The Sunday morning news. [volume] (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1886-1891, 1890-01-26

~ through old beech
and ash trees, dropping their rotting
leaves on the hush mold. with fat green
caterpiliars spinning cocoons under
their roots, when the first Swedish set
tiers landed and began to dig their under
ground houses down there at Wicaco;
the rotted leaves lie just as then about
the ash and beech trees today, and the
butterflies crawl from the cocoons and
flap their gold busted wings on the bark,
as though one of the great cities of the
world had not sprung up between the
roots and Wicaco.
Nature gives up this old landmark
grudgingly. On one side of the lane the
country struggles to be town by means
of brick kilns and Sommergartens, while
next to them is an old fashioned cenle-
terry. where the tired dead townspeople
seem 60 have gone out to lie down and
dream that they were in the country.
Running along the whole of the other
side Is a dilapidatsd fence. made in some
long ago generation, with faded notices
to trespassers nailed on its green and
rotting rails. Within is the Fontaine
Place--a house gone to decay, and wood
Hand.
The homestead, OF which you catch
x1impses through the trees, was twenty
years ago almost as much decayed as
now. A mellow afternoon sun, one
October day. lighted up its front of dull
red brick and worm eaten porches, on
one of which two young men stood to-
Eether, coarsely dressed as lsborers.
They had been sauntering through the
woods for an hour or two. One OF
them-a squat, square built fellow, with
his face deeply pitted by smallpox
had, boy like, stuffed out his pockets
with nuts and queer bits of mica, and
was kneeling tying up bundle OF mint
in his handkerchief, whistling as he did
It. The other held his hands folded
behind him, dangling pair of worn
kid gloves, and looked dreamily down
the dusky wood aisles
ssIn few years, joe" he said, ''the
city viii have crept out here; it will
bring up the value of this property to
the estate Of prince"
Likely; though it nd be pity to see
ehinneys in place of them elms,. Leon
ard. J"
Leonard glanced slightly down at him:
. You don't feel this place your own as
do II is our inheritance TO me, in spite
of all the FonEaines alive. You don't
seem TO understand that it was men of
our blood who took this ground from the
red man. The Heaths lived here before
she revolution like mobiles; they had
place among men. And you and /, the
last Of the Heaths, are thanking God to-
day for the chance OF partnership in
blacksmith's shop!"
ssHibbin's offer is very fair, Len, as to
the shop very fair, considerin' we never
learned the trade regularly" Joe got
up, adjusting his glazed cap. He shot. ed
his white teeth and suffered little: it
sftsn happened when he talked to Leon
ard, though this embarrassment was the
only painful way in which he showed
his humility and sense of inferiority TO
his brother. GAS to this property, it's
done me good to see it even this once.
I'll respect myself more for coming of a
stock OF men that was educated and fit
10 rule. You're born more of their sort,
and il costs you more to lose their foot
ing, suppose But wish you'd bee that
the shop
Don't talk of the shop here, for Gods
sakeP Leonard REDEEMED TO the roots of
his hair, like q girl His face was not
unlike a girls, with large, sparkling
eyes.
every welI"-good naturedly-''only
you were talking of place 10 the
world.
THAT q placed Work in SCOT and
sweat by day, and then to sleep like q
log by night. It's the life of beast
more than mans"
Don't Yet Winny hear you talk like
chat, or she'll think you rue Why, it
rwas only last week you were arguing
how safe it was for her and you to mar
ry on the profits Hibbin promised.
Look here, Len"-touching him on the
arm, his tone growing gravel don't
relish SCOT or sweat any more than you
do. But blaclzsmithing is place. It's
footing. Now that I've got a hammer
in my hand, and Bess in that room for
my wife, I'm man among men. Do
you see? Eth go hard with me if don't
make my place wider. I don't mean to
be blacksmith always. Itll 40 hard
with me Il my children don't have the
education Iack-an home like this to
grow up in, p'raps Who knowsT
Leonard patted Joe's broad back, look
ing down affectionateiy at she set, bull
dog jaws and steady, small black eyes.
sYou start wrong. A man is a traitor
to himself who tales up other work than
the BEST for which he is fitted. II God
has created him poet he should starve
before he degrades his faculty in car
penser's shop. His first duty is 10 hia
best self.
"But IL circumstance 10 ag'in him,
Leonard. Now I don't really see any
opening for You but HibbinR" Leonard
made NO answer. There was one, too
who worked, they say, in carpenters
A 5qs I'll a lii s ya q eS me aeE hs Esa
mon in that 70 us that has to wait ON
chance. IS great Is any He preached
aftersHaEd
Leonard sraile5 lnftilr. "Eeil do vnl