River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-03-06

whose appearance was 10 iess detected
One look into my old fathers bag gard
face and ali the ill-iecling had Lar-
bored against him had vanished; but il
was not until they were with me in my
own pleasant home which l had pur-
chased near the suburbs that learned
from him the cause of their sad looks
and of my fathers appearance with my
mother. Then he told the story:
II don't like to come to you, Preston,
and burden you with my troubles, but
mother insisted on it When you left
the old farm. my boy. found the head
had gone from the place. I didn't like
to acknowledge 1t to mother. even, be-
cause / had always been overbearin' and
self-willed; but ! soon found that
could not farm as we'll after your brains
left the place. Though j had always
thought that an education was OF no
benefit to farmer, could not help ad-
mittin' that it did pay to keep informed
through the papers of what was goin' on;
for had stopped the county paper you
had always taken because didn't think
! had time 70 read, and soon got taken
in by . lightnin'-rod swindle that cost
me three hundred dollars, and this, too,
q week after the very same swindlers
had been exposed in that paper of yours
l had stopped Then we bought Dea-
con Asher's medder. We paid the
thousand dollars of yours"
mot mine, father" l smilingly inter
rupted-
"Yes, my boy. it was yours, and you
ought 10 have had 1t; but let me GO on
with my story. We paid that down on
the medder lot and l gave a mortgage
for two thousand dollars to pay the bal
ance, on the old place. Things since
then haint gone right. had the deed
made out in the other boys names,
thinkin' to encourage them, but it was
a mistake. Jed took to drinkin', and
the other two sold out TO him. He has
run through the entire place, and now,
Preston, the old place has got to go to
pay of the mortgage and other debts the
boys contracted. an / signed for. an
your mother won't have dollar for her
old age"
but, father, ] have you left" said
the faithful little woman. You are
like you were years ago. and that is bet
ter 10 me than money; but can't bear
the thought Preston, that your father
must begin hard work again at his time
of life
Tut, tut, mother" replied my father,
as he tried 70 wipe the tears from his old
eyes ''Taint for myself ] care, but
can't bare TO see you left with nothin'
when I'm gone. IL I'd listened TO you
oftener. especially that time when you
was talkin' TO me so sensible by the
milk-house, things would have been
different That thousand dollars l
wouldn't give TO Preston has brought all
Of our bad luck. 1t will kill me to see
the old place sold under the hammer an
Preston, my boy, / came on here to ask
you to forgive me the wrongs did you.
/ suppose you haint nothin' saved
ahead, but / know you'll look out for
mother better than the others. for they
baint got nothin' an mother would feel
moro like liven' on you, since she helped
you, you know. in goin' to school, when
l was so mean an wouldn't IL you
hadn't fooled away all OF your time
goin' to school, may be you'd
have somethin' now to live on in
stead Of boardin' around. Whose place is
this, ennyway. Pres?" he suddenly in
quired, for the first time observing the
rolling meadows and waving grain in
the fields back OF the largo house. AS
ignored the question. he perhaps thought
had not heard him. and continued:
81 yum, believe could live on sech
o farm as this but faint for sech as
am. Say, Pres, what kind OF q man
owns this farm, ennyway, SO near the
city, yet right out in the country on the
other side of the house."
''Oh, he is o man about your size," l
replied.
as he-thst is-did he-say. did he
ever go to college?"
II believe be did fool away some OF
his time at University" l replied,
smiling at the look that swept over his
face, while the only remark to this he
could make was his familiar Il YUM"
In this one expression, all the con-
victiOns o. years seemed swept away,
but 1t needed one more test to Danish
them all. ] had whispered something
TO my mother that had driven all care
from her dear face, but I was not yet
ready TO divulge to my father what was
said. Neither had laid away their
wraps, but sat holding them in their
hands as If expecting soon to leave. At
last father said:
"Well. Pres, since you have stopped
here till I've told our story, may be we
better be goin' up to your boardin'
house. The family here don't seem to
be comm home, an may be you can run
in agin If you were waitin' to see them.
I'm 'fraid mother is pretty tired after
her long ride on them tarnel cars, an
we better get on"
''Oh. no." ] replied smiling. 1.-THE
family are not away. The farmer is at
home. Lay of your things and come
out to supper"
why, what--I don't understand" he
replied, looking helplessly at mother;
then seeing her smiling face, he was
more astonished than ever, until, to
ease his anxiety and bewilderment, /
explained:
This place. nv dear father, be-
longed to me; but when heard, through
one OF the neighbors. how things were
going out at the old home. l had the
deed changed, and it is now made out to
Mrs Phebe Astery. Thinking you might
not like TO live with mother IL she
owned all the property in the family,
have also purchased the old home-farm,
and here is the deed made out to Joseph
Astery. so you can, in the future, live on
just whichever place you please, only
IL you stay an this one, may board with
you for a few years. while fool away
some time inventing machinery" His
only answer was:
II vum."-Floyd X. Royce, in House
keeper.
AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE.