Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1892-01-07
A MOCCaSin AMONG the H0bbys.



one OF my fathers near neighbors and
friends. He was not so very, very little.
They called him SO in distinction from
big cousin of the same name. Every
body liked him. Even Maggy Tiller
over and over again said that she thought
great deal of Joe. Yet she gave her
hand in preference to the big cousin, and
so Little Joe, sorrowful as it all was, had
TO bear it as well as he could. Maggv,
noticing at her very last refusal how
hardly he took it, offered the consolation,
which at such a time, if girl would
only reflect for a moment, is the very
poorest to be thought of. She told him
to never mind, for that it wouldn be so
very long before he would find girl to
suit him to a t, and then he would be lust
running over with joy that he hadn't
married Maggy Tiller. Indeed, Maggy
was very sorry for his distress, so she
must say something, and she didn't
know of anything better. Then he rose,
and, after shaking good-by, said:
"No, Maggy, can't get you; but I'll
never marry anybody else"
He went to the wedding, and with the
tther guests extended congratulations,
and partook with reasonable zest of the
good things. Afterwards he was as good
neighbor as before, and good cousin
to both. My father said, out of course
only in the family, that if he had been
In Maggy Tiller's place he would have
taken Little Joe, and let Big Joe 90
somewhere else; for in his opinion Little
Joe was more of man; and so, he sus-
pected, thought Maggys mother. How
ever, he added, nobody can ever foresee
what girls will do in such cases.
Joe-Little Joe, | mean-tried to 90
along about as he had been doing before
his bad luck, as he called it; for he
never denied single thing But he was
as healthy in mind as in body, and he
felt that if Maggy and the other Joe
could do well, so far as he was con-
cerned, they were welcome to do so. In
deed, he was a better friend to them than
Jim Hobby, Big Joe's older brother,
whom Maggy had cast aside also, and
who in pet went off and married Mandy
Brake, who wasn't as pretty as Maggy
and had rather poor health besides.
And they did do well,-that is moder-
ately well. If Big Joe's industry, man
agement and prudence had corresponded
with his physical proportions, they
would have done splendidly. As it was,
out of the good piece of ground which
they owned, they made quite enough to
live on, and perhaps trihe over; but
not nigh what Little Joe, who continued
to live with his mother, contrived to put
aside yearly for rainy days.
The two families lived only mile
apart, and visiting continued to be kept.
up the same as if nothing had happened.
In decent time after tho birth of their
baby, Little Joe went over there and
handed around his congratulations again.
When the baby was named joe he
had to congratulate again. and he did So
like the man he was. 1t may have seemed
to him somewhat monotonous whenever
he was there that the father was ever
lastingy saying that in some points, in
deed in almost every single blessed point,
he had not a doubt that that baby was
ahead of anything of its age that could
be found in the whole State, let alone the
county.
"Why, Joe," he said, more times than
his hearer could recall, "Maggv'll tell
you herself that sometimes | have to
loose my mule from the plough half an
hour before the dinner horn blows, |
want to see him so bad. Look ee here,
joe" he said nigh as many times to the
baby, you know who that is sitting in
that chair? You don't? Why, that's
your cousin Joe, same name as YOU. Not
named after him exactly, but all the same.
Ask Cousin Joe if he don't wish he had n
Joe like you"
AT such times Maggy smiled little
scold; but it did no good. He would 60
on about it, and keep at it, not even
stopping at the dinner-table, occasionally
getting up and making Little Joe getup,
repair to the bed or the cradle whereon
Aat baby was lying, and note how, when
he was not growing, he would be trying,
just for the fun of it, to gam his fists or
the coverlet into his ever-open mouth.
And then sometimes he would crown all
by crying to the youngster about thus:
"Going TO be big man some day,
aren't you?-a heap bigger than Cousin
Joe."
Such things he did often, not from any
thought OF malice towards his cousin, but
out OF mere exuberance of the conscious
ness OF his superiority to him Little
Joe endured it all, and did what he could
in simple ways to help them along Once,
when the baby was thoughtto be danger
ously sick, he went there at nights, and
while the father slept, watched with the
mother during the silent hours. Before
Big Joe was awake next morning he
rould be gone to his work. During that
time Jim Hobby never once came there. |
His wife did, and wanted to help; but |
MNggy, knowing that she was not strong |
mough to do any good, thanked her and |
sent her home.
One would think that such as that
ought always to come to an end Some
times it does as in this case it did. Early
In August, when the baby was only
few weeks old, Big Joe got sick himself.
People said it was from having had too
much Fourth of July. Whatever was
the cause, no sort of medicine, old
women's nor Doctors could cure him;
and so he died, leaving Maggy poor,
lonesome widow. With her baby she
moved back to her mothers, and it was
not so very long before she began to
look as bright us ever, and perhaps some
pretter.
l could not undertake to say exactly
how Little Joe felt on the occasion of
his cousins death; but he said and he
did what was becoming,-no more,
no less. He helped to put him away
decently, and then helped Maggy to do
what was to be done before she could get
back to her native place. As for the
baby, while he did not-because he could
not-show the pride which his father in