Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1890-03-05

or may be the picture Of the little wom-
IN, as she so saucily faced him, brought
back the memory Of the days SO long
ago when he was wooing the bright
eyed lass, and this tempered the hot
words that at first rose to his lips.
Whatever the influence, was compelled
to admit that did not understand the
power that controlled my father, for the
big, strong man was suddenly subdued;
the overbearing air disappeared, as If
by magic, and, instead of an angry word,
he quietly said:
'You may be more than half right,
1t except as between ourselves. If it
was for emmy other purpose-to buy
farm, a Neutrality-suspicious., or emmy
thing OF emmy account, why, yum, I'D
be sorry I promised Jed an let you have
the money for Pres; but can't reconcile
myself to SEEM him throw away thou
sand dollars, good money, let alone all
OF his time, in jest gettin' an education
That don't see ever done emmy one emmy
good"
"What about the thousand dollars?'
questioned my mother, ignoring his
protests.
"'Taint no use, Phebe, I can't con-
sent, and have given my word to Jed"
Every we'll, then, " replied my mother,
quietly. "Preston shall 60 to school
and without the use of your money. 1
am sorry you can not see the question
in the same light that l do. You re-
member had small sum of money
left me from my fathers estate. This
has been out at interest for twenty
years. The amount was so small you
thought it was not worth accepting, when
you were disappointed because the larger
sum was LETT to my brother. / was thank
ful for small sum that I could call my
own, and have used neither principal
nor interest. The sum will more than
answer Preston's needs, and shall ex-
pend it for him freely. You may as
freely use the sum now on hand for the
other boys and we shall see which brings
in the best results in the end"
To say that l was astonished at learn
ing that my mother had SO large sum
of money at interest, would be to simply
convey the state of my fathers feelings
at the same time. He felt that he was
beaten all around and could not say
word. 1t was easy to see that he be-
grudged even this sum to be paid for
my schooling, and numerous hints were
dropped to me about what nice pay
ment such snug sum would make to-
ward a good farm. While disliked to
take my mothers legacy to pay for my
schooling, when felt that had earned
sum working for my father that hon
estly belonged to me to do so, and thus
accepted and was soon in the University,
and hard at work.
The four years in school passed quick
~ for me. While the money my mother
gave me was not sufficient to pay my ex-
penses, it proved ample with what sums
/ could earn during the long summer
vacations and at odd spells to pay my
way and leave good sum besides at the
end of the third year; and during the
vacation of the last year succeeded in
perfecting a machine that not only
brought me enough to repay my mother
in full and with compound interest,
but also left me large sum be-
sides. had been home once only
during the four years, as could i'll az
ford the time. Caring to see my mother
only, had arranged each year to have
her make visit to her old Eastern
home, which brought her near the city
where my vacations were passed. The
first few years these visits had done her
proved condition of her health, but the
last year she came to me I was not
little alarmed at her appearance. In
stead of the bright-faced little woman I
went to the train to meet, there alighted
an old gentleman, stoop-shouldered and
detected, in whom I should with diff
Guilty have recognized my father had he
not been accompanied by my mother,
whose appearance was no less detected.
One look into my old fathers aggard
face and all the ill-feeling I had har-
bored against him had vanished; but it
was not until they were with me in my
own pleasant home which I had pur-
chased near the suburbs that I 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, I found the head
had gone from the place. I didn't like
to acknowledge it to mother, even, be-
cause had always been overbearin' and
self-willed; but I soon found that
could not farm as we'll after your brains
left the place. Though I 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
I had time to read, and soon got taken
in by lightnin'rod swindle that cost
me three hundred dollars, and this, too,
a week after the very same swindlers
had been exposed in that paper of yours
I had stopped. Then we bought Dea-
con Asher's medder. We paid the
thousand dollars of yours
''Not mine, father" I smilingly inter-