The farmers' union. (Memphis, Mo.) 1891-1895, 1893-12-21
CHAPTER Il.-COntinued.

no sat and looked at his client for some
minutes with amused intentness as IL
he were a half-pleasing, half-annoying
puzzle. What he saw was slender
man, who might have been of almost
any age from fifty upward. His features
were small but of classic regularity:
his lips and nostrils thin: a slight NOUS
tache of light brown: little tuft OF
beard upon the chin and just a hint OF
whisker under each ear. Elsewhere
hi skin had that peculiar smOothness
which characterizcs the face of a man
Of middle age who does not use the
razor. His eyes were o! stccly blue,
and the brow5 above them long but
thin and gray. His hair fell to his neck
behind the ears, and when he raised
his hat. showed that it was cut square
across just above the eyebrows in what
would now be know. a, a bang. He
wore a brown cloth overcoat OF style
which had been Old-fashiOn d III my
bOyh od. 1t had u care, fastened at
the collar with frog. and had double
row of great brass buttons up and down
the front. Around his neck was
string from which depended an enor-
nous Tair of what were then termed
"fringcd mittcns", which must have
come nearly to the elbow. Inside of
these he wore a Ialr OF dressed buck
skin. His hands were small, with long
fingers and narrow, iilbert-shapcd
nails. On the whole, he rcmindei one
strongly Of the portraits of Aaron Burr.
There was that about him which gave
the idea Of a man intellectually at va
rance with his surroundings. The
quictncs5 and cvenness Of his tones,
the absence Of all cxpletives from his
conversation and all excitement from
his manner served to deepen this inn
preston. Wcll-dles$cd, he would have
been pronounced Il handsome man: in
any garb an observer would look twice
ut his face. He was rcputed to be one
of the richest and unqucstlonably the
stingic,t and nIeancSt men III all the
country round. Slight as he was, he
Wa laid to possess unusual physical
strength. 1t was said that no one had
been found able to work with him,
stroke for stroke, day in and day out,
for u month.
Despite the numerous controversies
in which he had been engaged, few
Mon had been brave enough to try
conclusions with him physically, and
once had been enough to satisfy each
OF them. The stories told Of his &C.
Centrcltics We're numerous. some prob
ably true. and some quite incredible.
People seemed to think that nothing
could he too bad to sayOf one who made
no prctcn-c OF caring what was laid
of him. Yet, with all the antirathy
existing against him. no one ever serl-
ously questioned his veracity.
After Il moment the Senior rose.
threw off his shawl, laid his hat on the
top of his desk, and s;luntcrcd to tho
window. His stopping shoulders and
the pose of his shapely head. whose
black hair wa, just beginning to show
sign, of gray, told the secret of his
succc77-intcllcct,,a power and an inn
mensc capacity for continuous mental
effort. That he was an orator, full OF
humur and pathos, was Only an incl
dent. Ike his thorough legal equip
ment and Il memory that never lost the
impression of /: fact.
Rugules resumed tie conversation
with the client, paying no heed to the
rebuff he had received.
"Tha,'s fine yoke OF cattle you have
out there. MIR. Pike
Every one else addressed him by his
given name, but Kugglcs was young
anu not without touch of policy in his
nature, IL we have seen.
More one has made that remark
aforc Mr. Ruggcs," the old man an
swercd. quickly looking around with
evident satisfaction.
go q blood. too, / should say
"Pu, e. cherry-rcd D>vons: don't have
no othcls. IF you'll find Il white hair
on one of them, I'll give yc tho yoke"
What makes you 80 fond of Devons:'
Easy kept step lively, and know
enough to vote
We'll broke. I SUI po.c?"
Broke? kin start them steers
down the street. let EN- go CT fur cz
they kin hear me: stop en-, turn EN-
round. an back EN- up to any door in
the village without goin' nigh EN-.
Know any boss team that'll do as
much
NE. certainly not: but | should think
you'd keep Il horse for all that just to
DO Your running around with, you
knew.
Never owned but one boss, and
neve" expect to own another.
why not:"
NO use for EN-"
But they move SO much quicker
than oNen."
Never see much gain in it-for' a
farmer. that Is.
oxen are 80 Internal slow"
"Thafs Il great mistake. Such cat
lie aS these move nigh about rs fast IL,
HOSES at farm work; an the same
with Of EMIL do more. Take t now
in haulln' logs or wood-thatS about
all farmers do in winter keep three
pairs OF en- an generally have another
yoke comm on. Now. | take en- all
an 20 IL the woods three s!cds an
only one driver. you sce- put a much
a. any hess team II haul on each Sled
an start 'cm back. y man can drive
three ya..e u cattle just Is we'll As one.
Now. ii II take little longcr for the
oxen II make the trip, but when its
over VI hauled three loads an The
other fellow one
~!iut yea must admit that horses
beat then; on the road.
Wei. YES. tt you'r goiu' far enough
anu not too far. an tjon'( have TOO biz 8
l,a1. Il one's only goin :, mile Il
two. :; brisk 9tepper'l get thcge while
man " puld b hitchln' ~ horse