St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1891-01-03
4" MY JOHN"
A Story Of Prairie Fires and Pa
rental Forgiveness,
81 think It is smoke s-Fs.-

and think you are wrong
The first speaker was a young woman
with . sweet face, expressive Of much
silent rcsolutcness and great sclf-con-
troll. Tho second speaker wac IN old
man, whose faded brown eyes had a
startled look as II suspecting that peo-
pie were about to bring him trouble. >or
else asserting that they had already
brought it. 18 Er 49, <.
Tho old man was known. among the
ranchmen as old John Hlasland. lie
owned great ranch. Tho young woman
was called Hannah. II doa't know
what her t'othcr narpc is,'' the old man
would have told q questioner. ''She
came from the East somewhere, wanted
to help my housekccper, Mrs Tuth-
erly, and l didn't caro-. That's all l
know about it, doa't care what her
name is. I am a leetlc 'spishus OF what
she wants; they al want something"
1t was tho Wystsry enwfapping Ham
nah like an, atmosphere. and it was tho
old mans suspicion of her motives and
purposes. that n,adc her presence an
annoyance to him in spite 0f any words
TO tho contrary. Whom be now had told
her that any sign 8: smoke about the
prairic-region7was . amistaisss sho simply
replied: IF youps John wero hereahe
could tell us.
Tho faded brown eyes began to flash.
The husky voice tremDled with petu-
lance. '.YOung Johni" he snaried. II
guess if old John don't know, you won't
pick up any information from that young
man"
1t might havesseemed as il no were
angry with young John" No-with
tho young wo.han who mentioned his
name. -.
Il know, 1 know" he silently said. q
he turned away, 'she cares more for
young john than CID john. Too much
going on between those young ppople.
Next thing thero will be o marriage i
don't want her, moddlia' with that
young man. :. - s'
This other young person, like Han
nah, came from tho East, Eaa proved
very acceptable to tho old ranchman.
and was a great favorite yith h;p,. YAc
ranchmen in the neig ghboriood.. TO dis
t:nguish the two. called ono Old John
and tho other. Young John. Peoples
sometimes thor4ht they were fathcr
and son. No. there was a son at the
East who had offended. bis; father, and
had tecr forbidden to come or even to
write to him. The cfd man wondered
sometimes whether Mo did not treee
familiar features in this young ad-
venturcr from, tho East Any fAncied
RESEMBLANCE Wss not Plcasant to- the
old ranchman. Tie drove it from nbis
thoughts rs he would drive cloud OF
mosquitoes frsW bis Aouse-.-la ~G-4ss /.
And Hannah. she still linsorctE back
Of the barn, 'waachiag thaA smoky stain
on the lluessf tho ahy.e Twas Sunday
morning. Thc great prairie was always
still and always secluded. though IA
reality any ssing but shut in. J II, had
SUCH Al opcnness to the wide. wide sky.
There was no SEN blance of FENCE or WALL |
in any direction u9 til in tho wost. ono |
saw a fold Of bluisil color along the \
pr.iric's rim. That meant tho Rocky |
Mountains.
Il think n iI.froMans:s she :mur l
..Tha4 smolsc-clodd Is .follin9 I
up bigger. WhaeR . Sf6na come this
way, and sweep aovcrsshe ranch! And
yet he does not think 1t is smoke. ]
wish John wkrc -hcre. When Eill 10
Gene? lie said he would ~ home on
his pony early this morniny-and go
with us to ch4ssh ~ ~ E.sTs% .<osss'-<
Hannah :SsrGe wcs.lelA' Schheea1liiHe ?
.Co,ne, Mrs. Tutherly says If we are
a--oin' to church, we ought to- be gittin'
ready. Cou,eesWstehins sliSt sky &pi
rit vou readS..~ ''-< - s4u%r
Hannah made no re irsspis. i II II wa, i Of nod
csc to notice al his ,faUl finding Or anN}
81 il. She haAsSaownirapo sslf-eontrol
IN her stea1in6t.s silence. I, .shc now d
burned and won't fato sshs @aoasc. while
he old ra:cbzsun. eh afAca feebly tosthc
5arn and hcgsn re- hAfsi@ss the hose
Il have hoas<;a asahassce, sssshey !.
re all of wiE he men FaS chin. .ibc
attic" ho nArmrrfdx ..'and So Ji1s u
rou must pull vs. to yynchs -Hanphl u
pose sle will say we can't go-that
here is fro Astroaltbe teoisin sNsas
ense. If my Sobm,r bert, be eN2a'
ell abou. IA - S.nsSke-' 80 ss@' 10 rstf
Io droppedsnc harncsse as II. tfaHd.
ing the coilstf a snake: yHsA ksd Hei
iao of the osSPassr fsspsiins;ssss ,ssa * So !.
The father meyer fnosingly naaetionsd
his fo-r, Of sQNn,a rSx Iaha~r, Is1s},
NJ the harnSsSa1jp, - Dow Angsa "
i'm in it sH
What do smellssaApss&sa..'eds n q
Young John would hayo to4e hina
hu. hOs%aN6 s0s.nlAg V 9
nell .ny thing OF the KIM = ~ N'4