The morning call., 1893-06-03

warmth of the hosptable brute's reception
of me, when much to the dogs disgust
but to my relief. Mrs. Kearney came
around from the kitchen and called him
If She acknowledged he was a ''crass
darg."
Her husband was raking hay on the op-
posite hill, hill that reminded me of an
inverted basin so symmetrical was Its
form. Kearney pointed TO man on the
hill who he said would pay me 81 25
day to drop potatoes. AS for himself he
was hourly expecting man whom he had
hired in town. If the man did not show
up soon, he said, he would hire me for the
entire summer at $50 per month.
l said l couldn't afford to wait and take
the chances of his man turning up, where
upon he asked me why l didn't go up to
the man on the hill and drop potatoes, to
which 1 replied that preferred to keep
the road, and that | was getting so hungry
that | couldn't bear to think about any
other kind of potatoes than cooked ones
or of dropping them in any other than one
particular place. Kearney looked at ME
hard.
After I walked a few hundred yards l
happened to look back and there was
kearney still immovable as a statue. l
was almost at Potter's before Kearney
moved. The tiny speck on the horizon
at last resumed its hay-raking.
Joe Potter's old father said Joe was
down at Smiths cutting hay. Joe was
looking for a carpenter to make some
chicken-houses out of an old barn. l told
the old man that | had made chicken
! houses out of old barns all my life and l
made Decline for Smiths, distant, acr oss
hills, half a mile.
When Smith told me Potter was at
Kent's place, at the end of that long fence,
felt discouraged 1t was u o'clock, and
l was desperately hungry. Kent said Pot
ter and Murphy had left Tor Murphy's
place not ten minutes before. and felt like
Evangeline pursuing her evanescent
Gabriel. might have given up and struck
Kent, who looked hospitality Itself. for
| lunch, but had an obstinate curiosity to
see what sort of looking chap that will
o. the wisp Potter was, so 1 walked down
the road just mile and q half to Potter's
He was at home.
They made me sit right down, and had
a splendid meal. including the finest cake
ever ate outside of Western Addition
bakery.
Potter said he'd hire me to make chicken
houses out of old barns. and Murphy said he
was desperately in need OF man to help
with the hay.
While the men were hitching Murphy
told me to give the critters (the hogs) the
benefit of barrel of old buttermik, dish
water and sundry other ingredients, which
! did
AS stopped out the fragrant beverage,
pail by pail, began to realize what ro-
mantle career farmer might lead if he
only knew how; and when / had satisfied
the more immediate wants of Murphy's
hogs got on the wagon and drove down
to the hay fields. l was let off at cut,
raked and partly punched field and told to
trim up bit. which l knew meant to
pitchfork the low and Irregular punches"
! into round and high cocks"
The other two men and another hired
man went to raking and cutting in an ad-
| joining field.
When L thought I had perspired about
! % cents worth. my estimate OF the value
| OF the lunch. | stuck my implement of
toll into the last hay-cock, grabbed my
coat and bundle and walked off, The
mowers. distant one-quarter of mile.
eyed me as had the chicken man, the old
lady. the widow Donovan, the young
farmer and Mr.. Kearney. But l was
getting hardened to it.
At the top of the last hill saw two val
leys blinking soft and warm In the after
noon haze.
At the Summit Farm the good matron
asked me if | wouldn't rest a while and
have cup Of tea or coffee or wine-for
they had little vineyard back of the
house. When she finally came to milk
in her list of beverages. acknowledged
the correctness of her final diagnosis and
testified my appreciation of her kindness
by drinking two glasses.
She said she thought they wanted an
other man. and when l asked the husband,
who was cutting back OF the barn, he said
Yes. Pm mighty glad you came along.