The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1890-11-15
s d JOHN J:
A Story Of Prairie Fires and Pa
rental Forg iveness.

| nAu oA4uh YOU dio "TOuS.
The first speaker wasa young woman
with a sweet face, expressive of much
silent resoluteness and great self-con-
troll. The second speaker was an old
man, whose faded brown eyes had a
startled look as if suspecting that peo-
pie were about to bring him trouble, or
else asserting that they had already
brought it.
! The old man was known among the
ranchmen as old John Blasland. He
owned great ranch. The young woman
was called Hannah. II don't know
what her t'other name u.s." the old man
would have told questioner. ''She
came from the East somewhere, wanted
to help my housekeeper, Mrs. Tuth.
erly, and I didn't care. That's all l
know about it. don't care what her
name is. I am a leetle 'spishus of what
she wants; they all want something"
1t was the mystery enwrapping Han
nah like an atmosphere, and it was the
old mans suspicion of her motives and
purposes, that made her presence an
annoyance to him in spite of any words
| to the contrary. When he now had told
| her that any sign of smoke about the
pralrie-region was m istake, she simply
re pl'ed: IF young John were here, he
| could tell u.s."
The faded brown eyes began to flash.
The husky voice 'trembled with petu-
lance. 'Young John!'' he snarled. 81
/ guess if old John don't know, you won t
pick up any information from that young
| man."
1t might have seemed as if he were
| angry with young john" No-with
the young woman who mentioned his
name.
II know, know!'' he silently said, as
he turned away. 'She cares more for
young John than old John. Too mucu
going on between those young people,
Next thing there will be marriage. I
don't want her meddlin' with that
young man."
This other young person: like Han
nah, came from the East, had proved
very acceptable to the old ranchman,
and was a great favorite with him. The
ranch men in the neighborhood, to dis
tinguish the two called one Old John
and the other Young John. People
sometimes thought they were father
andsson. No. there was a son at the
East who had offended his father, and
had been forbidden to come or even to
write to him. The old man wondered
sometimes whether he did not trace
familiar features in this young adj
venturer from the East Any fancied
resemblance was not pleasant to the
old ranchman. He drove it from his
thoughts as he would drive a cloud OF
mosq uitoes from his house.
And Hannah, she still fingered back
of the barn, watching that smoky stain
on the blue of the sky. 1t was Sunday
morning. The great prairie was always
still and always secluded, though in
reality any thing but shut in. 1t had
such an openness to the wide, wide sky.
There was no semblance of fence or wall
in any direction until, in the west, one
saw fold of blush color along the
prairie's rim. That meant the Rocky
Mountains. .."s =
Il think it is qrowingv' she MUIR
INJURED. "That smoke-cloud is rolling
up bigger. What if it should come this
way, and sweep over the ranch! And
yet he does not think it is smoke. l
wish John were here! When will he
come? He said he would be home on
his pony early this morning and go
with us to church" F.
Klamath" 1t was old John calling.
"Come! Mrs. Tutherly says if we are
a-goin' to church, we ought to be gittin'
ready. Come! Watchin' that sky won't
git you ready!"
Hannah made no reply. 1t was of no
use to notice al his faultt7ia9nding or any
of it. She had shown rare self-control
in her steadfast silehecee. She now
turned and went into the house, while
the old rancbaH7aan shuflea feebly to the
barn and begahs to harmless the horse
into the wagon.
II have horses in abundance but they
are all of with the men wa.chin' the
cattle" he murmured. s:and so, Jim,
you must pull US to church. Humph!
s'pose she., will say we can't go-that
there is fire out on the prairie. Non
sense! It my John was here, he could
tell about that smoker
AAo suAOPPoO Guo udrAoSS ~ II nanQ-
ling the coils of snake. What had he
said? MY John!" That was the name
also OF the offending son in the East.
The father never knowingly mentioned
this form of name, my John" Lift
Ing the harness again, he now arrayed
Jim in it
What do smell?" he asked.
Young John would have told him
Smoke" but he was not willing to
smell any thing of the kind.
In the meantime Hannah had given