish that the poetry and romance
which had so completely failed i'll her own
life might brighten that Of her daughter.
Mrs. Fraser hoped great things from the
genius Of her son Vanc; but she hoped
still greater from the fresh bright beauty
v ht' ollSlttl hllt. MAUI WIS IL NlIllut
beauty, with a creamy clear brown skin,
having the vivid hue of i daMaSk rose, Il
mouth like II clovcn rose. rippliug black
hair. and a strong, well-formel, symmetri-
cal figure.
"Kate ought to do well,' sighed the
anxious mother. "Shc ought to marry one
of the richest farmers in the ncigh!,orhood.
Even a young squire might do worse than
to marry one of the prettiest, brightest
girls in the county, and one who under
stands a dairy thoroughly WE'LL
Tile remaining members of the family
was the eldest son, Desford. He was II
boy after his fathers own heart. lie
would plod patiently ut the plow or the
harrow, content to run in the same groove
from years cnu TO years end. all the
beauty of the green earth and all the mys-
tories of life being sealed books to him.
1t was y curious household, yet a com.
mon one; and the day came when Sir Raye
Wharf gathered this little group around
him and made a proposition to them.
None of them ever forgot the scene or
the hour. Behind the farmhouse stood a
magnificent clump of limc-trees, the great
green branches of which formed Il beauti-
ful shade; and one evening, when the
farmer was unusually pleasant he ordered
supper to be brought ont and eaten there.
The evening air was fragrant with the
new-mown hay which lay in the meadows.
alt is so SWEET said the farmer, that
it seems Il pity to lose even one breath of
it,"
So the brown bread, the golden butter,
and the toamins jug OF cider were brought
out; and Sir H,ye, looking from IL dis.
tance, thought he had never seen u more
picturesque %sroup-thc i%loaest, simple
farmer. with his sunburllt face and rugged
figure, the comely briglt-r!cd wife, the
beautiful young daughter, the gifted son,
and the burly figure of Desford. lie went
up to them. Tie Farmer ceased eating,
and sat, glass in hand, mute with Won
der. 1t was so seldom that the lodger
joined their little circle.
sit is Kate he wants to see thought the
simple mother: and Kate unconsciously
sinoothed her ripping hair as he drew
near.
But Sir liayc had 10 eyes for even the
faircst of maidens. He ncycrsaw the dark
beautiful face with its roSe-like hue. lie
took u seat by the farmers side. a large
greer, bough hung SO low that he was COM
PEELED to thrust it aside before he could
see the group Of faces.