The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-22

& ~ 3 ss;!; On std Ss,:
foundation, coeval with the revolution.
A more modern blacksmith's shop had
been built ut one end, whose doors had
long been closed. solitary white
pine tree, half dead and beaten by Il
century of storms, lifted it's black crest
close by, and u waterfall, hidden in
evergreen woods, came muttering
lowly over tho rocks in the rear. Poo
pie talked in whispers about there
being n ghost OH the premises. Doc
tors shook their heads and said that
the bad drainage was enough to
mako n churchyard full of the sheeted
and shrouded gentry. Artists on the
staff of illustrated newspapers came
there to sketch the ruined building as
the oldest in the country and bur-
glars slyly rnnsacked the place Mt
due lntervnls-as old Milo had the name
of being an ideal miscr, who hid bags
of money up chimneys and kept boxes
of gold eagles under the flooring of the
unused rooms-always, however, with
out any satisfactory result. And old
Milo, sitting like 4 withcred mummy
in the sunshine, on n certain old bench
which he much affected, grinned from
ear to ear and chuckled when people
asked him why he didn't keep watch
dog or take another family into the
house to protect him.
Land o. Goshen!" said the old
miser. What do l want of n dog to
eat me out of house and home? And as
for family-well, l calc'late there's
fools enough in the house already since
Mary Jane fell in love with Bill Jones,
the cooper's son. Let the ghosts go
ghostcrin' around They don't hurt me.
And rs for burglars, dear henrt, if they
knew how little there was to steal,
they'd be a-puttin' in their time to bet
ter advantage somewhere else"
Bill Jones, n strapping young giant,
with n yellow, curly head and simple,
blue eyes, was regarded rs n brave,
man when he went to ask old Milo
Menard for his granddaughter's hand
IN marriage. The old miscr regarded
him with scornful eyes and worked his
toothlcss jaws about after most APP
palling fashion.
''Eh!" said Milo. "My Mary Jane?
What is it you're sayin' about her?"
u love her, SIR" repeated Bill, land
She loves me-"
''Pshaw!" said Mr. Menard.
And l want to marry her." protest,
ed Bill Jones, sticking gallantly to his
post.
well, you can't!" snnrlcd Menard.
"And there's an end of the matter"
II can support her." said Bill Jones'
''The cooperin' business is lookin' up,
and"
THAT don't make no difference, "
said the old man. my gal don't mar
ry no one but blacksmith. The old
shop has got to be opened again; the
business has got to go on
Bill Jones stared. Then it was true,
as the neighbors said, that Milo Menard
was wont at times to light the forge
fires at midnight and work away on
rusty old nails and bars of long-unuscd
iron, especially on stormy nights when
sleep fled his pillow
Don't You think, SIR" he hazarded,
shat the cooperin'-"
II don't know nothin' about the
coopcrin', and l don't care nothin'i
about it" said Milo, steadfastly. "But.
this do know: The man who marriesl
my gal has got to be blacksmith"
Then" said Bill Jones, clcnchinp,
his Hercules fists, "Ill be blacks
smith,
lie meant it. He upprcnticed him.
self the next day to sturdy son of
Vulcan, whose forge roarcd in red vol:
leys of flame up the chimney of a neigh
boring shed and never rested until he
had qualified himself to shoe any horse,
in the state
II wouldn't do that for any girl"
said Harvey Martin, Farmer Martins
nephew
"Ah!" sand Bill Jones. But YOU
don't know how love that girl! I've
loved her ever since met her comm
down Rabbit Hill that snowy arter-
noon with a horseshoe in her hand
'Gran'thcr says it's bad luck to pass a
horseshoe, says she, laughin', when
made bold TO ask her what on earth
She was agoin' to do with il. so | al
ways bring EN- home. Grand'thcr's
got Il pile of 'em in the old shed back
of the forge She had such pretty
way with her, don't you see; and her
checks were that pink and her eyes
that black, rs you couldn't think of
nothin' but doll! A blacksmith, in
dee d. If the old cove had bid me be Il
rope dancer, III ha' gone to work prac-
ticin' with Will"
Old Milo smiled grimly when he saw
Bill Jones handle the rcd-hot iron in
the old forge and viewed set of
horseshoes that DIS mighty hand had
hammered out.
ut amt bad work." said lie you'll
Zoe blacksmith, hoy, if you keep on
Yes, you may marry Mary Jane, if you
1ike--now"
Mr. and Mr. William Ionns, rradd;nm