The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1893-08-11
THE OLD WOOD STOVE.
By Selling It Mrs. kalston Got a
SOn-in-Law.
"Tinkle. tinkle. tinklei"

| y
CHEEKY echo under the white -blossomed
even though it was only a string of
bells stretched across wagon and
agitated by the jog-jog of an ancient
white horse, that was as blind as the
little god of love, while a shrewd old
lnan trudged beside him, guiding his
devious way.
"Tinkle, tinl1le, tinllle!"
Anything in my line to-day, squirrel"
asked Moses Minton, checking his march
as he caught sight of Mr.. Ralston gath
ering the early apricots from the sunny
side of the wall.
"Git out!'' was the terse reply.
"Rags?" suavely added Moses, stretch
ing his neck to look at the red-cheelled
beauties whose subtle fragrance filed
the air. ''Bottles? Old iron? Noospa-
pers?"
''Git out, l say!" growled Ralston,
never once glancing up from his occu
patton 81 hain't no time to bother"
'sNo offense, hope?" said the indom-
itably cheerful itinerant. Il seen an
old wood stove in the shed as | came
by"
"Well, and if you did, what business
was it of yours?" retorted Ralston.
oval, none, not if you look at it that
ar way" said Moses. ''But if SO be as
we could drive trade"
eve can't then, and there's an end
| ont" answered Ralston
And after one or two seconds further
waiting, Moses Minton chirruped to
Old Gray. and once more the bells
tangled merrily on the air indicative of
| move.
"Strange how persistent them mis-
erable creatures is,'' thought Farmer
Ralston.
'sStrange how Grabbed Simeon Raj
ston gets, as he gets older" meditated
Noses "If that ar's what money
brings with it, I, for one, don't want
to be rich! Get up, Old Gray"
Farther down the lane, however,
where the ripening blackberries hung
their knobs of jet on every bough and
spray and the sound of a little brook
somewhere in the distance made a
dreamy gurgling, Moses Minton came
across Mrs. Ralston, fat, comfortable
old DAME as unlike her husband as the
motherly barn-door hen is unlike the
gaunt, high-shouldered game-cock.
"Well, l declare" said Mrs. Ralston,
"if wasn't jest a-thinking about you,
Nose Minton.'
"Was you, thought" chuckled the old
man. Anything in my line to-day?
Who-oa, Gray I sw'ar to goodness"
las the old horse contentedly buried his
nose in green bank) ''that there crit
ter couldn't find out where the clover
clumps grow no better, not if he had
forty pair of eyes, inste'd O. being stun
blind!''
"Me and Comfort, we was a-sayin',"
contentedly purred on Mrs. Ralston,
who was lin full pursuit of flock of
lemon-yellow ducklings who were evad-
ing her guardianship in every direction,
shat you hadn't been along in quite a
spell. And the bag of mixed rags is
quite full, and there's lot of old num-
bers of the Missionary Review, and
But don't speak so loud | kind o don't
want father to hear he's so mortal set
ag'in' partin' with anything. It's kind
o. second nature to him to hoard up
| things; and as he gets further on in
years he's more set in his ways than
ever Jest you come round the back
door. He's out and Comfort is out, and
now's first-rate chance to get rid of
the old wood-stove as has been rustin
in the shed for a hull year"
Moses Minton's eyes twinkled. 1t
was not the first time he had become
an accessory to just such harmless do
mestic plots as this.
"I'm at your orders, num-" said he.
"And prices warn't never better for you
nor wuss for me. Half a cent a pound
is what we're a-givin' for old iron now"
"Tain't much," said Mrs. Ralston.
''It's better than nothing" argued
Moses. "And really, now, amt it wuth
that to get lot of old truck out of the
house?"
"Wel, l dunno but what you're
right" said Mrs. Ralston.
And while Mr.. Ralston was yet Gull
ing out the ripest and deepest-colored
of the apricots for an especial order for
a dinner party at DIR. Jessups on the
hill, old Moses loaded up his cart, with
the rusty wood-stove in the center OF
the bags of rags and bundles of ole
newspapers, and drove away, jingling
his bells through the purple twilight,
to the infinite disgust of the gray horse
who knew an Eden of clover and daisies
when he found it and was correspond
ingly reluctant to leave it.
Presently Comfort Ralston came in;
tall, rosy girl with limpid brown eyes
and luxuriant auburn locks pushed off
her fair, freckled brow.
"Am | late, mother?" said she. "But
they kept me longer than l expected"
la, child, no." Mrs. Ralston re-
sponded II hain't but jest hung the
| kittle over. I'm sort o behindhand to-
night. Old Nose Minton has been he.e,
but don't, for goodness sake, tell your
father! And I've sold the rags and all
them old papers and the wood stove
out in the shed"
Mother! The wood stove?"
81 got forty-five cents for it," saio
Mrs. Ralston. "And it wasn't no us
to us, all rusting away there"
'Has he gone, mothers"
"Your father? Why, no, he's busy
with them apricots out by the orchard
wall for"
mo, 1 don't mean father, mean
Moses Minton! Has he gomez"
'More than half an hour ago." said
Mrs. Ralstop, scooping the tea out of
little iapanned tea-caddy with leisurely
composure.
Comfort turned red, then white. She
made step toward the door, but al,