Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1892-10-06

money viii be here all right next
month, and he can pay 81, 400 down and
the rest on two. three and four years
That's good. said Mrs. Crest; but
why didn't Myron come back with you,
father?"
He said he guessed he'd better hurry
home" The old man did not look at
her; he walked across the floor to the
sink and began pumping; ali the while
he was conscious Of his wife's eyes on
his back.
Father. did Myron tell you anything
: about that bankS"
Joshua's face was over the tin basin;
great splashing noise came to her,
mingled with grunt that the bank was
all right; but Joshua's neck, fair where
the sun had not touched it, grew red
and redder.
Father, I Jest know he did" she
cried, ~he thinks Starling's bank amt
safe; that's why Myron wouldn't stop to
supper; he didn't want to be ques-
toned"
Mother, you're the seeriest critter
alivel Startling is a good boy; he is the
superintendent-no, that's his brother,
but he is professor, and he's straight
temperance man, and amt going to
believe a word agin him.
Judith was trying to fry her cakes;
the grease sputtered and Missed on the
griddle and spattered on her bare wrist;
she did not even know that it had burned
| her. Her mild eyes were glowing, she
trembled, and her gentle voice was
| sharpened by pain as she answered:
Then he did talk to you. oh, father,
don 't-don't hide anything from mel"
II amt hiding nothing, mother. Ny
ron, he thought you'd worry SO, that s
all; and faint much he said. He's young
and thinks he knows it all. Jest be-
cause some Chicago Teller with his boots
blacked has been stufin' Myron, he
| thinks Steve Startling, we've all known
| from boy, is going to bust up.
Father, for heavens sake, what did
| Myron say?"
We'll, if you'll be any wiser for hear
in. he heard Steve had been specializing
in buckets in Chicago" said the old
man, with a visible pride over his flu
| ency with the terms Of finance; "he has
| been going long, or else he has been
| going short, on wheat, and kiting away
with notes and lost money, but don't
| believe word of it myself.
Judith took up the cakes with shaking
! hands; she laid the plate on the table
and put the griddle further back on the
| stove in order to approach Joshua.
Never since their little boy died had he
seen his wife's face as it looked then.
Joshua, she said, IF we lose that
money it means Wen have to spend all
our days working on a mortgaged farm.
! If we cayn't pay up the third he can
| fOreclose on us; and you know he's
mean enough to do it; and if we borrow
| money to pay him we shall have to work
| it QUIT That's the best can happen to
US; the worst is We'll be turned out
| on the prairie-noways at all can we go
to town, and for how many years-Oh,
| father"
Hush. hush, Judy"-he tried to soothe
her, stroking her withered hand and
| patting it-"come now, it will be all
right, we'll go fast enough. I didn' t
know you wanted it so awful much!"
| Wanted it," she screamed, while the
| patience of years seemed to break
! down, and her words rushed as prai-
RE fire spreads; wanted it. Father,
| you amt got no idea what it means to
me to get out of this loneliness and be
with Gods folks againl I amt had a
! peaceful day since the children died.
[ couldn't work hard enough to stop my
| thinking! I was scared all the while.
I never said nothing bout it. for what
| good would it do? We'd got to live out
on the farm; it would only poster you,
and you had enough to stand, but all
| day I'd be thinking, what about the
horses? what about the reaper? when
it was going, and I'd see you brought
! home all bloody. If I'd a soul to speak
to it wouldn't have been so bad, but 1
knew we couldn't afford a girl, and
] how'd we get one if we could? And
/ every time the wind bowed I was ex-
pecting cyclone"
| Why, Judy, and you so brave when
we did have cyclonel"