The morning call., 1893-06-03

| uUStioT Sdlu ut UolleVbU lie WAS.
''l'll send him around to the hotel IL ]
see him. What name will he ask for ?"
George Shaw" l replied.
walked out of town. hope Uncle
Billy subsequently suffered no incon-
Yenience.
On the outskirts of the town, just where
the street began to narrow into the county
road, Portuguese was hitching his horse
| to cart He had about 1000 chickens, he
said, and had been trying for two weeks to
get man whom he could trust to perform
some of the delicate services upon which
the health of the hennery so much de-
pended. Wanted o good, steady man, he
said. Would pay him $50 a month and
found If he would only stay until the
chickens learned to love him.
AS 1 was not yearning for chickenly
affection l babe him good afternoon.
1t was O'Clock. the sun was low and
the day had grown deliciously balmy.
Orchards and grain fields atern ated on
either side of the road. There were few
teams. and the air was still. except for the
pleasant sound of the mowers, still busy in
the distant hay fields.
Spying young man on mower,
near the edge of the meadow, [ walked
through the tangled grass at the side OF
the road and approached the.fence.
The young fellow said. whoa, Fanny"
and jerked up the lever. He was dressed
verv much as was, so felt quite at ease
as l asked him if his father wanted any
more men for his haydn.
'That's the boss over there" he an
swered, with an accent on boss" and
pointed to the tiny silhouette of a moving
team, outlined against the western sky.
Hes been wantin' another man to NOW.
Wen knock off in half an hour. P'raps
you'd better wait and see him."
Whats he payin'?' l asked, to gain
time to think up an excuse for lot waiting
of course. with the assurance of being
given work my object was accomplished.
dollar N quarter. I'll get 81 so If
kin hold down the balm" Then as I
thanked him and moved off. he asked,
Amt you going to strike for the job?"
No" L replied; ''its too near town. l
like to be of''-nodding my head toward
the eastern hills The young fellow look ed
as if he thought was pretty much "off'
already. He grinned and said, "Well, so
long"
A half mile farther, just where the road
made an obtuse angle, large farm spread
its well-tilled acres across the fiat and we'll
up onto the hong rolling hill.
The sun was blazing over the western
hills, and the millions of leaves OF the
poplar were bathed in the golden light.
AT the side door sat a woman reading.
Evidently ner help were preparing sup
per. The moment she looked up | felt it
ha 1a6 hot
She was an American to the back bone.
''Lookin' for work, are you?" she echoed
briskly and while l went over my little
fiction about struggling all winter in the
city, of my recent resolve to strike out In to
the country and of my still more recent ar
rival in Petauma, was subjected to a
T. T,st searching examination. After travers-
Zig my entire body the eye of the business
like old lady finally rested on my feet.
looked down. Horrors! There were the
miserable remains of a San Francisco
shine, which my short walk over the
rather clean country road had not been suf-
ficient to obliterate. l became painfully
aware that the shoes were still nearly
black.
"'Pears to me-" said the old lady slowly,
''that your shoes look pretty nice for a
mans who's had so much trouble gittin'
work in the city?"
Bless the slowness of the old soul. She
had given me ample time.
Eyes. ma'am," l answered, without a
blush at the awful whopper | was
framing. You seq times is terrible hard
down there. and I was obliged to take
whatever work l could get. The last place
| had was with bootblack, who'd kind OF
taken shine to me the old lady didn't
see it), and polished out nickeIs for
nearly week. When left thought I'd
try to look as respectable as possible, and
my boss BACKED my shoes as parting
token of his Italian 'steem."
And without giving her chance to com
ment upon this shady tale, rambled to
other topics, told her [ was born and
raised on a farm. and had spent nearly
every year of my dawning manhood at one
rural occupation or another. because
loved Gods fresh air and sunshine. That
seemed TO commend ME somewhat to the
pious old soul. for she allowed l seemed a
likely young man and told Jennie to take
me to the corral and give me milk-stool
and bucket.
L hadn't MIXED for years and my fingers
ached in ten min utes, but l stuck to it
with the fortitude of a MARTYR. The
farmer and three other men besides nv
self all worked together. The cows were
ranged in two rows of stanchions under
shed, as is usual all over California, our
mild climate rendering large milking barns
q mere nuisance,
Pm purity fulI-handed now" the old
farmer said, as together we emptied our
buckets into large cans that stood in a
trough. "Pve got forly-three acres in or
chard, and l bad to take in men pretty
early to get the trees fn shape. got three
men last week for the nay. and / reckon
can't handle any more less get apother
mower"
We all came in and washed at a long
wooden sink. A horn was blown by
gri VINO had to pucker her pretty lips con-
siderably 10 sound a loud note. We all
came IN to supper, family and farm hands
eating at the same table: and confess 10
feeling of abject contrition for all the
stories had told the old lady when the
meek OLD farmer said grace. and every one
at the table tilted his head Just little.
The old lady piled me with fresh cher
ries and stewed cherries and cherry pie.
could see that she was getting attached
to me, so was not totally unprepared for
the shock Of being offered a permanent
job.