The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1892-06-10
FORESTALLED.

SOAAVN VI VAoU "A lxuxV .
natured. genial man, he was we'll re.
spected and liked by all his neighbors.
He was a widower, his wife having
died nearly seventeen years ago. She
had left only n child. a da keyed,
impulsive little fellow Of seven, who
was the apple of his fathers eye.
Immediately after his great bereave-
ment Miss Dolly Stiles. a maiden sis.
ter Of the deceased wife had come to
care for little Joe and act as house.
keeper.
Miss Dolly vas a gentle. sweet-tem
pered body, and would. no doubt, have
made a model boy out of her nephew.
But the Judge over-indulged and
spoiled little Joe to such an extent
that his aunt's corrections and disci.
pines, always kindly in their nature.
counted for naught. Still. impulsive
and hayward as the boy was. no one
was able to influence him quite &C
greatly as Aunt Dolly.
Joe loved her as if she were his
own mother. and several of the neigh.
bors declared that Judge Carpenter
ought to have married his s~ister-in.
law. believing that had he done &C
the boy would have turned out better.
When Joe was l6 he was SEN off tc
high school and Dolly Stiles went
back to her old home. When he
spent his vacations at home 1t was re-
marked how reckless he was gro wing.
deprived OF Miss Dolly's gentle infu-
! ence.
Joe remained two years at high
school. then the judge sem him away
to college. The first year the profess
sor reported hat he was very studi-
Gus. but he fell in with some wild as.
s~ociates, became Indifferent about his
studies. and at last disobeyed the
rules of the college and vas expelled.
He came home. and the judge de-
bated the subject OF making his boy
take up farming. as an occupation to
tone him down. But Joe soon fell
out with plowing and before he was
21 a away from home.
The Judge tried hard to recover his
boy. He followed him as far as Den
YER, where he lost all trace of the
runaway. He employed two good de.
tectives to continue the search. then
returned home. But nothing could
be heard from Joe. and it became the
belief around his old homo that he
must be dead.
1t was near sunset when Judge
Carpenter stopped his carriage before
a neat little farm house, EMPOWERED
in trees, on the side OF a gentle hill.
A lovely girl of about 20. with hazel
eyes and rosy cheeks. came singing
down the path. She stopped sud
denly on meeting the judge, and she
colored up with pretty confusion.
Good evening, Mr.. Carpenter" she
stammered; Il didn't see you"
Good evening, Miss Alma" re-
turned the judge. taking her plump
little hand and holding it longer than
seemed at all necessary. You had
started some placep"
'Only after the COWS" she laughed,
recovering herself.
"YOu are a very sweet Cheerful
girl Alma, and deserve a better fat,
than the hard life which is yours,
said the judge kindly and seriously.
Thank you, Mr.. Carpenter. Yor
will find father enjoying his evening
pipe in the garden" and she trippet
away to the meadow. leaving tn,
judge to find his old friend.
Alma Herrick's father and Judg.
| Carpenter had been comrades in the
late war. They had formed a friend.
ship in camp which had strengthened
with their years. Both men were
widowers each having but one child.
But while Carpenter had been success.
full in accommodating riches. Amo.
Herrick had seemed to 20 behind, ano
had it not been for the timely help O.
his friend he could not have retained
the pleasant little farmhouse where
he and Alma lived. Judge Carpenter
found Amos Herrick smoking as he
paced up and down the broad paths o.
the well-kept garden.
Il was just thinking of you.
Joseph" said Herrick after their frs;
greetings had been exchanged.
Il was thinking about that money
I owe you. My crops are almost tota
failures this year. and it was my
greatest hope to mako a good payment
this summer, but l don't see for my
life how I'm going to do it. Joseph, u
and his head dropped de::ectedly.
Don't let that worry you, old boy. !
have proposition to offer by which yor
may cancel that debt which you harl
on so much. and at the same time
make me very happy" said the Judge
earnestly.
Il know you are surprised, and
would no doubt have been surprised
myself had anyone suggested such
thing to me yesterday; but sitting
alone to-day l realized my need o
some bright young presence to cheel
my life and home. Immediately
thought Of your Alma as the one per
son in all the world to do this.
know we both thought once that thi.
would be brought about in q differon
way. l think there was a tender at
tachment between my Joe and YOU
Alma. but my poor boy is gone"
II Alma had consulted her own feel
ings she would have declined Judge
Carpenters proposition. much as she
respected him; but her father wa.
growing old, and there we're his mum,
erous Obligations in one way and an
other tc the Judge, 20 she hushed tn
promptings of he. neart and SAT-
yes"
The wedding was to come off in tn
early autumn. Judge Carpenter tool
a boyish delight Ia periecting all neo
essary arrangements. The day be
fore the wedding came. and Aim
i Herrick wandered by herself dow
the meadow to her favorite retreat i
the wood that bordered the tiny stream
..And 1 am going to marry hi
father tomorrow! 1t eelns almos
ridiculous!" and poor Alma smiled il
a sad way. If. it were not for poo
father, I'd feel only contempt for
girl who would accept the fathe
while loving the son. But. father
life has been hard. and / must thin
of him only. Then Joe is
She was going to say that he wa
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