The Press., 1891-09-10
well if he could come up and live in this


 farmer, turning with compassionate in- terest to Mir. Sharp.
 'sYes. The doctors say that cannot last more than six or eight months, prob ably, if do not give up Wall street and get out to some healthy place in the country. suppose shall have to do so if can find the place"
 ..Vell, vot is the matter that you shall not come up here unt live vile you get velly''
 You are very kind. but that would hardly be practicable must have 2 home of my own. have Il family and require a place. You don't think you would care to sell, do your
 "No Of such thing would not think. My children here were born and here shall die. did knock around the world enough ven 1 young man vas. Now will take my rest Every place in the world would be strange to me ven should go from here out.
 You are right. It is great thing to be settled down. would willingly give forty thousand dollars for a place like this" ;,
 The sound of plate falling and smashing upon the dining room floor reached their ears.
 My graciousi" exclaimed MT. Kropf, starting, "Lieschen is at it againl Ven her young man gomes her mind into she imbulsively opens her hands, and if she got dish in them, down it goes By chiminii ve got to eat out of troughs ven she don't got married booty kvick. :"
 But he wronged Lieschen- that ti1ne It was her mother who dropped the plate.
 When Messrs. Cute and Sharp were seated at the table, with Liesehen wait ing upon them, and dinner enough for a dozen men set out before them, Herr Kropf settled himself to resume his in- corrupted siesta, and was already drowsy when his reluctant attention was com pelled by suppressed but still sharp voice calling. "Henrichl Heinrichr' Away out in the orchard stood Mrs. Kropff. making vigorous signs with her arms, summoning him. Vnwillingfy and slowly he arose from his, chair.
 "An afferage of dozen garter snakes every summer for twenty five years" he grumbled, ''unt yet she will not by her self either kill one or let it alone. She must gall me to smash it's head. The three hundred unt first has no doubt ap- peared to her." -'s
 But when he reached her he found that harmless but offending garter snake was not the vital question.
 "Um gottes willen" she fairly pisnted in her combined eagerness and anxiety to repress her voice. Wy you did not yoomp on proposition like tlotP Ten thousand dollars!"
 "I vas not thinking that voEld sell my farm" s
 "Nol You would sit there like an old fool ven a man offer you more as two times so much as the place been worth"
 "How you know vat it is vorth?'
 "It gannot be so much worth. Hein- rich, it vas no astonishment by me ven you die init the boorhouse, you got for business SO lettle head. Don't you ever think vat will begome of our boor poy, Jacob, ven ve are gone?'
 ''Yes; think he will go in jail"
 "Ach, himmell How you, his vatter, gan abuse dot boor poy. You got no lofe vor dot poy-you yoost look on him like he vas your sohn by anodther vatter l mt mutter."
 "Herr Gotti yooman. how yoa make that outy'
 Well, like he vas adoptioped."
 Il did not think you, any more than me, would like that ve should go yYy from this old place. Anna. ve were young yet ven we came here together. Lieschen unt Jacob have been born here. lint the leedle one that has slept so many years under the elm tree--all she knew of earth vas here. Habit makes the old place dear to me, unt love unt death make it sacred. Ifeel as if my gate to another world vas right here." "NarFigkeiH Ven ve got to die ve die yoost so yell one place as some other places. You talk septimeptalisch, like you vas yet in Deutschland You forget here in America everybody he got tq speculate unt be sharp if he want that he shall get along"
 "Then you will that shall sell the farmT
 "I gif you no peace of your life ven you don't"
 "Ysu will not anyway"
 "Ve can buy another place yoost so goot for five thousand, qnt put five thou sand in the bank for Jacob" 'Jaeobl Zol Upt Lieschen7 EhY'
 "Vep she marry George Stirling she got enough for heF,"
 'Is dot 20? Yell now, look a-here. You gsn make your old jaw greak 20 much als you like, but ] got something to say about that myselluf."
 Well, will you sell the farm. you old fool?'
 II will see. Maybe Lieschen got more chance that way ven been gone" Turning his back upon her. needless of her continued clack. he slowly returned to the porch. He heard her cry after hiin that she had moro to say. Of course she had, she always had. But he had heard enough. Too well he understood that the Angel of Peace had her gripsack packed, metaphorically speaking, and was only waiting to hear his final refusal to sell the farm as her signal for instant flight It was quite true, as he admitted to himself, that his opposition was purely sentimental, that the sum offered was more than the value of the ,tarm; still, the thought of selling made his heart sore. ,. When the visitors came out from din. ner MT. Sharp stood for several minutes in silence gazing upon the pleasing pros pect of orchard, meadow, fields aud for est outspread before him. Then he sighed and murmured ahstFaatedly,
 "Yes. like the place. Ithink could get we'll here. would willingly give ten thousand dollars"
 Before any phrase of acceptance could be forced up to Farmer Kropff's reluc- tant lips MT. Sharp stepped from the porch and strolled into the orchard, where he drew down an apple tree bough and buried his nose: in its clus- tered wealth of fragrant blossoms.
 ''See here!" exclaimed Mir. Cute hur- riedly, as if taking advantage of the mo- mentary opportunity afforded, Two got just the idea to satisfy both you and him. |