Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-19

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said, cor angry, or discouraged, or what
ever else you choose.
"What's wrong with you now, Jack9'
the girl asked with smile which seemed
to indicate that she was accustomed tc
have the young man unburden himself Of
his troubles when he came to see her.
'It's the same old story" he replied
Everything goes wrong, and however
hard work am powerless to set things
right Father insists on working the
farm just as grandfather worked it fifty
years ago, and when he gets further and
further behind he thinks the times are out
of joint, and won't believe that he could
make things more prosperous if he would
count upon the changed conditions of the
country and adopt different methods OF
cultivation and grow different crops.'
"That sounds like one of your articles
for The Agricultural Review" she said
with an amused smile.
Suppose it does?" he asked "Does that
prevent it from being true? That's the
kind of thing father would have said He
blames me every day for having worked
my way through college. He calls me
stuck up and conceited think / am
humble enough, but, plague on it, am
tired of the whole business. We get up
early in the morning to have an early
breakfast, to get to work early and have
an early dinner, to get to work early to
have an easly supper, to go to bed early SO
as to get up early in the morning. And Sc
it is, day in and day out all the year round,
and then we find that the mortgage is as
big as ever and the interest not paid"
maybe the interest would be paid ami
the mortgage reduced if some one know
worked with a more contented spirit.
Emma Rogers said seriously.
perhaps; but content don't come mere
ly at the bidding, and l am resolved to cut
loose and see if / can't do something on
my own account"
"That is what you have said any time
for two years"
IT know that, but it is different now.
Tom was not old enough to be of much
good on the farm then, but he is now, and
he gets along perfectly with father. They
will be happier and better off when am
gone"
''When. do you start, Mr.. Harford?" the
girl asked, with mock formality.
monday morning." he replied.
''And whittier do you go?" she asked
with the same tone and manner of mockery.
"To New York;
AuO ONCI uiCa Utuh III yOu plSSloO,
Mr.. Hartford, or will you choose to take
charge of one of the great trunk lines of
railway" she continued.
"Don't mock me, Emma. Ishould rather
have your sympathy and love than any
thing else. With your love to inspire me
I really believe I could accomplish some
thing"
'Nonsense, Jack! If you ever do any
/ r. ! ~
If you are really going I tell you frankly
that am glad of it. But at the same
time / must say that think very much as
conceited 1t may be that you will get
something of that knocked out of you in
New York That will be good thing,
anyhow"
Jack Harford's face was as red as fire
and his lips trembled as the girl finished.
He rose from his chair and said with a
forced smile:
"Well, Miss Rogers, have to thank you
for your great candor. beg your pardon
for having presumed to think that you
would be interested in my movements ]
will bid you good evening and good-by."
And he bowed stiffly.
Don't be goose, Jack" she said. u
am interested in your movements and in
terested in you. Had I not been"-and
now Miss Rogers got upon her dignity
"do you suppose l should have taken the
trouble to speak to you as l have done?"
Harford'S anger was at once appeased,
and he took her hand and would have put
his arm around her had she not moved
back step.
''Oh, Emma," he said, ''if you would
only love me and be good to me, and let
me feel that was working for you as we'll
as myself, should go away much more
bravely than do. Won't you promise tc
marry me when I have made stake9"
"Come and see after you have made the
stake" she said with smile, as she Olsen
gagged her hand
''That's the best you can do for me?" he
persisted.
"You have no right to ask more at pres,
ent," she said, and he was forced to be
content They resumed their seats and
spent the evening in discussing the very
vague plans for the future which Jack
Hartford had formed
By hard work and many privations the
son had managed to prepare himself for
college and to get through the course. At
twenty-five he returned to the farm and
with the zeal of youth desired to reform its
management He might as we'll have tried
tn 1--we the ,nii..lh hills from their firm
foiandl (. atoms Emma Rogers was the daugh
ter of the Nearbye doctor, who had died q
few years before this story begins and left
his only child with no more valuable prop
erty than the little cottage in which he
had lived and lot of uncollected and un
collectable bills for his services. She was
the teacher of the Nearbye school, and man
aged it with much tact and skill. Her
clear, blue eyes would have made any face
pretty, but as all her features were straight
and regular, like those we are accustomed
to see in the ancient sculptures of Greece,
she was radiant beauty and would have
seemed out of place in her homely sur
roundings had the brilliancy of her beauty
not been tempered by great sobriety OF
speech and drectness of manner.
Jack Hartford and Emma Rogers had
been companions since childhood, and as
he had done nothing to disguise his affec-
tion the relations of the two as lover and
loved were we'll known about. Among
the young men in the Nearbye neighbor-
hood he was the only one fit by education
to consort with her, and he was therefore
permitted to pursue his suit without the
vexation of rivalry. He was strong,
good looking fellow, and with much less
of the rustic appearance than any OF the
other farmers sons thereabouts. He had
made persistent love to Emma for two
years, but they had never become for
mally engaged. She had not declined to