Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1890-06-27

STOOD IDLE at the END
of row while he sat on the fence, his
chin in his hands, wishing it were
dinner-time. They called him Long
jawed Joe" on account of the unusual
length Of his face. 1t was also pain
fully thin, but this was relieved by a
clear, wholesome color and hght-blue,
placid eyes. He was gOOd-natured,
and was never known to be angry.
81 tell you now, Joe, said his broth
er, as they were unhitching at noon,
I'm not gOin' ter stan it no longer.
THAT'S what I've been thinkin',
Bill, replied Joe; "this works awful
hard"
"YOu know what I mean, an you
can't turn it off that er way"
what do you mean, Bill?"
Il mean I won't work myself to death
while you loaf half the time"
"DO loaf half the time ?"
Eyes; you know you do"
@Ihat's argument why 1 should loaf,
Joe"
"How?"
"WeIl, if I didn't loaf half the time
you'd work yourself to death"
You're er fool, said Bill, pettishly
lashing his mule with the plow-lines.
Maybe I am, Bill. but I never hit
my mule when 1 git the worst of an
argument"
You're too lazy to do anything"
90, no I amt. 1 fixed old man
Brayton's silver bull's-eye last night
when you was asleep, and set it runnin'
right straight along"
"Thar you go ergin! Because you're
disposed to tinker, pap bought you a
lot Of tools that only he'ps keep your
mind often your plowin' He never
bought me nothin' in my life, but he
hUmOrs yOu-beoaUse you're lazy, 1
reckon"
81 never had my mind on plowin',
Bill, so them watch-makin' tools can't
keep my mind off it. If pap never
bought you nOthin', p'rhaps it's because
you never asked him. But if you want
anything five dollars can buy, here's
the money. I made it last week, tink
erin.
Il don't want your money, said Bill,
knocking his brothers hand away and
scattering the coin over the ground.
"But if you amt too lazy you can let
down the bars"
Joe picked up the money and let
down the bars; Bill passed through,
down the lane, to the horse-IOt.
"BilPs good boy" he unused, slowly
putting up the bars, "but he's awful
high-tempered. [ wonder how a man
feels when he's right mad ?" His mule,
kicking at @ fly, struck his shin. "LOOk
out, RhodOm, that's my leg you're hit
tin. There amt much meat on it, but
what it wants in flesh it makes up N
bone"
When Joe went to his "tinkerin'
ROOM, as Bill called it, that night, his
tools were gone. He said nothing.
Next morning Joe was gone. He left
q letter, which read:
DEAR BILL: The crop is about laid by. 1
leave you five dollars, to pay somebody to
do the rest Of my WOtk 1 wasn't cut out
for a farmer, but 1 think can make a Twin
tinkerin' watches. Your brother, JOE.
His father looked solemn, but said
nothing. His mother went into their
bedroom, smOOthed down Joe's pillow,
and cried. Bill said:
He'll come back when he gets hun
CRY; which won't be mOre'n a week, at
furthest.
Weeks, months, years passed. The
DIuebird built its nest in the hollow
stump; the crow, with one eye on
BilPs gun, helped himself to the early
planting. The June-bug lodged" the
wOOdpecker among the tall corn. The
quail made its "malIOw" under the
cOw-pea vines, and filed its crop with
the ripened grain the coon had thrown
down. The 'pOssum, grown fat on per
simmons, fell easy prey to hunters
when frost glstened in the starlight,
and might have been proud Of his ap-
pearance when, garnished with sweet
/ potatoes, he graced the farmers table.
But Joe came not, nor any tidings Of
him.
On bright spring morning when
the bees were busy among the honey
suckle blossoms around the door and
Bill was busy In the field, a letter came
to JOe's mother. Tt said:
DEAR MOTHER: Five years seems a long
time to ne, and know it seems long time
to you, because you haven { heard from me.
When 1 left home made up my mind TO
do something for myself before 1 wrote
back. Wern { no good in the field. and as
I had knack for Watch-tinkerin' I tn ought
I'd try it. l acme to the city and worked
at it. To make a long story short, for 1
amt much with the pen, have done some
thin for myself. I've got a good business
of my own, and am comm to see you all
But amt comm alone. I found in my
travels 81 little woman, with brown hair and
black eyes, who says she loves me II am
ugly: that my lean face and long legs don t
make no difference to her. She Is my VIE
Don't think, now, she cant cook or keep
house. You mayn't believe it but she can
make almost as good corn bread as you
can; and. as to coOkin' greens down TO the
proper seasOnln's you will be surprised.
She proposes to prove this by cOOKin' the
first dinner after we come, So, if you see
a gaWky young man in bad-htt1n' city
clothes and q short little woman in calico
that fits her to a ~T' get out of q hack before
the gate. don't think they are strangers;
they viii be Us. Tell Bill I am vet too lazy
to pIOW, but KNOWN he's not, I've bought
him a splendid mule. Did he ever find my
tinkerin' tools? Your son. JOE
When Joe and his wife retired at
night after their first day at the old
home, they found the s'tinkerin'
tooIs7 lying on the table. They were
in a neat box which Bill had bought
for the purpose, and with them was
Ill. 49,.