The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-08-20

/ shouldn't wonder II 1t sets more II Oh heed
/ u thinkin'."
During the long afternoon Silas sat on
the shady piazza looking out over the
/ fields of ripening corn. An open book, not
a line of which he had read, lay beside
/ him He raised his hand and brought ii
down Oh his leg with resounding slap.
"SiX-ty-nine."
His wife came hurrying to the door.
"What is It? Y'u didn't leave yur specs
| in church, did y'u"
/ As Silas seemed disposed to pay no at
! tention to her inquiry, Mrs. Marvin turned
away.
| The cows came lowing up the lane The
/ birds twittered in the pine trees beyond the
! garden.
Tell Jake t. see t. the chores. l guess
I'll 90 t bed; don't feel just right" said
/ Silas
So to bed he went, though it lacked a
good two hours of his usual time.
| He tossed about the greater part of the
night Finally he got up, and cropping his
way to a chair seated himself in it.
Its brought me up standin, but Pm
goin to look the thing square in tn face, "
/ said he in hoarse whisper
His wife raised herself on her elbow.
''Are y'u out o y'ur head, Sile, or what
on earth is the matter?"
"Mither, y'u go t. sleep. Ny heads all
right. I'll resk that"
us it y'ur rheumatic"
"Rheumatiz nothinW
Mrs. Marvin said no more. Silas dressed
himself and went down to walk back and
forth in the bean path. Next morning he
abruptly broke the silence of the break fast
table by saying:
Bout out O. -four, amt y'u? I'll throw
a grist aboard N go t. mill"
IF anythingll scatter these notions"
said Silas to himself, as he drove off, ''itll
be the noise o. tn grindin. don't mind
tn tex SO much-I amt man t. shirk tn
work my hAnds fin t. do, when l see it
afore me. What's tn trouble WI me is
that other passage 'at tn tex is all time
bringin up-excep' We forgive men their
trespasses.' He's never asked me T. forgive
him-none of 'em ever has"
Silas gave his horses a sharp cut with
the whip, and the surprised creatures
bounded into trot Down came the
whip again.
'Ther's JUS this much about it," said
he, when he had replaced the whip in its
i
in tn right of t, all fair N square, or Pm
in tn wrong"
The horses fell into their accustomed gait,
and Silas drove on with bowed head and
troubled brow. In this attitude he sat for
some time in the mill while his grist was
being ground, then got up and went out
side
What's got into the OF mills click
ri Of Ir l.
over his ears The rafting machinery had
dinned these words into his brain through
his sense of hearing, do unto others-do
unto others-do unto others as you would
that they should do to you"
He climbed into his wagon, received his
grist, and drove off at a smart pace And
now the admonitory words came Gathering
from his trace chains;
do unto others-do unto others-do
unto others as you would that they should
do to your
They went jingling and rafting down q
long hill, at the foot of which a sudden
''Whoa!' brought horses and wagon to q
standstill. Wheeling about, Silas turned
into a crossroad and took his way to
farmhouse, in front OF which was young
girl hoeing double row of cabbages.
Good morning, Libbie."
On being thus accosted by Silas the girl
looked up, turned red in the face and acted
as if about to beat a retreat. She seemed
surprised, confused, even angry.
"Libbie, come, go home along WI me;
I've come t sit y'u."
Uncle Silas, do you mean it?"
That's what do, m I'm goin T. take
Kate, too. Your missis won't mind"
Il think she'll be glad. was only help
ing for my keep till could ind place"
With Libbie's poor box among the bags
in the back of the wagon. and Libbie her
self in the seat beside him, Silas repaired
TO another farmhouse, where Kate, the
youngest sister, made herself so useful
that 1t was not until he had agreed to
send a stronger girl 10 take her place that
the woman, whose drudge she had been,
would consent TO her leaving. They went
their way homeward in silence.
At length they came TO a creek, and Silas
got out to loosen the checkreins that the
horses might drink.
What does II meant" whispered Kate to
her sister.
Il do not know'-the answer came
doubtfully and Neutrality-suspicious. I've
been thinking that perhaps poor papa
is
Not dead' Kate clutched the others
arm in viseiike grip. You can't think
he Is dead! I'm going to ask him"
Uncle" as Sjlas c.iIabe,I in over the
wheel is anything the matter with papai
Is he deadf"
Sllas gave her a startled look
Dead! Why, child, have y'u heerd he
was any worseY"
Much relieved. Kate FASTENED 70 assure
him that they had heard nothing. adding.
But We thought that might be it"
Having deposited both girls and grist on
the piazza, Silas led the horses away to the
stable. saying as ne went out:
go right in, girls, n give y'ur aunt
surprise. She'll be glad enough e see y'u,"
He could have taken care of his team
and been back 10 the house in fifteen or
twenty minutes, but more than an hour
went by before he made his appearance
there
AS he afterward said. he had no sooner
got away from his nieees than he was put
through an overhaulin Of himself" He
had given wsy-had done what be vowed
be would never do. He had yielded 70