The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-02-22

&SS q n trall.
~ through old beech
and ash trees, dropping their rottine
leaves on the lush mold, with fat green
caterpillars 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 tn,
world had not sprung up between tn,
roots and Wicaco.
Nature gives up this old landmark
grudgingly. On one side Of the lane tn,
country struggles to be town by means
Of brick kilns and Sommergartens, whilt
next to them is an old fashioned GENE
terry, where the tired dead townspeople
seem to have gone out to lie down and
dream that they were in the country
Running along the whole of the other
side is dilapidated fence, madein 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
land.
The homestead, Of which you catch
gimpses 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-
gether, coarsely dressed as laborers.
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.
"In few years, Joe," he said, "the
city will have crept out here; it will
bring up the value of this property tt
the estate of prince"
Likely; though it 'ud be pity to see
ehimneys in place of them elms, Leon
ard"
Leonard glanced slightly down at him:
"You don't feel this place your own as
do, It is our inheritance to me. in spite
of all the Fontaines 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
the revolution like mobiles; they had a
place among men. And you and l, the
last of the Heaths, are thanking God to-
day for the chance Of partnership in a
blaoksmith's shopl"
"Hibbin'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 showed
his white teeth and suffered little: il
often 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 tC
his brother. Gas to this property, it'i
done me good to see it even this once
I'll respect myself more for coming of {
stock of men that was educated and f
TO rule. You're born more of their sort
and 1t costs you more to lose their foot
ing. suppose. But wish you'd see tina
the shop"-
''Don't talk of the shop here, for God
sakel" Leonard reddened to the roots o
his hair, like a girl. His face was no
unlike = girls, with large, sparkling
! eyes.
t 'Very well"-good naturedly-"onl,
you we're talking Of a place in tn
4 world"
THAT a placeI Work in SCOT an,
sweat by day, and then to sleep like
log by night. It's the life of beas
more than a mans"
Don't let WinnY hear you talk lik
that, or she'll think you rue. Why,
was only last week you were arguin
how safe 1t Was for her and you to maj
ry on the profits Hibbin promised
Look here, Len"-touching him on tn
arm, his tone growing gravel don
relish SCOT or sweat any more than yo
do But blacksmithing is place. 1t
+ footing. Now that I've got a hammS
s in my hand, and Bess in that room fC
o my wife, I'm q man among men. d
you seer Itl go hard with me If don
make my place wider. don't mean I
be blacksmith always, tn 80 haI
with me if my children don't have Il
- edication Lakeland home like this
grow up in. p'r'aps. Who knows1"
Leonard patted Joe's broad back, loo
ing down affectionately at the set, bul
dog jaws and steady, small black eye
"You start wrong. A man is q trait'
n to himself who takes up other work thl
tho best for which he is fitted. If Go
has created him poet he should star,
,Eo before he degrades his faculty in ca
m1 penter's shop His first duty is 70 i
he best self"
"But if circumstances is ag'in hiI
PPse Leonard? Now don't really see al
nd opening for you but Hihbin's." Leona
uaade no answer. "fheFe was one, &c
who worked. they say, IN carpenter
shop till His time was come for His TC
work, and it seems 70 me there's a 81
mon in that 70 us that has 70 wait 0
=. chance, as Ereas rs any Hs preach
y afterward," f"
Leonard smiled loftily. "well, do y
go back to Hibbin's and wait, Joe. ]
& help you. Youn waken out Of that sh
into the Inheritance Of noble, Pol
day. A noblel'
"Ali right"-swinging his bundle o'
his shoulder "It's time for the trl
al now; we'd better get home and 10
betimes, 90 as to be at the shop early
$50 on-Tn follow you directl
While he leaned over the porch railil
a =