The advocate., 1894-02-07

ways De maxim a mountain out OF
mole-hill. Wen get through all right.
You just leave that to Sam Cotterell,
and don't you worry about it."
"lt would be awful, though, to lose
our home, pa" said Kate.
Now you've said it Kate" said
Mrs: Cotterell. "Many night l amt
slep' wink for thinkin' about havin'
TO leave where we've lived so many
years. Seems to me | couldn't stand
1t. Why, your father and me come
here young folks Just married and
when we hadn't neighbor nearer'n six
miles, anywhere. We set down here
and worked till we've GOT a home at
last, and now it's goin' to be taken
from us-seems to me wouldn't want
to live. And we're old now, your
father and me, and can't work like
we used to so as to start over again.
You and John was both born on this
place, and little Albert, that's dead
and gone, died here. And we have to
leave? l won't never believe there's
no GOD any more if such things al
lowed to be-" Mrs. COtterell stopped
sewing to put her apron to her eyes
and remove the tears that were there.
Sam COtterell turned his back and
went about pretending to look for
something so his eyes could not be
seen. Kate knelt by her mothers
chair, StrOked affectionately her gray
hair, put an arm about her and said
though Kate'S voice trembled some:
Don't worry, mother! You and
rather will spend your last days on this
farm. Something tells me you will.
We shall find some way to save the old
nome. I'm young, mother, and l can
do something yet; and john
"Yes," said Mrs. COtterell, "the bank
John was keepin' his money in busted
last September just after he was here
and ne lost every cent l didn't tell
you when you was home Christmas
cause it wasn't no use. And your
father had to mortgage everything on
the place Almost to get money and paw
the interest and taxes, and he's been
payin' big interest on it every month
sence, and poor Johns had to scrimp
and save to send it. We've been that
poor, Kate, that we couldn't write to
neither OF you children cause we
didn't have no postage stamp even. /
tell you we've seen hard times, Kate,
Sence you've been aWayp
Mother, what's the matter of you
tonight, anyWay?" said Sam Cotterell,
In evaporation. "What's the sense
OF blabbin' every dOgoned thing you
know? What's the good of WOrryin'
Kate with every blamed thing that's
ever happened since the flood? 1t.
don't do no good. It's all past now
anyhow. Why don't you let it go and
forget it?"
And just think of me enjoying my
self and living at ease while poor
mother and you were suffering sop
said Kate. "Why did you not write
and tell me? l would have sent you
some Of ny money"
'That's just why we didn't want you
to know" said her father. "We
knOwed you'd be sendin' us what you
needed yourself if we told you. What
would have been the use of worryin'
the whole family? 1t was bad enough
to have your mother Worryin' her life
out"
"And you, pa-did you never worry?
Did you not suffer tOo?"
"If l did l kept my blamed mouth
shut about it, and didn't go round
blubberin' it to all creation!" said her
father.
When the second day after this con-
VersatiOn Sam Cotterell drove to town,
he carried a letter from Kate to Over
ton, in which she told him of her
trOubles-Omitting, however, all men
tion Of Clarence, and without her faith
er's knowledge, told also about the
mortgage, concluding the recital with
the proposal that, instead of lending her
money to pay her way at college, Over