Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1892-08-20

in celery" and all such wild talk as
city farmers indulge In.
Finally the pen was dipped and handed
ma, but 'tead er takin' it she clinched
hands together hard and laushin' a
uemulous little pitful laugh, s e:
! "Alr. Sage, do you know how high
. corn grows on this plantation?
| 5 Sc, "No, num-
'Srheu III tell" holding her hand
/ foot above the carpet--'exactly SO high
/ and no higher. Then the blades turn
rusty and red and flop ever Ike dogs
ears, and little nubbtn comes the size
/ OF my finger"
/ Mr.. Sage sorter smiled, for he Ia
/ commented on the big cornstubs In the
held. Ma gave another dry laugh,
/ and S e:
| Your sheep viii die There amt
enough gras ON the uplan's to parster a
RABBIT, aud the meders are pizepous
with cltills and feyers, and were sub
( ject 70 pneumonia and mumps and
Z measles, an it's the wors. kind of luck
/ to move at your time of life anyhow.
! Mr.. Sage says very gently:
Madam, l respect your felin's,' and
they walked cut ON the porch.
Then ma bust ont in the pitfulest
sobbin' and cryin' and she and me had
! it.
She blamed me her only son. for
in in her old age to turn his ma home
! less and houseless, roCtless and a."
MY son." she said, THE air don't
blow 50 sweet and pure over no other
I piece of Gods earth, and things all so
/ convenient TO my hand. l could 20 to
( my places the darkest night that
| comes"
| Though I'll swear you'd have to
/ travel nile to 20 the POUNDS Of her
lower-garden, green house, dairy,
weavin' hCdse, ice-house and all the
fowl-houses and apurtenances. They
were located far apart in old slavery
days to give occupation to the uiggers,
l suppose.
And oh, George, my two babies in the
graveyard, and Id picked out my own
place by your pas side Tut like an
old tree, can't stand transplanuu
Oh, son, to think Of your dom such
cruelhearted thing in my old agew
"But ma says, tiyin' to defun' my
self
And George, | don't know but it's
wrong 20 so off and desert our niggers.
The old ones that raised us and the
young ones we raised. It's not their
fault they are set free, and they mind
their old miss as well as ever they did
/ Il always spilled 'em some), and it's only
the tIifin'. no-account ones gone OFF
TO the YANKEES any way"
Seem l agreed with her she went
on. There's old Villet with her rheu-
matiz, and Crazy Jane, who's harmless
as robin, and your mas old drop
sihed butler, and Blind Jim boy, that
used to drive the blooded Morgan hor-
ses when your pa came a-oouTtin' nae.
Who'd physic 'em and scold 'em and
see they don't starye? George! it would
be sin to desert 'em at their times Of
lives"
Women may be no great shakes at
hard, SCUM reasonin', but mas very
pretty talker indeed, and, 10y grabs, l
felt s0rter so myself and downright
aggravated with Mckay. What call
had he to fly off like a potleg in such
Il sudden swivet to GUST us from the
property which had belonged TO our
generation ever since William the Con
queror and for aught l know helped
him =, aqnnrray
The honor and glory Of settin up in
a stiff-starched collar at the Exchange
hotel, hobnobbin' with the Virginia
legislator, and the Judges, and the
bong tong would be but a poor com
pcnsaton for my pack Of houn's and
blood horses and the foxes and birds
and things / was used to- / would be
but alone, lost boy, east adrift, even if
l did eat oysthers three times a day
"Ain't there no way Of ,zettn' out of
this trap?' says ma, wipin her eyes on
the long sockleg.
Il b1eeve I'd die anywhere else"
IF we pay Mckay his commission
and persuade Mr.. Sage to give out the
notion says I doubtfully.
How much is the commission,
George?" she asked eagerly.
at amounts to $9S.7O, but
George" she spoke quickly. IF you
will step out to the stables for awhile
think / can compose my mind and
solemnize my thoughtsv"
The colts came whinnyin to meet me
and rubbed their noses on my shoulder;
the calves, the pigs, everything in the
yard came at me in a body.
l got a hamper of nubbins and scat
tered EN-, and somethin' KEEP gettin' in
my eye and l thought i would actually
blow my blamed nose off, and the more
/ thought Of McKay's ofiiciousness the
nader ! got, But when ! got back to
the parlor 1t was quiet as a church,
and there was ma ont at the yard gate
biddin' the gent'men 'far'weIl." Such
was ner haste to get them off and
| away.
Ny dear old mother! Her eyes shone
bright as a young girl's-she's smilin'
and lookin' as pleased as If she'd been