The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-08

W. n tered stone
foundation, coeval with the revolution.
a more modern blacksmith's shop had
been built at one end, whose doors had
long been closed. A solitary white
pine tree. half dead and beaten by
century of storms, lifted its black crest
close by, and a waterfall, hidden IN
Evergreen woods, came muttering
Iowly over the rocks in the rear. Peo-
pie talked in whispers about there
being a ghost on the premises. Doc
tors shook their heads and said that
the bad drainage was enough to
make churchyard full of the sheeted
and Ehrouded 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 ransacked the place at
due Intervals-as old Milo had the name
Of being an ideal miser, 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 q withered mummy
in the sunshine, on a certain old bench
which he much affected, grinned from
ear to ear and chuckled when people
asked him why he didn't keep a watch
dog or take another family into the
house to protect him.
Land o. Goshen!" said the old
miser. "What do l want of dog to
eat me out of house and home? And as
fools enough in the house already since
Nary Jane fell in love with Bill Jones,
the cooper's son. Let the ghosts go
Faosterin around. They don't hurt me-
ind as for burglars, dear heart, 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, a strapping young giant,
with yellow, curly head and simple,
blue eyes, was regarded as a brave
man when he went TO ask old Milo
Msnard for his granddaughter hand
in marriage. The old miser regarded
him with scornfui eyes and worked his
toothless jaws about after most APP
pal.ing fashion.
Tn" said Milo. my Mary Jane?
What is it you're sayin' about herP"
y love her, sir, >" repeated Bill, land
she loves me-"
'Pshaw" said Mr.. Menard
And / want to marry her." protest
Ell BIZ Jones, sticking gaIlantly to his
post
Well, you can't" snarled Menard.
sand there's an end of the matter"
Il can support her." said Bill Jones.
''The cooperln' business is lookin' up,
and"
THAT don't make no difference"
said the old man. My gal don't mar
~ no one but blacksmith. The old
shop mas got to be opened again; the
business has got to go on"
Bill Jones stared. Then it was true,
as the neigh bors 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-unused
iron, especially on stormy nights when
sleep fed his pillow.
Don't you think. SIR" he hazarded,
that the cooperin'-"
Il don't know nothin' about the
cooperin', and / don't care ncthin'
about it." said Milo, steadfastly. But
this do know: The man who marries
my gal has got TO be a blacksmith"
Then" said Bill Jones' clenching F.
his Hercules fists, IN be a black
SMITH"
lie meant it. he apprenticed him
self the next day to a sturdy son of
n
lays Of flame up the chimney of neigh .
boring shed and never rested until he
had qualified himself to shoe any horse
In the state.
Il wouldn't do that for any girl"
E-il Harvey Martin, Farmer Martins
pcphew.
Ali" sad Bill Jones. But YOU
don't know how love that girl! I've
loved her ever since | met her comm
down Rabbit Hin that snowy arter-
noon with a horseshoe in her hand.
'Gran'ther 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 it. so al
ways bring EN- home. Grand'thers
got pile Of EN- in the old shed back
of the forge She had such pretty
way with her, don't you see; and her
cheeks were that pink and her eyes
that black, as you couldn't think of
nothin' bat DOLL A blacksmith, in
deedl If the old cove had bid me be
rope dancer, I'd ha' gone to work prac-
ticin' with will"
Old Milo smiled grimly when he saw
Bill Jones handle the red-hot iron in
the old forge and viewed a set of
horseshoes that his mighty hand had
out.
1t amt bad work" sale he. You'll
be a blacksmith, boy, if you keep on.
Yes, you may marry Mary Jane, if you
ike-now!"
Mr.. and Mrs William Jones wedding
trip was only TO the nearest town to
buy a store carpet for the best room
and set of blue-edged crockery to go
TO housekeeping with
Its sheer extravagance," growled
old Milo "Clean-scoured boards is
good enough for anyone, and there
was enough old plates and cups about
the place, though trihe cracked and
Clipped But it amt my money they're
goin' to spend, and l s pose BIZ Jones
has right to do as he pleases with his
own"
But when the young couple returned Il
Of sunshiuy October afternoon. old
Milo sat out on his bench, his head
bowed over the staff which he clenched
in both hsnds-deadl
There was no sign Of violence. no