The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1891-05-26
JARED HARPWICK'S TASK

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The task was brought upon Jared
Harpwick by letter which came to him
s0e September afternoon as he sat read.
ing on his vine shaded porch He rose
promptly, lifted his straw hat from the
1Dor and put it on, and walked through
the front gate to the pike.
Through the long village street and a
half mile along the dusty pike he
trudged; then, turning aside into a
narrow byroad that branched off at the
foot of steep hill, he came to a rude
sawmill. A stalwart man sat upon a
large moving log. from which a perpen-
aicular saw was rasping board.
Good afternoon, neighbor Gray.
Rid Jared
Gray eyed him keenly from under his
shaggy brows; then rising, he walked tc
q lever, pulled it aside and stopped the
.aAw. a'c go IS
.'Sit down on the log, Jared" )" he said.
I'VE can't hear each other when the
saws going. see by your face that
something unusual has happened"
"Pve got letter from Joe Hes in
trouble"
f""Just as | supposed Bankrupt, I'll
Warrant?' 3plfral
That's about it."
And he has written to You to get me
10 help him. i4-
That's true; but, John, don't be an
cry. This matter must be considered
with our coolest: Judgment
--Pn not consider it with cool judg-
1Aent nor any other kind. He'll get no
AnAfr To,
'f's -Very well, John, very well; but you'll
-Asar what-the trouble is, won't Your.
"Oh, suppose ! can isten," replied
the father, taking piece of bacon from
. shelf and proceeding to grease the saw
We'll, Gray. it's bad embarrass-
Aent A customer bought q Thousand
dollars worth of Joe's patent machines,
promising to order twice as many more
soon. Joe supposed he was perfectly
good for it, and on the strength of this
ordered two Thousand dollars worth
'frou, the man that manufactures them
Well, the customer turned out bad; he
didn't pay the thousand dollars, nor
erder more. Joe lost the machines, and
ewes the manufacturer two thousand
dollars, which he is unable to pay.
Joe writes that he might have stood
this if a|fire hadn't broken out and
eurned up this two thousand dollars
worth of machines"
He glanced up quickly. and caught u
shade of sympathy upon the sawyers
face.
''' "The manufacturer is unluckily in a
tight fix himself. and he is pushing the
boy. Joe writes that this will ruin him.
and just when his business was most
promising. tell you. Gray, it's hard
ON your boy"
well, don't pity him bit-not a
but He was determined to go to the
city; now let him dig for himself. [ gave
hmm thousand dollars to start his crazy
business, mortgaging our little place
here, and that's enough. Mother has
pinched herself and worked her fingers
almost to the bone, and have shaved
early and late to pay it off, and now that
Hs paid, do you think I'm going right
back into that struggle again?
mo. Jared, not for boy who forgets
his old mother as Joe has done. Why..
he hasn't written ine-not line--to
mother or me for year, and now, when
he wants help, he writes to you, Jared.
-'Does he deserve help? Just answer
me that; does he deserve it? don't
want to hurry you away. but Pm going
to start the saw 1s4i+- liA Ae
He turned decisively, and pulling the
aever set the saw rasping again.
Very well, John" !" said Jared. coming
nearer. ''f that's your decision I've
nothing more to say. shall have to
write to Joe that you refuse. 1t does
seem a pity to leave him in his trouble
He's not a bad boy, but dear knows
where this will drive him. Good after.
noon, John.v 4s s&H ~
AT home he sat down upon the porch
again to think it out. He knew well the
character of this father. and son. Since
Joe had been old enough to assert him
self there had been antagonism between.
them. The father was arbitrary in his
ideas Of right, the son obstinate and in.
clined to waywardness.
Jared's relation to the family was al
most that OF son. He. was to have,
married Sallie, the daughter. i've. years
before, but she had been taken i'll three
weeks before the appended day, and died
Ten days later Her last request to Jared
had beeik kteA watch over JoeRas an older
brother. and to help to keep him from
evil ways. sJftg ~ - EFsfi
Father is growing old, - she had said,
land if ever you have chance to bring
him and Joe to good understanding do
your best. II know you WIN do your
best, Jared-even 10 sacrifice yourself q
Bttloss not my ezke.'s9 sa-T & a ! ~ k 4
The final estrapgenept came when Joe
ses-tt $50. F.-NA ~ Ak - f,5ae